Bella Davidovich

Bella Mikhaylovna Davidovich (born July 16, 1928) is a Jewish Soviet-born American pianist. Davidovich was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, into a family of musicians and began studying piano when she was six. Three years later, she was the soloist for a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1. In 1939, she moved to Moscow to continue her musical education. At the age of 18 she entered the Moscow Conservatory where she studied with Konstantin Igumnov and Yakov Flier. In 1949, she shared the first prize with Halina Czerny-Stefańska at the 4th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. This launched her on a very successful career in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, in which she appeared with every major Russian conductor and...