State Academic Moscow Regional Choir named after Kozhevnikov (Kozhevnikov Choir) |

Kozhevnikov Choir

State Academic Moscow Regional Choir named after A.D. Kozhevnikova has been leading its history since 1956. The time of the group’s heyday, the search for its unique place in the Russian choir movement took place under the guidance of the outstanding conductor, People’s Artist of Russia Andrei Dmitrievich Kozhevnikov, who led the choir for 20 years from 1988 to 2011.

Many works were performed by the choir for the first time. Among them are the cantata “Ivan the Terrible” by S. Prokofiev, “Requiem” by D. Kabalevsky, “Liturgy” by A. Alyabyev, spiritual concertos by S. Degtyarev and V. Titov, as well as “Requiem in memory of Leonid Kogan” by the Italian composer F. Mannino. The team successfully toured in the Commonwealth countries, Austria, Sweden, Holland, Germany, France, Finland, Poland, Romania, Greece, Korea, Japan.

From 2011 to 2014, the chief conductor and artistic director of the choir was Zhanna Kolotiy.

Since 2014, the choir has been led by the rector of the Academy of Choral Art named after V.S. Popova, member of the Presidium of the All-Russian Choral Society, head of the State Duma Choir Nikolai Nikolaevich Azarov, which marked a new stage in the life of the team. The composition of the choir today is happily replenished with graduates of the choral academy. This is a truly powerful start for talented “nuggets”, an opportunity to improve their singing skills in an ensemble, to expand their musical horizons, working with already established professionals. Young musicians, in turn, bring a fresh look, modern trends, a willingness to accept everything new and unusual, and this is a confident and direct way forward.

Today Choir named after A.D. Kozhevnikova is not just a team that has established itself as the guardian of the canons and continuer of the traditions of the Moscow choir school. This is a chorus that makes you pay attention to yourself, equal to it. The team can be called the creative leader of the modern choral movement, setting the direction and trends in the development of choral performance in Russia.

This is a close-knit team of outstanding professionals, brilliant masters of their craft. When preparing each program, thorough work is carried out on parts, work on the vocal component of each piece. These are the traditions laid down by the outstanding conductor, choirmaster and musical figure Alexander Vasilyevich Sveshnikov, which are successfully embodied in the work of the choir today. At the same time, the Choir named after A.D. Kozhevnikova is a team of inspired people who sincerely and selflessly love their work, which is evident from the special emotionality and warmth of its sound.

Choir named after A.D. Kozhevnikova is a true “multi-instrumentalist” in the world of choral music. The band’s repertoire contains everything you can imagine – from classics, folk songs and to the works of contemporary composers. The concerts feature Russian and Byzantine spiritual music, Russian romances arranged for the choir, Russian folk music, subscriptions for children, etc. Daily creative search allows you to constantly expand the repertoire. But whatever the choir performs, the quality of the music remains the most important and immutable criterion.

The rich and interesting creative life of the group invariably attracts bright and extraordinary musicians. For the first time in Russia, the Choir named after A.D. Kozhevnikov, the practice of guest conductors is applied.

Joint concerts with conductors Vladimir Fedoseev, Alexander Vakulsky, Gianluca Marciano (Italy) and others became real musical events.

Colorfulness of sound, special expressiveness, “smart”, meaningful sound and high culture of performance – this is what distinguishes the Choir named after A.D. Kozhevnikov among others. The most important thing, according to Andrei Dmitrievich Kozhevnikov, is the ability to “trust the music” when everything happens “in truth.”

Source: website of the Moscow Regional Philharmonic