Irene Russo studied with Lazar Berman and Franco Scala at the International Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro" in Imola, and in Barcelona with Alicia de Larrocha.
In 2000 she won the "Clara Schumann" International Piano Competition in Düsseldorf. She was also awarded at the 2002 "ARD" Competition in Munich and at the "Martha Argerich" Competition in Buenos Aires 2003. In 2008 she was awarded the "Dorothy McKenzie" International Piano Award in New York. Ms. Russo is regularly invited to hold piano masterclasses both in Italy and abroad. She has participated in prestigious international festivals: La Roque d'Anthéron, Schloss-Elmau, Heidelberger Frühling, Robert Schumann, sfSound's Contemporary Piano Music San Francisco, Festival International de Marseille, Musica Viva, Eclat Neue Musik. She has performed over 30 concerts with orchestra including all five by Beethoven and both by Brahms; she has been guest soloist of orchestras such as: Netherlands Philharmonic, Orchester National des Pays de la Loire, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Münchener Kammerorchester, Kiev National Symphony Orchestra, Klassische Philharmonie , Mantua Chamber Orchestra, San Carlo Theater Symphony Orchestra, Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Thüringhen Philharmonie. She has also performed at: Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Bozar Bruxelles, Konzerthaus Berlin, deGasteig Munich, Palau de la Musica Valencia, Cité des Congrès Nantes, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Hobby Center for Performing Arts Houston, Teatro Comunale Bologna, Steinway Hall New York.
Since 2005 she has recorded for Brilliant Classics obtaining prestigious awards (CD of the Month on “Gramophone”, gold record for sales in the Netherlands). She has been a piano teacher for 10 years at the Royal Conservatorium Antwerp and the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, and since 2021 she is piano professor at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan. After graduating with honors in Pedagogy, she obtained a University Specialization Diploma in Theory and Practice of Musical Cognition at the University of Pavia. Since 2016 she is the Artistic Director of the Archipel Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam.