Kugaevsky Andrew – domra (Novosibirsk, Russia)

About

Kugaevsky Andrew – domra (Novosibirsk, Russia) Professor of Russian folk string instruments at the Novosibirsk Conservatory, Prizewinner of all-Russian and international music competitions including the most prestigious one for folk instruments, One of the leading domra-players in Russia. Andrew Kugaevsky graduated from Novosibirsk Special Secondary Music School and Novosibirsk State Conservatory named M. Glinka. Currently, he teaches as a professor for Russian folk string instruments and assists Yukiko Takagaki in her Japanese koto-class at the Novosibirsk Conservatory. He is a prizewinner of all-Russian and international music competitions including the most prestigious one for folk instruments, “The Cup of the North” (Cherepovets), and — with his duo partner, the outstanding Russian Bayan-player Andrei Romanov — in New York (Grand Prix of the I international competition “Golden Akkordeon”) and Osaka (Yehudi Menuhin Gold Prize of the IV international chamber music competition).

  1. Kugaevsky a laureate of the fund “Russian performing Arts”.

Thanks to these achievements Andrey has become one of the leading domra-players in Russia and even in the traditional citadels of this instrument — Yekaterinburg, St Petersburg and Moscow — he is thought of having created a particularly Siberian school of playing. His busy activities as a teacher and performer — often with Andrey Romanov or pianist Tatyana Kugaevsky — have taken him to all regions of Russia and  Kazakhstan, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, South Korea, China, Belgium, Japan, Finland, Canada and France. Thus, the ancient Russian folk string instrument, the Domra, is presented all over the world. But Andrei also mastered the refined playing of the Japanese national string instrument, the koto. He collaborates with various music groups and societies  in Japan, with the excellent interpreter of Korean traditional music Soo-Kwan Park and the unique master of the Chinese pipa Liu Gang from Shenyang, with Peoples Artist of Russia Alexander Tsygankov (Domra),  Japan`s National Wealth Yukiko Takagaki (koto), American blues-man “Professor Louie” (Aaron Hurwitz & “The Crowmatics”). As soloist he performed with Russian folk instruments orchestras of the Siberian region cities, Academic symphony orchestra and Chamber orchestra of the Novosibirsk State Philharmonic. Also he performed as ensemble partner with violinists Vadim Repin, Didier Lockwood, Jozsef Lendvay (Lendvay & Friends), Michael Guttman, famous duo of Alexey Igudesman & Hiung-ki Joo. 2014 a member of the Olympic torch relay and the Culture program of the XXII Winter Olympic Games “Sochi – 2014”.

  1. Kugaevsky performs Domra at the International music festivals featuring such stars of musical art, as D. Hvorostovsky, J. Carreras, T. Pavlovskaya, O. Borodina, N. Lugansky, B. Berezovsky, A. Korobeynikov,A. Vershinin , Jean – Yves Thibaudet, K. Lifshitz, Yu.Rozum, R. Buchbinder, Z.Bron, A. Koshvanets, P.Popov, M. Rysanov, M.Brunello, A.Knyazev, D. Shapovalov, M. Maisky, L. Slatkin, Charles Dutoit, D. Jurowski, K. Nagano, A. Arkhipovsky, Y. Petrov.

Andrey Kugaevsky is the editor and the first performer of many compositions for Domra Russian and Japanese contemporary composers, the author of original pieces and concert arrangements for Domra with piano (or orchestra) of Russian traditional tunes and world music.