Niko (11) has played piano for three years, since he was 8 years old. Niko’s father (58) finished musical collage more than thirty years ago and was playing occasionally in home church during worship time. Recently, Niko and his dad, Nikolay, started to play four hands and found out that playing duets together is very fun. Although, playing duets requires a lot of communication, coordination, ability to play in harmony, and requires a lot of practice, Niko and Nikolay have a great musical bond and enjoy performing together. Niko’s teacher, Mrs. Marina MacGregor, has over 30 years of teaching experience in schools, academies, and private lessons. She has a rich educational background from Russia. Niko is very honored to have Mrs. Marina as his teacher, because she is not only amazing and knowledgeable teacher, but great friend and musical mentor. Niko is also very active in sports. He is on competitive teams for both soccer and volleyballl, and enjoys skateboarding and surfing.
Watch Niko and Nikolay Kramarenko perform Marche Op.109, N.17 by Burgmuller and Carlson by Vesnyak for the 2025 International Piano Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.