Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Vadym Kholodenko took his first piano lessons at the age of six and began touring internationally at thirteen. He was educated at the Kyiv Lysenko State Music Lyceum and the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, studying under the renowned pedagogues Natalia Gridneva, Borys Fedorov, and Vera Gornostaeva. He won First Prize at the Sendai International Piano Competition (2010) and the Schubert International Piano Competition (2011), before taking the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2013). 

Gold Medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Kholodenko’s distinguished pianism and profound artistic gifts have led to invitations from many of the world’s finest orchestras and concert halls.

The 2024/2025 season will see Kholodenko debut with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano), the Filarmonica della Scala (conducted by Susanna Mälkki), the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Karina Canellakis), and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Marie Jacquot), among others. He will also return to celebrated orchestras such as the Indianapolis Symphony and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other recent and forthcoming concerto highlights include performances with leading orchestras in North America (Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra); Europe (Budapest Festival Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano G. Verdi, Orquesta Nacional de España, Royal Scottish National Orchestra); and Asia & the Far East (National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra).

Kholodenko has held the position of Artist-in-Residence with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (Texas, USA) and the SWR Symphonieorchester (Stuttgart, Germany). He is also Artist-in-Residence at London’s Bechstein Hall – a state-of-the-art new chamber music venue – in its inaugural season (2024/2025).

He has forged strong musical partnerships with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Karina Canellakis, Myung-Whun Chung, Christoph Eschenbach, Iván Fischer, Marie Jacquot, Cristian Măcelaru, Susanna Mälkki, Gemma New, Sir Antonio Pappano, Dima Slobodeniouk, Thomas Søndergård, Krzysztof Urbański, and Kazuki Yamada, among others.

In recital, Kholodenko appears on the world’s leading stages – from London, Paris, and Vienna to Boston, Chicago, and New York – where he is praised for his “iron-clad technique, capable of moments of crystalline delicacy” (The Guardian). He is also a thoughtful and committed chamber musician, working with artists such as Clara Jumi-Kang, Anastasia Kobekina, Vadim Repin, and the Belcea and Jerusalem string quartets. He has made numerous recordings with violinist Alena Baeva, with whom he will perform in the cultural capitals of Florence, London, and Paris.

Kholodenko’s recordings have been described as “truly outstanding” (Gramophone Magazine) and have received accolades such as the Editor’s Choice Award (BBC Music Magazine) and the prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’année. His latest release – a pairing of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations and Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated!for the Quartz Music label (2022) – received tremendous critical acclaim.

He now resides in Luxembourg.