Igor Ardašev has brought international fame to Czech piano art for decades. A philosophically oriented virtuoso, he has given independent recitals, as well as concerts in a duo with his wife, Renata Ardaševová-Lichnovská, within which they play piano four hands or two pianos. He has also performed with prominent Czech and international orchestras (Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, etc.).
Igor Ardašev studied at the Brno Conservatory and the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (under the tutelage of Inessa Janíčková). From 1989 to 1992, he further honed his skills with Paul Badura-Skoda in Austria and Rudolf Serkin in the USA. In the 1980s and 1990s, he garnered numerous prestigious accolades, including the laureate titles at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Prague Spring International Music Competition, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Concours International Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud in Paris. Moreover, he came first at the 1990 Maria Callas International Grand Prix in Athens.
Igor Ardašev has been invited to appear at international festivals (Prague Spring, Janáček May, Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau, Musikfestival Schloss Moritzburg, Rudolf Firkušný Festival, Concentus Moraviae, etc.). He has also devoted to chamber music, regularly collaborating with František Novotný. Highly acclaimed is the album featuring the complete Beethoven sonatas he has made with the violinist Ivan Ženatý. His discography includes recordings of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Janáček’s Jealousy (with Rudolf Firkušný), Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances and Smetana’s My Country arranged for piano (with Renata Ardaševová), and works by Liszt, Martinů, Ježek, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky and Beethoven.
Since 2012, he has taught at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts. In 2019, he received the City of Brno Prize for outstanding achievements in music.