Abuzar Manafzade was born in a musical family in Baku, Azerbaijan. At seven years old, he started his music education at Khirdalan Music School for Children. He won First Prize in “Azerbaijani Young Pianists Competition” when he was only nine years old. Between 2003-2012 he studied piano with Prof. Bahar Tokay, studied composition with Prof. Hasan Ucarsu from 2007-2010, and orchestral conducting with Maestro Antonio Pirolli in Mimar Sinan Conservatory in Istanbul in 2015.
Manafzade has won 18 Prizes from national and international piano competitions in Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey and Azerbaijan. He has attended many masterclasses and given concerts in Asia, Europe and USA as pianist, composer, and conductor. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in piano with Prof. Oleg Marshev in Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz and in orchestral conducting with Prof. Johannes Wildner at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
You can hear Manafzade’s First Round performance during Session 6 on Tuesday, August 4.