Students are saying:


Heather Conner:

Dr. Aronov is a wonderful, lucid communicator. His every comment is musical and intellectual and has enlightened my musical perception. His vast knowledge and caring demeanor has made a significant and lasting impression on my professional career. Dr. Aronov is an exemplary pianist and when he demonstrates material, it is always beautifully rendered and inspiring to listen to. In addition, he is patient, but also demanding, always encouraging his students to achieve their highest potential.

Scott Holden:

In my four years of study with Arkady Aronov, his teaching regularly confirmed that he is a master teacher, musician and pianist. His approach is never dogmatic, and he always finds the simplest ways to solve complex musical problems. These solutions often have universal musical implications; the resourceful student can easily apply his ideas to other problematic situations. He does not thrust his ideas onto the student so that all of his pupils sound identical. Rather, Dr. Aronov's teachings are always broad based, and encompass issues of expression, technique, form, sound and imagination. His approach allows the student to express their own musicianship, but still develop from his years of experience. He is always incredibly supportive and encouraging. He brings wisdom and focused energy to every lesson. I was continually amazed at the high quality of his advice when bringing in difficult and particularly obscure that he did not know. In twenty minutes he was making advanced musical suggestions that I had not conceived in six weeks of work on the score. I believe he is one of finest teachers in New York.

Irina Morozova:

Having come to the USA in 1990, I met Dr. Aronov almost immediately, and for the last 12 years that I first studied with him and later worked as his associate, Dr. Aronov has been a constant source of inspiration and a role model for me as a teacher and a person. He is a kind of a teacher who brings out the best in students focusing on the development of their unique musical personalities. The extensive experience he gained in many years of performing and teaching is a priceless treasure that Dr. Aronov generously shares with his pupils and colleagues. His amazingly deep knowledge of music, literature and art stimulate intellectual and personal growth of the students while his impeccable taste, boundless creativity and famous sense of humor make every lesson an adventure. Being a caring and supportive person he always finds the right words to encourage before a performance, to stimulate for a hard work, to give an advice in a complicated personal situation.

Dmitry Rachmanov:

My personal acquaintance with Professor Arkady Aronov goes back almost twenty-six years, when I met him in 1977 in Rome. I then realized his scope and prowess as a performer, when I witnessed some of the eleven different recital programs given by him within a period of an eleven weeks. Arkady Aronov inherits the unique tradition of the St. Petersburg piano school founded by the legendary Anton Rubinstein. It is the school that values artistic honesty, integrity, the highest professional standards and individuality above all.

By the time I met Dr. Aronov, he had had a long performing career in Russia, where he performed hundreds of concerts all over the country, presenting complete thematic recital cycles in Leningrad and other cities. In New York I was among many listeners who had the pleasure of hearing his concerts at the major concert halls. His performances were distinguished by their natural lyricism and intellectual incisiveness as well as total understanding of styles, technical ease and polish and, above all, genuine sense of communication with the listener, the joy of making music and a total lack of pose or pretense. The most difficult things seemed so comfortable and easy under his hands! To this day I remember distinctly his interpretations of the Mozart D Major Sonata (K. 576), Beethoven Op.110, Chopin B minor Sonata and Mazurkas, Schumann Fantasy, Liszt Spanish Rhapsody, Tchaikovsky Concerto No.1 and The Seasons, Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibitions, Scriabin Fourth Sonata and the Etudes Opus 8, Prokofiev Sixth and Seventh Sonata, and many many other works.

Some of the distinctive characteristics of Professor Aronov's teaching that first come to my mind are the vast cultural and professional experience he draws upon which enables him to listen to a student with an open mind and a wide-ranged reference point. His sharp intellect helps him to immediately detect and identify any problem a student may have, bring it to the fore, demonstrate any passage or phrase on the piano with his characteristic ease, making his point clearer without extra words. He is imaginative yet precise with the words he uses to open up a student’s imagination. Aronov's wit, natural sense of humor, clarity of thought and practicality of advice are very helpful to his students. Personally he is generous and genial by nature and these qualities make the atmosphere in Dr. Aronov's studio friendly, tension-free and conducive to creative work.

Hector Sanchez-Fernandez:

I cannot remember one lesson with Dr. Aronov I didn't come out of feeling inspired and happy to be playing the piano. Besides being a great musician and artist, it was Dr.Aronov's human quality that always impressed me the most. As we were working on any piece of music, his musical suggestions, and the way he looked at and interpreted the emotional content of the music, showed what a genuinely good hearted and honest person he is. Everything, when explained or performed by him, always seemed incredibly simple, transparent, a reflection of his personality, and because of its simplicity, the music became so much more powerful, like an arrow shot straight to the soul. Studying with him, I always felt comfortable, I knew I was in the presence of an exceptional person from whom I could learn how to become more and more educated and refined without loosing the spontaneity and the sense of love and respect for the music. Dr. Aronov is a great teacher and human being, and I'll always be grateful for the chance I had to work with him.

Boris Slutsky, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Chair of the Piano Department

Although I have never studied with Arkady Aronov, I have on many occasions relied on his keen ears, intellect and a wealth of musical knowledge. Having had the privilege of working with Dr. Aronov for four years as his teaching associate and observing his work on a weekly basis, I have learned many valuable lessons, which provided an enormous help and inspiration in my own teaching career. Arkady Aronov has a rare ability to focus on tiniest details without micromanaging each note as well as to shape the entire musical canvas and enhance it with references to literature, history, art and other musical genres. His wonderfully refreshing sense of humor helps those around him feel at ease and his uncompromising musical integrity, support and dedication consistently bring the best out of each student.

George Vatchnadze:

Arkady Aronov embodies true musical integrity along with the highest possible performing standards. Deep knowledge of the instrument with wise insight into each student’s individuality, and ability to realize their full potential, defines Professor Aronov as one of the most sought after and valid teaches of our time.

Wei-Yi Yang:

I traveled around the globe to learn the arts of playing with Arkady Aronov, and until this day, I still consider that to be one of the best decisions I have made in my live. Having left my home country of Taiwan as an early teen, I was encouraged and assisted by Professor Aronov, which consequently enabled me to come to the States to pursue piano studies with him in New York, after having spending a brief period studying in London, England. Not only is Professor Aronov one of the most dedicated and nurturing pedagogues and musicians that I know, but he also is a genuine artist to the core. Had I not been given the opportunity to study with him at the Manhattan School during those important formative years, I am not sure whether I would be the same pianist today. I am not sure if I would be a pianist today at all. Mere words and sentences could not possibly express how much I value him as my teacher, my mentor, and today as my trusted friend.