Alina Pritulenko explores new perspectives and piano pieces

When Alina Pritulenko was four years old, she discovered a large ‘toy’ in her apartment that she had never played with before. She would sit in front of it and produce different sounds all the time. This was the only instrument in the house, so Alina’s musical journey started with the piano. When her grandmother listened to music, Alina liked to fiddle around on the keyboard. One time, she accidentally hit the note that the song ended on. This formed Alina’s very first piano reminiscence. “The instrument we had was an incredible Scholze upright that was a gift to my grandmother from my mother,” she says. “I ended up practising on it for more than ten years. It was one of the best pianos I ever touched. It emitted a beautifully melodious sound and warmth.”

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Alina started performing from the age of seven at numerous concerts and festivals. She took part in masterclasses and soon became a laureate of international competitions such as Le Muse in Napoli, Italy, and Iste’dod in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 2008, Alina began her musical education at the Republican Specialized Academic Lyceum of Music named after V. Uspensky, studying with piano professors Irina Arustamova and Gulnora Umarova. After successful graduation from the Lyceum in all musical subjects in 2019, Alina was invited to continue her education at Trinity Laban. She was awarded full scholarships from Alfred and Therese Kitchen, Trinity College London, the Bagri Foundation and David and Margaret Lipsey.

For me, attending Trinity Laban has been a life-changing experience, especially considering that I’m from Uzbekistan, where such opportunities are limited.

“I’ve been able to immerse myself in a world-class musical atmosphere that I could only imagine back home. My full scholarships for both my undergraduate and master’s, kindly provided by various Trinity Laban donors and supporters, have made this possible. Thanks to everyone I have met here, from my professor and fellow students to the internationally recognised artists that visited Trinity Laban for masterclasses, my conservatoire experience has given me a whole new perspective on music and performance.”

Alina is currently studying with professors Sergio De Simone, Martino Tirimo and Mikhail Shilyaev and has participated in a number of masterclasses, led by Joaquín Achúcarro, Gabriel Kwok, Deniz Arman Gelenbe, Pablo Galdo, Alessio Bax, among others. In July 2023, she graduated from Trinity Laban with a first-class honours degree. So outstanding was her performance that she received an extremely rare 100%. She continues her studies on the MMus course with a full scholarship, kindly provided by The Savilians, Trinity College London, Ludwig Lebell, Beverley Creed and NOSWAD.

“Trinity Laban has given me everything I could have ever imagined: long-term friendships, my professor – who I absolutely adore and respect – an amazing chance to live in a city as vibrant as London with a thriving music scene, innumerable competitions and performances that never cease to astound me. The infinite journey and lack of boundaries inherent in music is wonderful. After working at Trinity Laban for a few more years, I’m sure I could answer this question with more specifics and nuanced information than I have now. I’m incredibly excited to see where this journey takes me.”

We talk about some of the projects Alina has been involved with during her time at Trinity Laban. A CoLab performance instantly springs to mind. “While I was in the third year of my BA, I was part of a CoLab project called Stories from the Inside. I was lucky enough to collaborate with the Irene Taylor Trust, who work with some of the most vulnerable and excluded individuals in our society. They support young people, ex-prisoners rebuilding their lives on release, and people of all ages in prisons.

We had less than a week to prepare a twenty-minute performance and to write – as well as produce – five songs with Trinity Laban students and musicians from the Irene Taylor Trust. The beautiful thing was that every musician had a very distinct musical background. We had tap dancers, saxophonists, clarinettists, rappers, classical singers, and double bass players. As a classically trained pianist, I found that to be a very odd and unusual setting. I had the chance to work with incredible individuals who had diverse musical backgrounds and experiences. Could you picture Bach and rap combined? I don’t think I could have, but this project encouraged me to explore new things and expand my boundaries beyond classical music.”

Alina’s most memorable performance at Trinity Laban is the 2024 Gold Medal Showcase, where she represented the Keyboard Department. “It was a really meaningful and special occasion for me,” she explains. “Since being a musician requires you to play everything and have knowledge of music from many eras, you can’t always choose the repertoire. But for this performance, I had the freedom to choose the repertoire, as it needed to fit my personality. I was able to blend two composers that hold a special place in my heart: Stanchinsky and Scriabin, one of whom is mostly forgotten while the other is incredibly well-known. I also brought synaesthesia on stage with a poem written by me and my friend Kamilya Abisheva, combining colours with music and poetry. It was just incredible!

I had the freedom to choose the repertoire, as it needed to fit my personality.

Later, when I saw the video of myself performing, I noticed that I made funny faces while playing Scriabin. After watching them, all I can say is that I felt like I was possessed – in a nice way, of course! This concert will live on in my memory as a genuine illustration of devotion to music and service.”

Alina is passionate about both solo and chamber music, performing across London venues including the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, the Razumovsky Academy, and St Luke’s, among others. We delve into some common misconceptions about the piano and its repertoire. “I’d like to challenge the idea that the easier a music score looks, the easier it is to play”, she says. “This couldn’t be further from the truth. My beloved teacher from Tashkent used to tell me: ‘Alina, it’s ‘white’ texts that should terrify you.’ And she couldn’t be more right. Yes, you might learn it in a few days. But it could take ages to find a style, colour, and tone that convince you and make you stick with it.

A tiny spoiler alert. The thing that could annoy you the most is that it will vary each time you perform it. In reality, the pieces that appear deceptively straightforward demand immense control, expression, and subtlety, which can be far more challenging than navigating a page full of complex notes and virtuosic passages.”

Music is infinite.

 

She also emphasises that pianists shouldn’t stick to the most ‘common’ repertoire because it’s what audiences prefer. “The impact of a performance comes from how convincingly you present the music, regardless of whether it’s Beethoven’s famous Appassionata or Stanchinsky’s lesser-known pieces. This is a challenge I embrace – introducing new and exciting works to audiences and demonstrating that less familiar music can be just as engaging and captivating.”

Alina aims to complete the second year of her master’s and apply for the Artist Diploma course at Trinity Laban. “I believe there’s always room for improvement, and this next step will help me refine my skills even further,” she says. Several exciting projects are in the works – Alina’s planning recitals featuring chamber music with cellist Lorraine Janier Dubry and performances with the “Mozaika” Piano Trio, formed last year. The trio features Alina on piano alongside Trinity Laban violinist Virág Hévízi and cellist Xiaodi Zhao. They have already received acclaim from numerous performances, notably representing Trinity Laban at the final of the Intercollegiate Piano Trio Competition hosted by the Piano Trio Society, and the Cavatina Competition held at the prestigious Wigmore Hall. They also performed in the final of this year’s Philip Carne Chamber Music Competition. The ensemble’s name, Mozaika, is derived from the cross-cultural collaboration of members of the trio and the diverse cultural influences on their musical journey. There are also discussions about Alina’s potential participation in the “Mozart Project”, where selected pianists perform Mozart’s piano concertos. More projects are on the horizon as the academic year begins, offering Alina even greater opportunity to explore new creative frontiers and engage audiences in a variety of musical experiences.