Alissa Firsova is a British-Russian pianist, composer and conductor. She made her Wigmore Hall and Proms debuts in 2009 and has performed in numerous concert halls and festivals throughout the world.

Since winning the BBC Proms Young Composer Competition in 2001, she received three commissions for the Proms, writing for the Royal Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic and Southbank Sinfonia together with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. Her music was also performed by the NTO Mannheim, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Netherlands Blazer Ensemble, Dante and Tippett quartets, Henning Kraggerud, Imogen Cooper and conductors, Andrew Litton, Mark Wigglesworth, Alexander Soddy, Leo McFall and Jessica Cottis.

Alissa has enjoyed close collaborations with Camerata RCO, Daniel Rowland, Tim Hugh, Andrew Marriner, Mark Padmore and many others.

Alissa recorded her debut solo piano (Russian Émigrés) and composer portrait (Fantasy) CD’s on Vivat and her Stabat Mater, recorded by The Sixteen, was featured in Gramophone’s Top 10 Compositions by Women. She enjoyed her triple debut with the English Chamber Orchestra as conductor, composer and pianist in 2013 in the Cadogan Hall and is currently Artistic Director of the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival.

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Biography
Press Kit

Concerts

Sun 10 May 2026, 19:00

Joseph Haas in Reimlingen, Ries

Joseph Haas Violin Sonatinas & Song Cycles

Alessia Schumacher, soprano
Ludmila Pavlová, violin
Alissa Firsova, piano

Fri 12 June 2026, 19:30

German Premiere of Bergen’s Bonfire in Brandenburg

Sebastian Weigle, conductor
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt

Sat 13 June 2026, 19:30

German Premiere of Bergen’s Bonfire in Brandenburg

Sebastian Weigle, conductor
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt

Albums

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COMPOSITIONS

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Op.1 – Les Pavots for Solo Piano Op.2 – Strength Through Joy for Symphony Orchestra Op.3  –  The Entire City for String Quintet Op.5 – I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in heaven for Wind and String Ensemble Op.6 – Rhapsody for Solo Violin Op.7 – Lyrisches Stuck for Viola and Piano Op.8 – Prophet for Mixed Chorus Op.9 – Expressions for Clarinet and Piano Op.9 – Eternity No. 1 for Clarinet and Piano Op.9 – Awaiting No. 2 for Clarinet and Piano Op.10 – Loss for Clarinet and String Quartet Op.11 – The Endless Corridor for Piano Op.12 – Birth of Remembrance for Flute, Clarinet, Violin and Cello Op.13 – Lune Rouge for Piano Op.14 – Age of Reason for String Quartet Op.15 – Celebration for Clarinet, Flute, Violin and Cello Op.16 – Tamaris for two cellos Op.17 – Bluebells for piano solo, clarinet, horn, string quartet and percussion (3rd mov of Family Concerto, In memory of Dmitri Shostakovich – family project) Op.18 – Paradiso for String Quartet (3rd mov of Divine Comedy – family project) Op.19 – Freedom (Clarinet Concerto) Op.20 – Zhivago Songs to Boris Pasternak’s poems for voice and piano Op.21 – Moonlight over the Sea based on Munch’s painting for Solo Violin Op.22 – Chateau de Canisy for Voice and Piano Op.23 – Souvenir Melancolique for Clarinet and Horn Bach Allegro for large symphony orchestra (transcription of the 3rd mov of Bach’s 3rd Viola da Gamba Sonata BWV 1029) Op.24 – Kubla Khan for tenor, bayan, violin and cello (5th mov of family project) Op.25 – Gallo Variations for chamber orchestra Op.26 – Unity for bass-baritone and piano Op.27 – Serenade for Strings for string orchestra Op.28 – Paradisi Gloria for SATB choir a cappella Op.29 – Fantasy for cello and piano Op.30 – Stabat Mater for SATB choir a cappella Op.31 – Bergen’s Bonfire for Symphony Orchestra (Triple winds) Op.32 – Tree of Hope for 4 Harps Op.33 – Le Soleil de Conques for 2 solo cellos and string orchestra Op.34 – Bride of the Wind for piano-duet Op.35 – Asiago Concerto for piano trio and chamber orchestra Op.36 – Tennyson Fantasy Op. 36 for string quartet Op.37 – Ascent to Freedom & In search of…Paradise for soprano and piano Op.38 – Die Windsbraut for symphony orchestra Op.39 – Spring Haiku for soprano and piano (part of family cycle) Op.40 – If a thing loves, it is infinite… for string quartet Op.41 – The Good Morrow for choir a cappella Op.42 – Algarvi for violin and piano Op.43 – Red Fox for choir and chamber orchestra Op.44 – Songs of the World for soprano and ensemble Op.45 – Pastorale for piano solo Op.46 – To Spring for choir and orchestra Op.47 – Lilacs for soprano and piano Op.48 – Te amo for mezzo-soprano and piano Op.49 – Reunion for clarinet, cello and piano

News

February 2026

Stabat Mater in Vienna

Alissa is overjoyed that her music is travelling to the most musical city in the world for the very first time! Her Stabat Mater will be performed by the Wiener Motettenchor, along with Bach and Reger, conducted by Xenia Preisenberger on 21st & 22nd March. The Sixteen recorded Alissa's Stabat Mater in 2014 and since then it is played often on the radio and is performed by choirs all over the world. You can hear it here.

February 2026

David Cohen & Alissa Firsova

Alissa was delighted to team up with star cellist David Cohen last Autumn for concerts in Amsterdam, London, Oxford & Munich. You can now enjoy some of their performances on a Youtube playlist filmed by Apple & Biscuit Recordings, with music by Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Pärt & Paganini.
And watch out for their recording of Rachmaninoff Sonata coming out soon on Gutman Records, live from the Amsterdam Piano Series. Also on the cards is a new piano trio for Gäetane Prouvost and David Cohen for a premiere near Paris in the Autumn! (Photo by Hans van der Woerd)

September 2025

German premiere Bergen’s Bonfire

Following the Proms premiere of Alissa’s Bergen’s Bonfire for the Bergen Philharmonic’s 250th Anniversary in 2015, the orchestral tone-poem, based on Ragnarok, will see its German premiere next season in Brandenburg. Sebastian Weigle will conduct the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt on 12th and 13th June 2026.