“Here we are in the presence of something special. Alexandra Dovgan possesses an uncommonly versatile, well-balanced talent. She plays with sincerity and utter concentration, and I see a bright future for her.” Those words of praise describing the young Russian talent were uttered by the great pianist Grigory Sokolov. At the young age of thirteen, Alexandra Dovgan will perform her Ruhr Piano Festival début at the Robert Schumann Hall in Düsseldorf. To call her a Wunderkind would not even do justice to the level she has already achieved: Dovgan’s playing displays an astounding maturity and grace. In 2018 she won the Grand Prix at the Moscow International Grand Piano Competition for Young Pianists. “I regard it as a privilege to play onstage. It allows me to communicate my personal message to the audience, and it is a wonderful opportunity to express my musical ideas”, she remarks, and adds: “I love challenges. And I love hearing the audience’s applause at the end of a recital.”