Yuri Liberzon is an internationally acclaimed concert classical guitarist and a Naxos recording artist.
“Hearing Yuri play is like opening a bottle of wine and realizing that you have just tasted one of the best wines you will ever experience. Ever.” Stephen Roberts, President, Sacramento Guitar Society
“…If there were anyone in the classical guitar world that could manage to combine musical elegance with architectural logic, it would be Yuri Liberzon.” Classical Guitar Magazine
Classical guitarist Yuri Liberzon was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, lived in Israel, and has spent most of his life in the United States. He has been recognized for his impressive technical ability and musicality: for his achievements in music, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services granted him permanent residency as an ‘Alien of Extraordinary Ability’.
Performances
Mr. Liberzon has given countless concerts across the United States. Notable concert venues include:
- 92nd Street Y, New York
- Florida State University
- Oregon State University
- Santa Clara University
- Marlow Guitar Series, Maryland
- Murov Music College, Novosibirsk, Russia
- Legion of Honor, San Francisco
- Lesher Center, Walnut Creek
- and many guitar societies across the country
Mr. Liberzon has collaborated and performed in concerts with many renowned musicians, including guitarists Grisha Goryachev, Patrick O’Connell and Piotr Pakhomkin, and flutist Josué Casillas. He has performed with the Diablo Symphony Orchestra and the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, and played chamber music with Gold Coast Chamber Players, Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and Quartet San Francisco.
Media appearances include:
- Capital Public Radio, Sacramento
- Classical Guitar Magazine
- Kol HaMusica (National Classical Music Radio Station of the Israel Broadcasting Authority)
- KUHF (NPR Houston)
- KUSF, San Francisco
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Soundboard Magazine
- WDR German Television Network
Recordings
Mr. Liberzon has released five solo and collaborative albums. Three were made with Grammy-winning sound engineer and producer Nahuel Bronzini: Ascension (2015), ¡Acentuado! (2017, Soundset Recordings), and 3 Violin Sonatas by J.S. Bach (2020, Laudable Records). His two most recent, Music of Konstantin Vassiliev (2022) and Music of Astor Piazzolla (2024), were released under the prestigious Naxos label with engineer and producer Norbert Kraft — with a third Naxos album currently in production.
He has also joined vocalists on two benefit holiday albums, free to hear, A Home for the Holidays (2016) and Angels Among Us (2019).
Publications
Mr. Liberzon has transcribed music of Domenico Scarlatti and Johann Sebastian Bach for guitar. His transcriptions have been published in SoundBoard magazine and are distributed in Europe by Bergmann Edition, and his editions are available in the store.
Teaching
Mr. Liberzon is an avid teacher — read about studying with Yuri. He has prepared students admitted into some of the most prestigious music schools: Juilliard Pre-College, Peabody Conservatory and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Mr. Liberzon has been a judge at numerous music competitions such as Beatty Classical Guitar Competition, Junior Bach Festival, Sierra Nevada Classical Guitar Competition and San Francisco Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition. He has given masterclasses at Florida State University, Katy Guitar Guild, Murov Music College in Novosibirsk, Russia and Portland State University.
Mr. Liberzon was a professor of guitar at California State University, Stanislaus.
Education
While in Israel, Mr. Liberzon studied with Maestro Yaron Hasson for six years, receiving scholarships and grants from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation several times during that period. In 2000 he came to the United States to study at the Peabody Conservatory with world-renowned guitarist Manuel Barrueco. He received a Bachelor of Music degree and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory, and a Master of Music degree from Yale University — on full scholarship at both — studying with two of the world’s leading guitar masters: Manuel Barrueco and Benjamin Verdery.
Hear the albums Upcoming concerts Study with Yuri
Presenting a concert? See For Presenters. Press material: Press kit (PDF, 275 KB).