BIO HIGHLIGHTS
Amsterdam Conservatory – MMus
Minsk Conservatory (Belarusian Academy of Music) – BA, Postgrad
Gymnasium-College under Belarusian Academy of Music
Laureat of many International Competitions
On stage since 1987
BIO EXTENDED
Maria Prokofieva was born in Minsk, Belarus. She began her musical education at the age of 5 and already one year later got a debut on stage at the big hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic (The Big concert hall | Belarusian State Philharmonic Society).
At the age of 6 she entered a Specialized Music School founded by the Belarusian State Conservatory in Minsk for gifted children, which nowadays calls Republican Gymnasium – College under the Belarusian State Academy of Music (http://www.rmcollege.by/about/history/). There she studied with piano teachers Irina Semenyako, Elena Serdyukova, Vera Logvinenko and Alla Himchenko. In 1999 she received her diploma for Piano Performance and Accompaniment with Honours.
The same year Maria was admitted without entrance exams to the Belarusian State Conservatory which nowadays, due its academic status, holds the name of Belarusian State Academy of Music. Her Professors at the Academy were Valery Shatsky (a pupil of Jacov Flier) – for piano solo, Sofia Okolova – for piano accompaniment and Irina Galochkina – for chamber music. In 2004 Maria received her Bachelor of Arts diploma as well as a diploma of Piano Performance with Honours in four qualifications: concert piano performer, piano accompanist, chamber music soloist, teacher.
In 2004-2006 she continued studying at the Belarusian State Academy of Music as a post-graduate trainee and assistant of both Professors Valery Shatsky for piano performance and pedagogy and Sofia Okolova for accompaniment.
During the time spent in College and Belarusian Academy of Music Maria developed a strong interest in performing. She got very inspired by her teachers, their educational methods and therefore developed love for teaching. She was the only one assistant among 35 other pianists from the course to choose to combine career of a soloist, accompanist and teacher.
In 2005-2006 Maria had a privilege to be invited and teach her own class of piano accompaniment for singers at the Belarusian Academy of Music.
At the same time, she was invited to teaching the piano class at The Minsk College of Arts.
In 2006 she was admitted to a post-graduate piano performing course at the Queen Elisabeth College of Music in Belgium with Professor Abdel Rahman El Bacha. During that time she had a chance to perform at Palais des Beaux-Arts and Flagey concert halls.
In 2007 Maria moved to The Netherlands to study at the Conservatory of Amsterdam . In 2010 she graduated with professor Naum Grubert and received her Master of Music degree. During her studying in Amsterdam she performed more than 300 concerts as a soloist and accompanist in the Netherlands and abroad, including Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She as well worked as an accompanist with numerous choirs and was a member of numerous chamber music ensembles.
In 2013 Maria was admitted to the Leiden University (department of cognitive psychology) as a Ph.D. researcher.
Maria became a laureate and prize-winner at many International piano competitions: Emmanuel Durlet International Piano Competition, Belgium (2005, Laureate), Andre Dumortier International Piano Competition, Belgium (2005, finalist and prize-winner), European Young Soloists Competition, Luxembourg (2003, Gold medal and special prize of jury), Carlo Soliva International Piano Competition, Italy (2000, Finalist), France Music Competition (1999, prize-winner), Oginsky International Competition, Belarus (1995, Laureate).
She as well participated in numerous masterclasses – with Evgeni Koroliov and Willem Brons in 2010, Vladimir Tropp in 2008, Leonid Margarius, Cecile Ousset and Anne Queffelec in 2007, Diane Andersen and Luiz de Moura Castro in 2005, Boyan Vodenitcharov and Daniel Blumenthal in 2004.
Maria has performed many concerts at different stages in various cities of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian State Philharmonic, Belarusian Composers Union), Belgium (Flagey, Bozar), Netherlands (Concertgebouw) and other countries.
She has appeared on Belarusian, Belgian and Dutch radio and television and continues actively perform concerts in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Den Haag, Haarlem, Leiden, Den Bosch and other cities) and abroad (Brussels, Paris, Antwerp, Oldenburg).
Maria’s recording of Borodin’s “Little Suite” was featured in the poetry film “The world of yesterday” (“De Wereld van Gisteren” 2016) by Kevin D’heedene.
In 2018 together with her mother Yelena, who is also a professional pianist, they founded ‘Prokofievs Piano Duo’ 4-hands and successfully performed at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The duo we became laureates of International Music Competitions: “Lymanski Zori”, 4 hands, Ukraine (2021), “Gold Europe World Stars”, 4 hands, Prague (2020), “Grand Prize Virtuoso”, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, 4 hands (2019), “North” Music Competition, 4 hands, Sweden (2019), France Music Competition, 4 hands (2019).
They actively perform as a duo in the Netherlands and produced our first CD in January 2025.
Maria resides in Leiden, The Netherlands. She gives piano recitals and as well active as a member of chamber music groups and loves to work with singers. She is also active in teaching.
