Zenon Fishbein was a Russian pianist, born in Argentina. 

At age thirteen, he had made his official debut to the general acclaim of the press.  As a recipient of a fellowship from the Argentinian government, he had traveled to Rome, Vienna, and Paris, where he studied and coached with such eminent artists as Carlo Zecchi, Paolo Denza, Margherite Long, and Walter Gieseking. 

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A winner of numerous awards at international competitions held in Geneva, Rome, Vercelli, and Buenos Aires, he had appeared in hundreds of concerts and solo recitals worldwide. He had collaborated in joint concerts with Herta Gatz, Jens Nygaard, Justino Diaz, and Mishel Piastro. His broad range of repertory included a cycle of recitals dedicated to the works of Chopin, a series by romantic composers, and the premiere of contemporary piano works.

 

A former chairman of the screening committee for the Fulbright grants for studies abroad, he had also served as a frequent adjudicator in international competitions. He was the founder of Midsummer Music, dedicated to sponsoring music festivals in the Italian cities of Pesaro, Urbino, Sulmona, Caprarola, and Tivoli.

As a recording artist for the Sound Starton label in Germany, he has also been a contributor to many musical publications.

 

Many of his former students presently enjoy successful careers as performers and educators. The late Harold Schonberg of the New York Times declared Mr. Fishbein “a real talent” and his debut “unusually impressive.” Other critics have called him a “master of the grand manner” (Theodore Strongin, New York Times) and “A marvelous colorist... A fine pianist indeed.”

 

Zenon Fishbein served as a piano faculty at Manhattan School of Music for more than 50 years.