The Most Famous

MUSICIANS from Ukraine

This page contains a list of the greatest Ukrainian Musicians. The pantheon dataset contains 3,175 Musicians, 33 of which were born in Ukraine. This makes Ukraine the birth place of the 13th most number of Musicians behind Netherlands, and Australia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Ukrainian Musicians of all time. This list of famous Ukrainian Musicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Ukrainian Musicians.

1. Vladimir Horowitz (1903 - 1989)

With an HPI of 69.06, Vladimir Horowitz is the most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages on wikipedia.

Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (October 1 [O.S. September 18] 1903 – November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing.

2. Sviatoslav Richter (1915 - 1997)

With an HPI of 66.82, Sviatoslav Richter is the 2nd most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages.

Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter (March 20 [O.S. March 7] 1915 – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian classical pianist. He is regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, and has been praised for the "depth of his interpretations, his virtuoso technique, and his vast repertoire".

3. David Oistrakh (1908 - 1974)

With an HPI of 66.58, David Oistrakh is the 3rd most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages.

David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (né Eustrach; 30 September [O.S. 17 September] 1908 – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian violinist, violist, and conductor. He was also Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR (1953), and Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1960). Oistrakh collaborated with major orchestras and musicians from many parts of the world and was the dedicatee of numerous violin works, including both of Dmitri Shostakovich's violin concerti and the violin concerto by Aram Khachaturian. He is considered one of the preeminent violinists of the 20th century.

4. Emil Gilels (1916 - 1985)

With an HPI of 62.12, Emil Gilels is the 4th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (19 October 1916 – 14 October 1985, born Samuil) was a Soviet pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. His sister Elizabeth, three years his junior, was a violinist. His daughter Elena became a pianist.

5. Isaac Stern (1920 - 2001)

With an HPI of 60.72, Isaac Stern is the 5th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Ukraine, Stern moved to the USA when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and performing extensively in Israel, a country to which he had close ties since shortly after its founding. Stern received extensive recognition for his work, including winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom and six Grammy Awards, and being named to the French Legion of Honour. The Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall bears his name, due to his role in saving the venue from demolition in the 1960s.

6. Heinrich Neuhaus (1888 - 1964)

With an HPI of 60.12, Heinrich Neuhaus is the 6th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Heinrich Gustav Neuhaus (Polish: Henryk (Henry) Neuhaus, Russian: Ге́нрих Густа́вович Нейга́уз, Genrikh Gustavovič Nejgauz, 12 April [O.S. 31 March] 1888 – 10 October 1964) was a Russian pianist and teacher. Part of a musical dynasty, he grew up in a Polish-speaking household. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1922 to 1964. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1956). His piano textbook The Art of Piano Playing (1958) is regarded as one of the most authoritative and widely used approaches to the subject.

7. Leonid Kogan (1924 - 1982)

With an HPI of 58.27, Leonid Kogan is the 7th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Leonid Borisovich Kogan (Russian: Леонид Борисович Коган; Ukrainian: Леонід Борисович Коган; 14 November 1924 – 17 December 1982) was a preeminent Soviet violinist during the 20th century. Many consider him to be among the greatest violinists of the 20th century. In particular, he is considered to have been one of the greatest representatives of the Soviet School of violin playing.

8. Alexander Siloti (1863 - 1945)

With an HPI of 57.51, Alexander Siloti is the 8th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti; Russian: Александр Ильич Зилоти; 9 October 1863 – 8 December 1945) was a Russian virtuoso pianist, conductor, and composer.

9. Nikolai Kapustin (1937 - 2020)

With an HPI of 56.73, Nikolai Kapustin is the 9th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (Russian: Никола́й Ги́ршевич Капу́стин Russian pronunciation: [kɐˈpustʲɪn]; 22 November 1937 – 2 July 2020) was a Soviet composer and pianist of Russian-Jewish descent. He played with early Soviet jazz bands such as the Oleg Lundstrem Orchestra. In his compositions, mostly for piano, he often fused jazz and classical forms.

10. Gregor Piatigorsky (1903 - 1976)

With an HPI of 56.13, Gregor Piatigorsky is the 10th most famous Ukrainian Musician. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Gregor Piatigorsky (Russian: Григо́рий Па́влович Пятиго́рский, Grigoriy Pavlovich Pyatigorskiy; April 17 [O.S. April 4] 1903 – August 6, 1976) was a Russian Empire-born American cellist.

People

Pantheon has 38 people classified as Ukrainian musicians born between 1807 and 1995. Of these 38, 14 (36.84%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Ukrainian musicians include Arkady Luxemburg, Valentina Lisitsa, and Estas Tonne. The most famous deceased Ukrainian musicians include Vladimir Horowitz, Sviatoslav Richter, and David Oistrakh. As of April 2024, 6 new Ukrainian musicians have been added to Pantheon including Karl Doppler, Oksana Lyniv, and Alyona Alyona.