Michael Bulychev-Okser

 Michael Bulychev-Okser is an American pianist, composer, and pedagogue. 

Critics praise Michael's "imaginative and intelligent style" (David Dubal), "Ellegance and grace the piano is destined to produce" (Cosmo Buono), and "Sheer poetry and panoramic vision" (Las Provincias, Valencia). 

Hailed by New York Times as "enticing and brilliant", Michael Bulychev-Okser has performed thousands of solo, chamber, and orchestral concerts, collaborating with conductors like Patrick Gardner (USA), Kynan Johns (Australia), Dmitri Yablonsky (Israel), Francesco Di Mauro (Argentina), and Robert Lehrbaumer (Austria). 

Bulychev Okser's extensive piano career has showcased him in solo recitals and orchestra appearances around the globe in the world's most prestigious stages: Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), La Salle Pleyel (Paris), Wigmore Hall (London), Heichal Hatarbut (Tel Aviv), The Saal Palace (Alexandria), IBK Concert Hall (Seoul), and Universidad Nuevo Leon (Monterrey). 

Bulychev-Okser is a frequent guest artist at numerous music festivals, competitions, and concert series, including Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, U. K.; Todi International Music Festival, Italy; Kaufmann Music Center, New York; Latvian Academy of Music in Riga; Changsha Music Competition, China; Valencia International Piano Festival, Spain; Piano Island Festival, Singapore; International piano festival in Universidad de Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University, Israel; Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatory: Tbilisi, Georgia; SUMY International Festival (Ukraine); Rachmaninov Concert Hall in Moscow, Russia; Isidor Bajic Piano Competition – Novi Sad, Serbia; XX Scriabin International Competition – Grosetto, Italy; XVI Compositores des Espagna – Madrid, Spain; Piano Competition “Vals de travers” – Nouchatel, Switzerland; XI MozArte Piano Competition – Aachen, Germany; XI Lyon International Piano Competition – Lyon, France; Palais Auersperg in Vienna, Austria, and Paderewski and Chopin International Competitions in the United States and Poland. 

Bulychev-Okser's discography includes recordings of Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata and "Goyeskas" by Granados (RCA label), "Transcriptions from Past to Future" (Neue Sterne, Germany), and "Music by New York composers", recorded live at the Barge Music Festival in New York. Recordings 2023 include complete Ballades and Scherzos by Frederic Chopin (Odradek Record Label) and an album on Convivium Records Label/Naxos as a duo with the British violinist Miriam Davis, celebrating the literary legacy of Marcel Proust. 

A recipient of Who’s Who in Music, Michael has been featured on CBS and Channel 12 programs and WQXR and WWFM radio stations, in addition to international media: TV1 (Russia), TV3 (Estonia), RAI 1 (Italy), and Nippon TV (Japan). 

An educator with 25 years of experience, Michael Bulychev-Okser is a Piano Teacher at Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center. He also held teaching positions at New York University, Rutgers University of New Jersey, Long Island Conservatory, and Mokwon University in South Korea. Coaching students of various levels aged 7-36, Bulychev-Okser has developed his own method of piano education, which is focused on developing critical thought processes. 

Bulychev-Okser summarized his method in a book “Conversations with students”, which is to be published in 2025 in New York. Bulychev-Okser’s commitment to initiating multi-cultural musical forums and curating concert series has inspired him to establish George Gershwin International Music Competition in New York, and Classical Hugs International Music Festival, a large-scale annual event, presenting master classes, lectures, and concerts in 4 countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland. 

Concert seasons 2024-2026 features Bulychev-Okser’s orchestra performance of Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto with legendary Shlomo Mintz, solo recitals at Kawai Center in Paris, France Almeria, Spain, at Washington International Piano Festival, D.C., in Gvadlajara International Piano Festival in Mexico, Gümüşlük International Piano Festival, Turkey, appearance as soloist with Cita de Reus XXI Orchestra in Reus, Spain, and concert tour around Italy, including Milan, Rome, Venice, and multiple venues in Apulia and Sicily.