Ruth Cochen

Ruth Cochen is dedicating her life for sharing the love and the healing power of music worldwide. She lives for making others happy with her music. Despite her young age, she performed already in most of the European countries but also in Africa, in the USA and in several Asian countries as well. Following her excellent results at national competitions, she was only 14 years old when she won her first international competition in Serbia. Shortly after her success, she also debuted in China, in the frame of the World Expo in Shanghai. Since then, she is multiple winner of international piano, organ and chamber music competitions in Europe as well as in the USA. Most recently, she won the Liszt prize of the 2nd World Piano Meeting in Portugal just as she was honored by the Italian Parliament for her excellent musicianship and dedicated work.

“During my concert tours all over the world I get several opportunities to encounter people from the most diverse places. The more insight I gain into their cultures and traditions, the more I am interested in discovering their worlds and finding something that connects them to each other. Finally, I always recognize that even though music differs in every culture, it is the only common language in the whole world. I truly believe that music can reach the deepest parts of any human heart regardless of age, gender, nationality or social class, therefore, I dream of making people happy with my music and giving them the opportunity to feel its healing power.”

Since childhood, her deep dedication, love and connection for music was obvious. Even though she comes from a non-musician family, thanks to her parents’ care and love, she had the opportunity to learn the basics of reading the sheet music at the age of three. Her excellent sight-reading ability shows that for her playing the music notes are hardly different from reading the letters – that she learnt from her mother when she was two years old. Playing the flute in her early ages also clearly showed her talent for music. She was six, when she first tried playing the piano, and since then, she cannot imagine her life without the instrument that made her fall in love. Her first teacher, Ilona Baksainé Csitári made her experience the true joy of playing the piano. After winning her first national competition in 2006, her teacher brought her to one of the most acknowledged piano pedagogue in the country, Erika Becht. She was the tutor of Ruth for the following three years, developing not only her musical skills but her individuality as well. At the meantime, due to her unappeasable desire for learning, she started playing the organ, so she could accompany the church choir and play for the services. She was 13 years old when she gained admission to the exceptional talents’ class of the Royal Academy of Music Budapest, where she continued her studies until earning her summa cum laude degree with Gabor Eckhardt. He established the basics of her future career by teaching her not only the essence of music and the secrets of a successful performance but also by preparing her for the life of an artist. Since Fall 2016, she is a student of Aquiles Delle Vigne. At the same time, she completed an eight-months traineeship program in Italy, where beside mastering indispensable skills of accompanying, she also started her teaching career.

She took part in several renowned masterclasses held by highly respected professors such as Yaron Rosenthal, Đặng Thái Sơn, Zoltán Kocsis, Boris Berman, Péter Frankl, Dimitri Bashkirov, Lilya Zilberstein, Robert Levin.

She is founding member of the Trio Energico chamber music ensemble, which was formed in 2015. Since then, they are performing regularly at national and international podiums, earning prizes at various competitions such as the Danubia Talents Competition or the 13th International Music Competition Premio Citta di Padova.

“As a piano artist, I would like to share with people the success I am part of when I am performing but also the obstacles I encounter on my thorny yet beautiful path leading to the stage. I intend to show my audience that there are failures in my life but there are also ways for making decisions each time to never give up. Music must be played at the service of others, and rather than a tool for fame and success, it must exist as an experience of raising and filling the listeners’ souls with love. This I regard as my life goal. I want to give them hope, faith and love; to make them believe that everything is possible and even if they come from nothing, they can reach their highest dreams. I feel I am not only called to be upon stage but also to share the love that I get day by day from God with others. This is what makes us one despite the differences, and that is what I desire to spread – playing the piano or being just who I am, but I want to shine God’s light, hope and everlasting love to the world.”