Poetic Images
Artemiy Sokolovskiy is the new pianist at the Heidelberg Lied Academy
Artemiy Sokolovskiy, a piano student from Weimar, is one of three pianists accepted into the prestigious Heidelberg Lied Academy. Through the summer of 2027, the pianist—a student in Prof. Michail Lifits’s class—will have the opportunity to collaborate with the renowned baritone Thomas Hampson during several intensive sessions. A total of nine singers and three pianists were selected for the new class at the Heidelberg Lied Academy from approximately 300 applications.
“It is a great honor and a wonderful opportunity to further my musical and artistic development,” says Artemiy Sokolovskiy. “I was particularly impressed by the collaboration with Thomas Hampson. He works with an incredibly inspiring enthusiasm that immediately spreads to everyone present. In addition to the finest details of vocal interpretation, he succeeds in conveying musical and poetic images so clearly and vividly that both singers and pianists benefit from them immediately.”
The piano student from Weimar vividly describes his experiences from the first phase of the program in September: “At times we sat there for six hours straight, following every single lesson with rapt attention and could hardly take our eyes and ears off him—not to mention the direct collaboration with Thomas Hampson himself! It was an incredibly enriching and fascinating experience, and I can’t wait to continue our work together!”
Artemiy Sokolovskiy also receives lessons in lied interpretation with his vocal partner Iuliana Ioana in Prof. Thomas Steinhöfel’s class in Weimar. “What a joy for a very young artist like Artemiy,” says the professor about his student’s success in Heidelberg. “The value here lies not only in the prospect of enlightening lessons and encounters with the greats of the lieder scene, but also in the opportunity to grow as an artist and build self-confidence.”
[October 15, 2026]