Semion Skigin was born in Leningrad and studied at its State Conservatory. In 1972, he appeared as a soloist with the Leningrad Philharmonic and three years later won first prize at the International Competition for Piano Accompanists in Rio de Janeiro.
Semion Skigin’s activity as a teacher led to his appointment as guest professor from 1978 to 1981 at the Carl Maria von Weber Musikhochschule in Dresden. Since 1990 he has been Professor of Song Accompaniment at the Musikhochschule “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin. In addition, he regularly gives master classes at leading conservatories in Germany, Holland, and the U.S.A, and Russia. He is a jury member of numerous international competitions and festivals, the Artistic Director of the music festival at Theaterkahn in Dresden, as well as Vice President and Artistic Director of the Piano Salon in Berlin.
Semion Skigin is one of the most sought-after song accompanists and appears in all the great concert halls of the world, accompanying world-class singers, such as Ekaterina Semenchuk, Evelina Dobračeva, Olaf Bär, Cheryl Studer, Robert Holl, Olga Borodina, and Sergei Leiferkus.