Born in Novosibirsk (Russia), Ksenia Semenova graduated with top honours from Moscow State Conservatoire as a pianist and from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basel, Switzerland) as a harpsichordist and fortepianist. At the same time she was also under the guidance of Terence Charlston (Royal College of Music, London), who gave her her first harpsichord lessons and inspiration for further development in the world of historical keyboard instruments.
As a pianist, fortepianist and harpsichordist Ksenia has won numerous prizes at International competitions. Among them are major early music contests such as the “Musica Antiqua” Bruges Fortepiano Competition (2010) and the “Prague Spring” International Competition (2012). In February 2013 she was unanimously awarded First Prize and Grand Prix at the Second International Volkonsky Harpsichord Competition in Moscow. The jury commented she was “a rare musician, notable for exquisite sound aesthetics and breathtaking technique”.
Ksenia is an incredibly versatile musician: her repertoire ranges from the earliest harpsichord music of the 16th century to contemporary works for solo instrument, ensemble and with orchestra. Among her recent performances are J.S. Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos with the Zurich Stringendo Orchestra directed by Reinhard Goebel, a series of harpsichord recitals “Tour d’Europe Baroque” in Paris for “Jeunes Talents” as well as other performances in France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland.