A small, unsuspecting music program in Parkville has been training some of the world’s finest emerging classical musicians.
Nestled in the serene river bluffs of Parkville, just north of the river, Park University’s International Center for Music is positioned close enough to downtown’s bustling art and culture scene to feel involved while remaining a calm place for concentrated practice and study. The conservatory operates out of the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, an old church that once held regular services on campus. Now, the building is filled with the sound of students practicing day in and day out.
In 2003, ICM opened its doors under the direction of pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch. A couple years prior, Ioudenitch took home the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for his lively yet sensitive delivery of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Only held every four years, the prestigious and heavily watched competition is akin to the Olympics of the classical music world.
The Uzbekistan-born pianist moved to Kansas City in 1998 to study with pianist Robert Weirich at UMKC’s Conservatory after completing his degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music. A few years later, in 2001, Ioudenitch joined UMKC’s faculty as an associate professor of piano.
It was shortly after winning the Cliburn that he was introduced to the then-president of Park University. Ioudenitch’s plans to build his own program—a longtime dream of his—at the Northland school were quickly set into motion.
For Ioudenitch, being an educator felt like a given from an early age.
“Growing up in an environment where music was a constant presence and teaching was a vital part of my parents’ and grandmother’s lives, I naturally inherited a passion for both performance and education,” he says. He was born into a musical family—his father was a violinist and his mother and grandmother were pianists.
The speciality conservatory began with solely piano performance majors under the instruction of Ioudenitch. Twenty years later, the program has expanded to include six faculty members, a strings program for violin, viola and cello, and a slightly larger student body of “no more than thirty students” according to executive director Lisa Hickok.
“My early musical environment provided me with constant attention from teachers and numerous performance opportunities,” Ioudenitch says. “At Park ICM, I aim to recreate this nurturing environment. Our program offers students significantly more classes than the typical curriculum, personalized mentoring and master classes from renowned musicians.”
Many Park ICM students are offered admission and hefty or full-ride scholarships to some of the country’s most distinguished music schools throughout their college search, such as the Manhattan School of Music or the New England Conservatory. While these programs churn out well over a hundred graduates each year, Park University’s program draws students in with the promise of a more personal, tailored education. This apprenticeship model is rarely seen in music programs in the United States.
Proteges have a successful track record: Students routinely take home medals from international competitions each year. So far, 2024 has included two international wins from students Ilya Shmukler and Tatiana Dorokhova.
“In the realm of training high-level performing artists, mentorship often outweighs the allure of prestigious institutions,” Ioudenitch says. “When students connect with my musical philosophy and personality, they reach out to audition for ICM. For instance, Behzod Abduraimov chose to study with me at Park ICM over an acceptance to Juilliard at the age of 16.”
Two years into Abduraimov’s education at Park University in 2009, the musician won the London International Piano Competition at 18. His final round performance with the London Philharmonic was hailed by The Telegraph as “a gift from god.” The quick launch of his career as a touring concert pianist soon followed.
Now, Abduraimov is a frequent headliner for major orchestras across the globe and a current artist in residence at his alma mater. Last month, he kicked off ICM’s 2024–25 concert series at the Folly Theater. In a program that included music from composers Sergei Prokofiev, Johannes Brahms and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Abduraimov was joined by the student chamber orchestra, conductor Shah Sadikov (another fellow Park ICM alum) and additional musicians from NAVO Arts, a KC-based ensemble and nonprofit co-founded by Sadikov.
This month, Park ICM’s piano students will take center stage with two performances at the 1900 Building. Ilya Shmukler, this year’s first place winner (among four other awards he took home) of the Concours Géza Anda—a Swiss triannual piano contest—will deliver a solo recital on Oct. 5. Shumkler has gained a reputation as a contest winner, including being named a finalist at the Cliburn in 2022—the same distinguished competition his mentor Ioudenitch won more than 20 years ago. Later in the month, students from Ioudenitch’s top-notch piano studio will present a recital of both classic and contemporary repertoire on Oct. 24.
Looking forward, Ioudenitch says he hopes for improved facilities. The aging sanctuary ICM operates out of has made it difficult to expand the program; they wouldn’t have enough practice rooms to accommodate more students. Still, any growth in the student body would be relatively small. A large program defeats the purpose of their individualized approach, Ioudenitch says.
Ioudenitch also has dreams for a tuition-free institution.
To attract top performers, Park ICM has to be fiercely competitive. According to Hickok, nearly every Park ICM student receives at least a partial scholarship, and about half of the conservatory receives a full scholarship that includes tuition and room and board.
“We focus on rigorous student selection and continually seek talented students and faculty,” Ioudenitch says.
When Ioudenitch reflects on the conservatory’s continued imprint, he thinks far beyond the more obvious and immediate impact that the program has on its students. The pianist believes Park ICM is an important piece of the puzzle to continue to put KC’s arts scene on the map on an international scale.
“Kansas City, with its vibrant cultural scene, is the ideal place for this vision,” Ioudenitch says. “I am confident that with the right support, we can position Kansas City as a leading cultural hub, not just in the United States but globally.”
Winner, Winner
Park ICM students have a persistently impressive track record. Take a look at the awards that the conservatory’s students have earned since 2022 from prestigious national and international competitions.
2024
16th Concours Géza Anda
(Zürich, Switzerland)
Winner: Ilya Shmukler, Gold Medalist;
Audience Prize; Mozart-Prize;
Special Prize of the
Hungarian Radio Arts Groups;
Junior Jury Award
The Gurwitz International
Piano Competition
(San Antonio, TX)
Winner: Tatiana Dorokhova,
Silver Medal
2023
Wideman International
Piano Competition
(Shreveport, LA)
Winner: Ilya Shmukler, Gold Medalist
27th Annual
Sphinx Competition
(Detroit, MI)
Winner: Victor Dia; z,
Semi-Finalist, Sr. Division
Japan Piano Open,
International Piano Competition
(Tokyo, Japan)
Winner: Yangrui Cai,
2022
First Place WinnerElmar Oliveira
International Violin Competition
(Boca Raton, FL)
Winner: Laurel Gagnon, Third Place
Long-Thibaud Piano Competition
(Paris, France)
Winner: Michael Davidman, Third Place
76th Concours de Genève
(Geneva, Switzerland)
Winner: Sergey Belyavsky,
Second Place Overall; Audience Prize;
Students’ Prize;
Rose-Marie Huguenin Prize;
Paderewski Prize;
Steinway Prizewinner Concerts Prize
Van Cliburn International
Piano Competition
(Fort Worth, TX)
Winner: Ilya Shmukler, Finalist;
Best Performance of a Mozart Concerto Award
GO: Ilya Shmukler, Concours Géza Anda 2024 Competition Winner in Concert, Saturday, Oct. 5. 7:30 pm. 1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods. Stanislav Ioudenitch Piano Studio in Recital, Thursday, Oct. 24. 7:30 pm. 1900 Building.
Tickets are available at icm.park.edu.
