Russian-born pianist Lisa Smirnova became an Austrian citizen after years of studying and living Salzburg and Vienna. She attended both the Gnessin School and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory before continuing at the Salzburg Mozarteum. In 1993, she became the first pianist to win the Brahms Prize at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Smirnova not only performs the classic piano concerto and solo repertoire, from Bach to Brahms, she also works with contemporary composers and frequently is found at chamber music festivals and recitals. She has recorded concertos by Haydn and Beethoven, chamber music by Bloch, Paganini, Schumann, and Bach, and in 2012 released an album of Handel's solo keyboard suites.