The Male Choir of St.Petersburg
Artists

Vadim AFANASIEV

Artistic Director

Mr. Afanasiev is one of the most talented representatives of the Russian “Intelligentsia” of the 1960s. This group of intellectuals came into being during the Khrushchev “thaw”, taking advantage of the relative tolerance of the post-Stalinist regime to develop their creative ideas and to pursue their own ides of what Art should and could be. Unfortunately, this period of relaxation was temporary, and under Brezhnev many found themselves unexpectedly exposed. As a result, many escaped persecution by emigrating to the West (i.e. Baryshnikov, Tarkovsky, Ashkenazy, Aksenov, etc.). Those who remained (Vysotsky, Liubimov, Dal, Kondrashin, etc.), found themselves in creative and spiritual isolation, forever struggling against the high Kremlin walls with intellect as their only weapon.

Vadim Afanasiev was born in 1944 into a family of intellectuals whose name was already long tainted by the label, “relatives of an enemy of the people”. His father's elder brother, a cadet in the Tsarist army, left Russia in 1914 with his regiment and moved to Paris. He remained there, refusing to recognize the overthrow of the Russian government in 1917. Such a label was a serious enough matter that at any moment, without cause or warning, one could be thrown in prison, sent to Siberia, or simply be made to vanish without trace. Like a hereditary disease, the label was inherited by all future generations without any hope of rehabilitation. Naturally, little Vadim's life began with this curse already in place and it would remain a constant obstacle throughout his life, baring him from opportunities which would have otherwise been available to him, eliminating him consideration for prestigious positions.

He showed signs of musical talent very early. By age 5 he was already playing the piano. At age 7 he passed the examinations to enter the Musical School for specially gifted Children at the Leningrad Conservatory.

Music in fact saved the Afanasiev family, as it was the least comprehensible sphere of life to the Communists. The only religion that was allowed, and indeed required, was the worship of Lenin and Stalin. They became God, and, unlike the Tsar, they had no intention of sharing the devotion of their people with anyone, be he man or spirit. Music offered the rare possibility to preserve one's spirituality without becoming suspect to the powers that be. They simply did not understand it well enough to see what it really was.

In music school, Afanasiev combined his piano studies with conducting. It was here that he developed his love of Russian Orthodox choral singing, which of course was also forbidden. Much later, becoming the head of the Department of Conducting of the Conservatory, he would teach his students in secret this “holy” music, in hopes of preserving the traditions of Russian singing, which dated back as the 14th century. The most perfected form of “a-cappella” choral singing has its direct origins in Orthodox liturgical music.

In 1962, Vadim Afanasiev formally enrolled in the Leningrad Conservatory, where he completed the full course of its conducting program (choral, operatic and symphonic). He was then invited to conduct at the famous Maly Opera and Ballet Theatre, where during the course of 29 years he developed a repertoire of 19 operas by Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Puccini, Rachmaninov, Mussorgsky and others.

Since then, his accomplishments have been numerous. In Moscow, he was appointed chief conductor of the USSR State Chorus. In became Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Leningrad State Concert Orchestra. On the stage of the Hermitage Theater, he has directed chamber productions of operas by Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.

In 1993 he became President of the Fund for the Preservation and Development of Traditions of Russian Orthodox Choral Music, as a part of which he founded the Male Choir of Saint Petersburg. Through this collective he reaffirmed the most righteous principle of traditional Russian music, now finally free of the chains of the Communist regime. At the same time, the label, “relative of an enemy of the people” was officially removed from his record.

Alexander RADEV

Director

Mr. Radev was born in the family of a worker in 1959 in Ukraine, the coast of the Sea of Azov. He is a Bulgarian by national origin. His father comes from the family of the Bulgarian landowners. The mother comes from the family of a famous Ukrainian poet T. Shevchenko

Within the period of 1967–1974 he studied at school. In 1974 he entered Kiev Choreographic College where he studied Folk dance, in 1978 he graduated from this college with a specialty of the Artist of Ballet.

Creative activity of Alexander Radev for the last period: The artist of the State Academic dance company of Ukraine named after Virsky P.P. — Kiev, Ukraine. The soloist of the Honored State song and dance company “Donbas”. The soloist of the State dance company “Barinya”.

Alexander Radev got the higher education with a specialty “Choreographic Mastery” — a ballet-master, a teacher choreographer — LODN GIK named after Krupskaya N.K. Since 1993 — a Director of “The Male Choir of St. Petersburg” — ROF “Singers of Russia”, a member of the committee of St. Petersburg society of friends of Mongolia (StPSFM), Professor of APBOP, an Honored worker of culture of Russia.

