Alexei Aceto

Piano instruction

Forging a reputation for his “passion, imagination, and utter commitment”, pianist Alexei Aceto made his professional debut in 2017 for Classical Pianists of the Future, and has since given recitals throughout New York State, featured in concert seasons of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, Syracuse’s Civic Morning Musicals organization, the Chautauqua Institution, and as returning collaborator with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Alexei enjoys a continued relationship with PBS affiliate WSKG’s “Expressions” TV/Radio program, on which he has appeared as performer, host, and co-producer, and in 2022 gained nationwide recognition when his performances aired repeatedly on NPR’s Performance Today with host Fred Child.

Alexei holds performance degrees from Ithaca College (BM), where he won the 2019 and 2020 IC Concerto Competition while studying with Charis Dimaras, and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (MM), where he held the position of Associate Instructor in Piano while studying with Arnaldo Cohen. A returning participant at the Chautauqua Institution Piano Program, Alexei was finalist at the 2021 Chautauqua Institution Piano Competition and 2024 Sigma Alpha Iota Concerto Competition.

An avid collaborative pianist, Alexei is quickly becoming recognized for his “inimitable charm and spirit”. He has shone in the 2024-25 season, traversing the five Beethoven cello sonatas with cellist Panos Dimaras in their recital series The Beethoven Project and appearing as guest artist at the inaugural Wyoming International Chamber Music Festival.

Alexei hopes to raise appreciation among younger generations for the qualities, depth, and emotional resonance of music from all eras in the classical tradition by bringing innovation and accessibility to music performance. This ambition first took shape in 2012 when, at age thirteen, he co-authored and performed in an original multimedia production, Reading Satie: Les Sports et divertissements, which featured dramatic recitation of Erik Satie’s dadaist poetry by actress Erin Hilgartner and live performance of the composer’s piano miniatures synchronized with original film montage digital projections. In 2021, continued involvement in multimedia production led Alexei to collaborate in the music ensemble for Hidden Books II: a thousand ways to say “I Love You”, an event conceived, designed, and directed by internationally acclaimed Japanese printmaker Kumi Korf.

Alexei draws much of his inspiration from literature and the natural areas of his home in
Upstate New York, where he likes to take walks with his boisterous Irish wolfhound. For
more information, visit alexeiaceto.com .