While Andrey Gugnin may have taken out the grand prize at the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia, runner-up and fellow Russian pianist Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev certainly hasn’t left the country empty handed. In addition to his $28,000 of prize money and the performance opportunities associated with being a finalist, it has been revealed that Tarasevich-Nikolaev has been signed to Universal Music, on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Cyrus
Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev

“In a world of such pianistic excellence, as amply demonstrated by the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition, you have to wonder how so many very deserving musicians get a platform to showcase their gifts,” said Cyrus Meher-Homji, General Manager of Classics and Jazz at Universal Music Australia, “Being a finalist helps, winning first prize too. Arseny took second prize in the Competition, but from the very first time I heard him, I knew his gifts were out of the ordinary.”

What caught Meher-Homji’s attention? “Once you’ve ticked all the boxes, it’s the X-factor,” he said, “From the opening rounds at this year’s competition I was deeply moved by the extraordinary musicianship from this young man. Listening to him is almost like...