CHAUTAUQUA — Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce Alexander Gavrylyuk as Artistic Advisor and John Milbauer and Nicola Melville as Co-Chairs of its School of Music Piano Program.

Internationally renowned pianist Gavrylyuk first performed at Chautauqua in 2006, and has been the only continuously re-engaged soloist to return annually since that time, performing both in solo recitals and with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. During that time, Gavrylyuk has become both a community celebrity and a community member, teaching master classes, spending time with Chautauquans, and even enrolling his eldest daughter in Children’s School.

“Alexander is already a luminary in the Chautauqua community, providing artistic inspiration through his philosophy of connecting to people through artistic truth,” said Deborah Sunya Moore, Vice President of Programming. “By joining our leadership, Alexander brings a level of stunning artistry and commits to inspiring our students as they explore the best in human values through music.”

In his position as artistic advisor and artist-in-residence, Gavrylyuk will advise the co-chairs and Institution year-round, working collaboratively on program philosophy, guest faculty selection and recruitment, where he will focus on broadening the program’s international reach.

“It is an honor and privilege for me to lead the piano department in conjunction with John Milbauer and Nicola Melville, who have achieved such extraordinary success,” Gavrylyuk said. “During the past 10 years, I grew to love and to understand the uniqueness and unparalleled importance of Chautauqua and its philosophy which is very close to my heart and to my own life view.”

Gavrylyuk and his family will be in residence for the first three weeks of the 2017 season and future years may extend that residency time as Gavrylyuk’s impressive performing schedule allows.

“It will be wonderful to have Alexander on board. Along with his prodigious talent and generous spirit, he has become a part of the Chautauqua family over the years and as a result has a great understanding of what we are about,” said Timothy Muffitt, Music School Festival Orchestra Music Director and search committee member. “I look forward to working with him in preparing our young talent for the future.”

Milbauer and Melville have been on faculty since 2002 and 2003, respectively, and served as interim co-chairs since 2012. Under their leadership from 2013 to 2016, the number of applicants grew substantially. In 2016, the program drew its highest number of applicants ever — twice the number of applicants as some previous years. In addition to a growth in numbers, more students from high profile schools such as The Juilliard School now apply and attend, and students and visiting faculty alike comment on the collegial and supportive culture that Milbauer and Melville foster.

“Nikki and John have elevated Chautauqua’s piano department to a new level. While demanding and challenging, they make it fun and invigorating,” said Chautauquan Linda Ludwig, a member of the search committee. “The piano talent level Chautauqua attracts is the highest I’ve seen in the 20 years I have attended master classes. We are indeed fortunate to have had them at the helm of our piano department.”

The eight-person search committee making recommendations to the Institution was comprised of faculty from the School of Music, Chautauqua arts leaders, community members and the Institution’s board of trustees. The committee operated from 2013 to 2016 and considered more than 10 candidates, as well as varied structures for the program.

“The best of two philosophies has emerged out of the desire to rely on both the proven success of Melville’s and Milbauer’s leadership and the hope to provide students with additional and sustained artistic inspiration from a pianist of international renown,” Moore said.

In addition to the Artistic Advisor and Co-Chairs, guest artists will continue to be an important feature of the Piano Program. Also, longer-stay guest artists with greater impact on the program will be offered a rotating seasonal position of Artist-in-Residence.