Vladimir FELYAUER

Mr. Felyauer was born in 1965 in Chelyabinsk. After his graduation of Chelyabinsk Music School and Sverdlovsk Conservatoire (trumpet class), the vocalist's vocation brought him to Petersburg. Here the singer graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatoire and postgraduate course (Professor N.P. Okhotnikov's class) with due success.

The musician has take part in numerous performances of the Opera and Ballet Theatre under the Conservatoire, cooperating with St. Petersburg Academic Capella. Presently he is a soloist of the State Chamber Music Theatre “St.-Petersburg Opera”. Vladimir Felyauer's repertoire includes the leading bass parts of opera classics. The singer successfully combines the work in the music theatre with active concert activities — this includes his solo performances in different cities of Russia and abroad, performing parts in vocal symphonic compositions in the best concert hall of Petersburg. 2003 — Soloist of Male Choir of St. Petersburg by Vadim Afanasiev.

Alexander GORBATENKO

Countertenor

The native Ukrainian began his instruction as a singer with eight years in the national boy's choir school in Moscow. After that he studied with Prof. Vera Lugovenko at the academy of music in Odessa and with Prof. Leo Morosov at the Rimski-Korsakov conservatoire in St. Petersburg since 1988, where he gained his diploma mainly based on singing in concert.

Alexander Gorbatenko early started to train the flexible control over his voice, he enlarged his qualities as a countertenor at the international Bach Academy in Stuttgart and at the international Handel Academy in Karisruhe, where he twice gained a scholarship. The singer took courses by Sharon Weller, Reinhold Kubik, Jeffrey Gall and lngeborg Danz.

The singer worked as a soloist with important choirs and dirigents of St. Petersburg already during his studies. He sang with the Broadcasting Choir St. Petersburg, with the national Glinka Chapel and with the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir under Vladislav Tschernuschnko, Vadim Afanasjev, Evgenij Svetlanov, Vladimir Fedosiejev, Saulus Sondecki and Vladimir Stolpovskih.

Since 1996 Alexander Gorbatenko is a soloist of “The Male Choir of St. Petersburg”, The Honored artist of Russia.

Vladimir MILLER

Basso Profundo

Mr. Miller — The Honored artist of Russia, The Honored artist of Karelia Republic is a soloist of State Academic Cappella of St. Petersburg and Male Choir of St. Petersburg, he is gifted with a rare, lowest singers voice — basso profundo. He was born in Siberia in 1964 and has graduated the St. Petersburg State Conservatory on a specialty “musicology”; as a vocalist is trained in “Hochschule fuer Musik” Koeln (Germany) at the outstanding singers and teachers Reinhard Leisenheimer and Kurt Moll.

On opera stage Vladimir Miller sang the parts Colas (“Bastien und Bastienne”, children's musical theatre “Ad libitum”, St. Petersburg), Sarastro, Sprecher und Priester (“Die Zauberfloete”, — Large Theatre of Lodz), Osmin (“Entfuehrung aus dem Serail”, - theatre of the St. Petersburg Conservatory), Brambeus (“Tsar Demian”, - world premiere of Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg), Melchior, White and Red Knight (“Alice in Wonderland”, - world premiere of De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam).

The singer had intensive concert activity. He gave solo concerts in Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, USA, Vatican, and Yugoslavia. He participated in festivals: Abendmusik im Hohen Dom (Aachen), Festival D'Art Sacre (Paris), Frankfurt-Feste, Alte Oper (Frankfurt am Main), Frankfurter Domkonzerte (Frankfurt am Main), International Festival of Orthodoxe Music in Russia (Moscow), La Chaise Dieu Festival De Musique (France), Moscow Autumn (Moscow), Musical Spring (St. Petersburg), Neva Choral Assemblies (St. Petersburg), Nick Caves Meltdown Festival (London), Russian Festival Oregon House (Ca., USA), Stars of White Night (St. Petersburg).

Vladimir Miller sang with such famous conductors as Vadim Afanasiev, Martyn Brabbins, Justin Brown, Tonu Kaljuste, Gerd Meditz, Gennady Mironov, Robert H.P.Platz, Victor Popov, Hans Dieter Resch, Alexander Sladkovsky, Andreas Spierri, Sergei Stadler, Alexander and Vladislav Tchernuchenko, Alexander Titov.

The singer was repeatedly invited for joint performance in Western Europe by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir as well as "Moscow Academy of Choral Art" and "Choir Radio France". In the concert repertoire of Vladimir Miller there are a lot of pieces — from ancient Russian music to modern composer's music. The singer became the first interpreter of many compositions, written specially for him (Alexander Iovlev, Iraida Jusupova, Alexander Knaifel, Timur Kogan, Victor Miniotas, Maria Petrenko, and Andrei Samsonov).

By preference, Vladimir Miller sings works from the Russian composers' classical romance like Mili Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, Michael Glinka, Sergei Lyapunov, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Peter Tchaikovsky etc. He sings also solo parts in the cantata-oratorio compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach, Anton Bruckner, Alexander Gretchaninov, Alexander Knaifel, Raiko Maximovitch, Victor Miniotas, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Heinrich Schutz, Igor Stravinsky, John Tavener.

The singer has solo records on more than 70 CDs, issued by EMI-Classics, IMLab, Jugokoncert, Melodiya, Multimedia, Russian Disc, Teldec. There are several television films and broadcasting programs about Vladimir Miller?s artistic life in Russia and Western Europe. Besides his concerts Vladimir Miller is engaged by researches in the field of history of Russian music. He has published a number of works.

Alexander PATYUKOV

Baritone

Mr. Patyukov was born in 23.09.1960 in Rostov city, Russia.

1977 — Graduated from music school in Leningrad city.

1977-1986 — Studied at Music Lyceum of St. Petersburg Conservatoire (conducting-choral and vocal study).

1986-1993 — Studied at St. Petersburg Conservatoire (faculty of vocal study); obtained a distinction Alexander Patyukov started his creative activity as a soloist of St. Petersburg Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Rimsky-Korsakov. He is Laureate of the Contests in Glasgow, Edinburgh (Great Britain), Laureate of Savonlinnan International Festival of Operatic Mastery (Finland), where he performed the parts of Onegin and Zaretsky from the opera “Evgeny Onegin” by Tchaikovsky P.I.

He performed as a soloist in the State Choir of St. Petersburg. In his repertoire there are compositions in Russian, French, Italian, created by the following composers: Gounod, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Dargomigsky, Puccini, Prokofiev, Kogan, Mozart. Since 2000 Patyukov is a soloist of “The Male Choir of St. Petersburg”.

Dmitry POPOV

Tenor

Mr. Popov was born in Leningrad. He studied at Boys' Choir School named after M.I. Glinka and St. Petersburg conservatory (choral conducting department, K.N. Nikitin's class). He possesses a unique combination of singing voices — tenor and counter-tenor. His repertoire includes the works by Vecchi, Pergolesi, Monteverdi, Purcell, Shuetz, Bach, Glueck, Mozart, Britten, Shnittke as well as the works of contemporary composers written specially for the singer's unique compass: the concerto for choir and solo counter-tenor to V. Nabokov's verses “Nabokov's songs”, the party of counter-tenor in I. Yusupova's opera “Einstein and Margaret”. Dmitry Popov is the first performer of L. Desyatnikov's “The Leaden Echo” (CD “Sketches to the Sunset”).

Dmitry extensively tours both in Russia and abroad as a soloist and as a member of different chamber ensembles. In 2008 he was awarded the honorary title “Distinguished Artist of the Republic of Karelia”. Since 1998 Dmitry Popov is a soloist of “The Male Choir of St. Petersburg”.

Alexander OKULOV

Baritone

Mr. Okulov was born in City of Perm, Russia

Musical College by Saint-Petersburg State Conservatorium of Rimsky Korsakov (1972–1977)

Leningrad Music Hall, soloist-vocalist (1977–1990), gives performances on a tours in all European countries.

Invitee soloist of different choral ensembles (1990–1998)

Soloist of The Male Choir of St. Petersburg (1998 – Present)

Vladimir ROMANCHUK

Baritone

Mr. Romanchuk was born in Lvov, the USSR.

He graduated with honors from Lvov Conservatoire where Vladimir Romanchuk studied vocal singing). He was in the Song and Dance Group of the Internal Forces of Ukraine.

Since 1974 — a soloist of Leningrad Academic Choir.

Since 1983 — a soloist of “The Mail Choir of St. Petersburg”.

Honored artist of Russia.

Anatoly VOROPAEV

Practiced choir conducting

Mr. Voropaev graduated from Moscow Conservatoire where he studied solo singing of A. Baturin. Voropaev was soloist of Baku Opera and Ballet Theatre and the M. Glinka Academic Choir. Since 1985 he is soloist M. Moussorgsky Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named, at which stage he sang the leading parts in the operas of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Moussorgsky, Verdi.

In the repertoire of the singer there are solo parts in cantata-oratorio compositions of Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Rossini, Mahler, Bruckner, Orff.

Since 1998 Mr. Voropaev is a soloist of “The Male Choir of St. Petersburg”. He is Honored artist of Russia.