Valentina Lisitsa

Valentina Lisitsa is not only the first YouTube Star of classical music; more importantly, she is the first classical artist to have converted her internet success into a global concert career in the principal venues of Europe, the USA, South America and Asia. She posted her first video on the internet platform YouTube in 2007, a recording of Rachmanino­ff’s Étude op.39/6. The number of views increased in staggering fashion; more videos followed. The foundation stone of a social network career unparalleled in the history of classical music was laid. Thanks to an unwavering dedication towards her audience and a personal approach to videos, her YouTube channel now records over 650,000 subscribers and 147 million views, whilst her Spotify account has over one million listeners monthly. This singular success has led Valentina Lisitsa to perform in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including a spectacular recital in London's Royal Albert Hall before an audience of 8,000 in June 2012 that sealed her international breakthrough. Listeners had the chance to vote online in advance for their preferred programme – a form of audience participation that has become one of Valentina Lisitsa’s trademarks. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of Valentina Lisitsa’s concerts were cancelled or postponed, but she remained extremely active in the recording studio. In 2020 she set up her own record label, QOR, to enable her to reach her audience more directly.