10-year-old Limassol pianist Lev Nekhin earns ARSM diploma with distinction
Lev Nekhin, a 10-year-old pianist studying in Limassol, achieved distinction in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music ARSM diploma examination.
Limassol, Cyprus. Ten-year-old pianist Lev Nekhin has earned the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music diploma, achieving distinction in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examination.
He completed the ARSM examination in late June 2026 after preparing a 30-minute programme and performing it from memory.
Musical education
Born in Moscow, Nekhin began playing piano during the Covid-19 pandemic after finding an online beginner tutorial for Beethoven’s Für Elise on an unused electronic piano at home.
After his parents heard him play, they enrolled him at a local music school in Moscow, where the focus was mainly on piano technique. A year later, his family moved to Cyprus and he continued his education at the Tatiana Stupak Music School in Limassol.
Tatiana Stupak invited him to prepare for Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations in the United Kingdom. Nekhin passed Grade 1 in June 2022 and completed Grades 2 to 8 over the following three years, achieving Grade 8 in June 2025.
Diploma programme
Nekhin began preparing for the ARSM diploma in mid-2025. The qualification grants successful candidates the title Associate of the Royal Schools of Music and the right to use the letters ARSM after their name.
For the examination, he performed Prelude and Fugue No. 12 by J. S. Bach, Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 2 No. 1, Debussy’s Clair de Lune and Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor. He received his result and diploma two weeks after the examination.
Two further diploma levels are available: Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music, or LRSM, and Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music, or FRSM.
Competitions and performances
Nekhin has won first place in the Island of Stars competition in Cyprus and scored 98 out of 100 in the MusicArte 2026 competition.
He has performed at concerts organised by the Tatiana Stupak Music School, including at the Historical Museum and the Russian House in Belgrade, Serbia, the Catholic Church of St Catherine in Limassol, and other venues.
In July 2026, he appeared at SIAS University in China in a joint concert involving students from the university and the Tatiana Stupak Music School.
Other interests
Outside music, Nekhin studies mathematics, his favourite school subject, and takes additional lessons. He is also learning English, Greek, German and French.
He has visited 24 countries and travels on a Cypriot passport. He has also had an interest in aeroplanes for more than two years.
Nekhin hopes to become a professional concert pianist.
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