Vitalij Kuprij of Trans-Siberian Orchestra executing reside on phase at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, on Jan. 11, 2014. Kevin Nixon/Prog Magazine/Future by means of Getty Images
Longtime Trans-Siberian Orchestra keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij passed away on Tuesday at age 49. The pianist’s fatality was validated by the instrumental rock band on their socials, in which they commemorated the Ukrainian-birthed artist that invested greater than a years exploring with the team whose outrageous vacation programs have actually come to be a yearly Boxscore Report-covering staple of the Christmas period.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend and bandmate, Vitalij Kuprij,” checked out the TSO’s declaration. “He was a world-renowned classical pianist and composer. In 2010, Vitalij joined TSO for the inaugural ‘Beethoven’s Last Night’ tour and seamlessly became an integral part of the band. His flawless and energetic performances consistently captivated audiences, and many of you came to know and love him as much as we did.”
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The article kept in mind that along with his expertise as an artist, Kuprij was an “accomplished chess player, an avid fisherman, and simply a fun-loving soul. His absence will be profoundly felt by all.” Kuprij belonged to TSO from 2009-2019 and rejoined the team in 2021, most just recently executing on their Nov.-Dec. 2023 scenic tour.
His good friend, Finnish guitarist/producer Lars Eric Mattsson likewise admired Kuprij, creating, “Woke up to really sad news this morning as my dear friend and keyboard maestro Vitalij Kuprij has passed away last night. The Ukranian born virtuoso was living in Philadelphia and recently came off another hugely successful tour with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I have known and worked with Vitalij for over 20 years and he always talked about seeing me here in Finland to go fishing, which was his second love after music.”
At press time no added info was offered on the information or source of Kuprij’s fatality. According to AllMusic, Kuprij was birthed in 1974 in Volodarka, Ukraine, and at an early stage revealed excellent assurance on the piano, winning very first reward in the All-Union Chopin competitors in the Republic of Kazan in the previous Soviet Union and the leading honors at the Geneva Duo competitors for violin and piano as a young people.
He developed his very first dynamic steel band in 1993, Atlantis Rising, transferring to the U.S. in 1995, where the band was reformed right into Artension, which launched a collection of cds on the Shrapnel tag. Kuprij launched a variety of solo cds and likewise dealt with the teams Ring of Fire and the Vivaldi Metal Project.
Progressive rock band TSO was started in 1996 by producer/songwriter Paul O’Neill, that passed away in 2017, and has actually been barnstorming fields from coast-to-coast for greater than 25 years with outrageous manufacturings blending rock opera theatrics with eruptive light programs. Some of their most cherished manufacturings consist of “Christmas Eve and Other Stories,” “The Christmas Attic” and “Beethoven’s Last Night.”
See the homages listed below.
