The Lugano Music Festival welcomed a rising star this September as 12-year-old Czech pianist Anna Smerdova delivered a deeply moving performance that mesmerized all in attendance. Taking place on September 25, 2025, at the Tiziano Rossetti International Music Academy, the concert highlighted the prodigy’s advanced musicality and captivating stage presence.
Anna’s program included a powerful lineup of classical masterpieces: Mozart’s Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major (first movement), Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu, and Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso. Her interpretation revealed a profound emotional connection to the pieces, coupled with the technical finesse required to navigate such challenging compositions.
As a student of the highly decorated Ukrainian pianist and composer Prof. Maria Narodytska — who has earned over 30 awards from major international competitions — Anna receives mentorship rooted in both experience and artistic depth. Under this guidance, her musicianship has grown into something truly remarkable.
Audiences responded with great enthusiasm, their admiration evident from the warm applause that followed each piece. Anna’s performance was not only a technical success but an emotional journey that left a lasting impression.
Anna has already built a decorated résumé, winning over 25 international competitions across 13 countries. Her 2025 Grand Prize win at the Concert Artists International Competition and subsequent performance at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall have only accelerated her rise.
Coming from a rich musical background, Anna honors her great-great-grandfather, the Czech composer Josef Bartoš, through her art. Each performance is a continuation of that lineage — one that she embraces with remarkable passion.
At Lugano, Anna Smerdova didn’t just perform; she moved hearts and confirmed her place as a leading light among the new generation of classical pianists.
