Kostia Efimov is an award-winning pianist, composer and recording artist from St. Petersburg, Russia. He began playing the piano at the age of four and studied the instrument relentlessly throughout his youth, teens and early twenties. Kostia’s formal musical education culminated with advanced graduate degrees in piano performance and teaching from the prestigious Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory. In 1989 he embarked on a journey to the United States as part of an artist exchange program between the cities of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and St. Petersburg. During his first week in Milwaukee, Kostia was offered a recording contract with Narada Records, under which he released two solo albums: “Suite St. Petersburg” in 94’, and “Ten Pebbles” in 97’. Kostia has lent his talents as an orchestrator, producer, co-writer and instrumentalist to a variety of other artists’ projects over years including David Arkenstone, David Lanz, Michael Gettel, Daryl Stuermer, Willy Porter, Carmen Nickerson, yours truly, and many others. He’s also been the keyboardist and duo parter of long-time Genesis and Phil Collins guitarist, Daryl Stuermer since 1990. In this episode Kostia and I discuss:

• His early years playing his beloved Wolkenhauer piano
• Johan Sebastian Bach and Kostia’s other music influences
• Political ideology and dehumanization
• Kostia’s unexpected and life-altering artist exchange program and journey to the United States in 1989
• Signing with Narada Records during his first week in America
• Meeting Daryl Stuermer at Peter Buffet’s house and being asked to join his band
• The difference between impressing and moving an audience
• Finding one’s voice as an artist
• The current state of the music industry
• The deleterious impact of curated social media feeds
• Community and love as the antidote to societal tension and many others topics

http://www.kostiamusic.com/

My Mother's Love (Kostia Efimov/Eric Henry Andersen Collaboration): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5_zUbohRBo

Kostia on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wVdPlEvh9mSllFjsRE7yV

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