Vitya Vronsky

Vitya Vronsky (1909–1992) was born in Yevpatoria. She and her husband Victor Babin performed as Vronsky and Babin, and were regarded by many as one of the foremost duo-piano teams of the twentieth century.

Vronsky graduated from the Kiev Conservatory at the age of 13 and began a brilliant concert career as a soloist. While studying with Artur Schnabel in Berlin, she met her future husband Victor Babin.

Soon thereafter, they formed the piano duo Vronsky & Babin, once described by Newsweek as “the most brilliant two-piano team of our generation,” and embarked on a career that took them around the world.

Vronsky & Babin were introduced to American audiences through their recordings of Sergei Rachmaninoff, who became their friend and mentor. Despite a break from performances during World War II, in which Babin served in the armed forces and Vronsky with war casualties in Washington, D.C., the duo still managed to perform over 1,200 concerts in North America alone. 

Babin died in 1972, and Vronsky continued to teach and perform until her own death in 1992 in Cleveland. Vronsky was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Humanities by the French government in 1972 and served as a judge for the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition.