Kirill Umansky (b. 1962) graduated from the composition class of Nikolai Sidelnikov at the Moscow Conservatory in 1986 and the organ class of Svetlana Bodul at the Moscow Conservatorie in 1992. Umansky's works are frequently performed at music festivals in Russia and abroad, particularly in the USA, Holland, Austria, England, and Norway. In 2002 he became the laureate of the international competition in Saarlouis, Germany/3_rd premium for the "Island Valaam" for organ, timpani and vibraphone.

The main works of Kirill Umansky:

• Elegy for clarinet and string orchestra (1989)
• Fantasy in memory of Nikolai Sidelnikov for organ solo (1992)
• " Kammerstuck" for six performers (1997)
• "Approach" for 4 trombones and percussions (1997)
• "Imperativo_non imperativo" for 15 performers (2000)
• "Evening in the Steppe" for symphony orchestra (2001), "The Island Valaam" for organ, timpani and vibraphone.

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Vladimir Tarnopolski (1955) was born in Dnepropetrovsk. He studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in composition with Nikolai Sidelnikov and Edison Denisov, and in music theory with Yuri Kholopov. His composition for the Conservatory's final exam was his Concerto for Cello (1988), which was selected by Gennady Rozhdestvensky for a series of concert programs, titled From the History of Soviet music. Mr. Tarnopolski is a frequent guest of such Western contemporary music festivals as: ISCM World Music Days, Berliner Festwochen, Munchener Biennale, Wien Modern, Holland Festival, Frankfurter Musikfest, Almeida Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Hommage aux Russes (Paris), Tage fur Neue Musik (Zurich), Make Music Together (Boston), among others. Many famous Russian conductors, such as Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Alexander Lasarev have conducted his works. His music has been performed by ensembles such as: Symphonieorchester des Bayersichen Rundfunks, Ensemble Modern, Schonberg Ensemble, Ensemble Reshershe, and the Ensemble Soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre. His stage works have been premiered in Russia, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

In Mr. Tarnopolski's compositions there is a "fulminantly" charged musical substance that fits into a concisely articulated, well-balanced construction. The composer's music combines, in a paradoxical manner, two aesthetical aspects. The first is a search for a new euphony, which is developed on the basis of a complexly constructed sound material, abolishing the juxtaposition between consonance and dissonance, sound and noise, harmony and timbre, as well as electronic and acoustic instruments. The second is a redefined post-modernist theatricality, filled with either a joyful irony or a surrealistic grotesquerie.

Vladimir Tarnopolski plays a significant role in the development of contemporary Russian musical life. He was one of the initiators of the Association Contemporary Music in Moscow (1989). In 1993 he founded both the Center Contemporary Music and the Studio New Music Ensemble in Moscow, which has performed many works by the Russian avant-garde composers. In 1994, he founded the Moscow Forum, an annual International Festival of Contemporary Music, the main focus of which is the integration of contemporary Russian and Eastern European music with Western European contemporary music.

Since 1992, Mr. Tarnopolski has served as professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory. He holds a myriad of composition seminars in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States, and other countries.

His musical compositions have been awarded many prizes, including the Dmitry Shostakovish Prize (Russia 1991) and the Paul Hindemith Prize (Plon 1991).

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Elena Antonenko is a member of the Russian Union of Composers, a laureate of the International Competitions ("Kawai Contest" Chicago,USA 2004). She graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory as a singer, composer and conductor and holds the highest degree, Post Graduate (class: Professor Slonimski).

As a singer and as a composer, she is a permanent participant in international musical festivals such as "Sound Ways", "Baroque and Vanguard", "Musical Spring", "from Vanguard to Nowadays." In Russia, Elena works as a soloist, giving concerts in St. Petersburg and in orthodox Churches as a choir conductor.

Elena Antonenko's repertoire is unique by its breadth and stylistic variety. Elena performs various styles of music (classical opera arias, European Baroque music, spiritual songs with organ accompaniment, folk songs, modern music, classical jazz, and vanguard). She also specializes in the many aspects of Russian music: from ancient times of Paganism, through the classic forms of the original traditions of Russian music. Elena tries to preserve the old styles by encouraging young singers in the field of the Russian vocal school, the works of great composers, talented amateurs and folk texts. Her repertoire includes almost all kinds of the Russian music of the 11th to the 20th century period. Her concerts have been warmly received by audiences in the USA, Germany, France, and Sweden.

Ms. Antonenko's programs include "All About Russia", "The Shades of Russian Tunes", Russian Folk Songs, A Program Of Jewish Music, "Church Music" with organ (Bach, Pergolesi, Handel, etc.), European Classical Arias, Classical Jazz, modern and Vanguard. She is prepared to teach classes in voice, composition, the history of Russian music (classical and modern) and to perform illustrations thereof.

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BORIS FILANOVSKI

Born 1968 in Leningrad. Graduated in 1995 from the Rimski-Korsakov State Conservatoire where studied under Boris Tishchenko. In 1992-97 attended the Russian Seminars for Young Composers at Ivanovo, under Sergei Berinski. Winner of IRCAM Reading Panel '97. In 1998 studied at IRCAM (with a scholarship from French Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Lessons and master-classes with Paul-Heinz Dittrich, Louis Andriessen, Wolfgang Rihm. In November 2001 Arditti Quartet performed Lygoi during their master-class in
Moscow.

Since 2000 he is the artistic leader of eNsemble, the only contemporary music group in St.Petersburg. Accomplished numerous musical projects, among them "Emptiness in a Cage", "A Tour Around Messe de Tournai", "Seven Words. Joseph Haydn and The Group of Authors", "Pythian Games" (annual composers''
competition). Inspires and curates the Pro Arte Institute program "New Musical Technologies" (sound design, live electronics). In June 2003 won 24th Irino Prize for Chamber Music, Tokyo. In September 2003 substituted for Louis Andriessen in a master-class for young composers, with Orkest De Volharding (St.Petersburg, Conservatoire). Shortlisted for Third Competition ½Music of 21 Century+, Seoul.

Main instrumental works: Il primo punto for organ, Gwaegr for cello and ensemble, Polyphonion for extended violin, accordion & 6 instruments, Concerto di forza for piano and orchestra, Rheos for string trio and piano, Aerra for violin and piano. Main vocal works: Doppelgedicht (Paul Celan), jAnko krUl albAnskaj (Ilya Zdanevich), Lesvet Set'my (Anna Alchuk), A Certain Quantity of Conversations (Alexander Vvedensky).

Works performed by eNsemble of the Pro Arte Institute cond. by Fedor Lednev, Vlad Pessin, Laterna Magica, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra & John Storgards, Nieuw Ensemble cond. by Otto Tausk, Orkest De Volharding, DoelenEnsemble, Frances-Marie Uitti and Studio of New Music Moscow, Vyacheslav Poprugin, The Ural Philharmonics cond. by Dmitri Liss, St.Petersburg Camerata cond. by Alexander Titov.

Upcoming premieres/commissions in next two years include those by eNsemble, PITER's Trio, The Hague Percussion Group, Natalia Gutman and Vyacheslav Poprugin, Maria Fedotova, LOOS Ensemble.

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Alexander RADVILOVITCH was born in 1955 in Leningrad (St.Petersburg). He graduated from St.Petersburg Conservatory where he studied piano and composition under professor Sergey Slonimsky, then have been visited some Master-Courses in Poland, Germany, Holland where he had consultations with W. Lutoslavsky, T.de Leeuw, P.-H.Dittrich, K.Huber, B.Scheffer, B.Ferneyhough and others. Since 1990 he has taken part in International workshops abroad, and given lectures concerning new music issues in Amsterdam, Bergen, Berlin, Boston, Nizhni-Novgorod, Ochrid, Odessa, Rheinsberg, Salzburg, Skopije, St.Petersburg Ulaan-Baator, Boston and Harvard University, as well as at the Summer Courses in Darmstadt (in 1992, 1994).

In 1989 Radvilovitch founded an International New Music Festival "SOUND WAYS" and a year later "SOUND WAYS" Seminar for composers where he is an Artistic Director too.

In 1993 he founded an Art Association "SOUND WAYS" and in 1994 an ensemble "SOUND WAYS" for new music, which has given concerts in Russia, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Mongolia and Ukraine. Radvilovitch is a creator of a number of successful exchange projects.

Since 1992 many piano concerts with Russian new music programs in Russia, Austria, France, Germany, Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA.

Since 1996 he has been teaching in St.-Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory and also in Humanitarian University. He is a member of Composers Society of Russia, Art Gilde Germany, GEMA, Brandenburg Colloquium of New Music, Art Association ½Europe - Europe+, and President of Art Association ½Sound Ways+.

• Prize ½Youth, Creativity, Mastery++ (Russia, 1989)
• Diploma of Queen Mary-Joséé Competition (Switzerland, 1992)
• Johann-Wenzel-Stamitz-Special-Prize (Germany, 1998)
• Scolarships of the Ministry of Culture of Russia (1996, 1999 and 2000)

Festivals where were performed works by A. Radvilovitch:

Music Spring in St.Petersburg, Sound Ways, From Avant-garde Till Our Days, Moscow Autumn, Moscow Forum, Panorame of Russian Music, Europe - Asia, (Russia),

Silesian Days of New Music, Dresden Days of New Music, ½...antasten...+, ½Schrayaner Autumn++, ½½Percussion++, Internationale Ferienkurse Darmstadt (Germany),Mariu klavirai (Lithuania), Aspecte (Austria), Arcady Music Festival (USA), Barocco and Avant-garde, Two Days and Two Night of New Music (Ukraine), Roaring Hoofs (Mongolia), Musica Nova (Bulgaria), ArtGenda (Denmark), Mozart and Modern (Switzerland), Music Factory (Norway), Time of Music (Finland).

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Dmitriy RIABTSEV (b. 1969) is a composer and arranger. He studied composition at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow (he finished his postgraduate studies in 1998). As a musician he has done a lot of different things: he was a pianist in jazz and quasi_folk styles, modern music (including taking part in Kyle Gann's opera when it was performed in Moscow); he has been a teacher in music school (composition, music theory), piano tune master, editor and proof-reader of music scores. He has made a lot of arrangements for jazz_ensembles, big_band orchestra, symphonic orchestra (including Orchestra of Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow), chamber orchestra (including Yuri Bashmet's orchestra), for orchestra of Russian instruments (including Ossipov Orchestra, Moscow). He worked a lot with some popular Russian singers (in pop, rock, jazz, Russian and gipsy folk styles). He is an author of music for dozens of theatre plays (mostly in Moscow, but also in Belgorod, Novosibirsk, Jaroslavl (Russia), Tallinn (Estonia)), for several films (including "IKON" by Greg Walsh (Seattle, 2002), music for TV shows, reklama_clips (?) and so on. He is facile with most important computer technologies. Several times he took part in writing music collectively (opera "Tzar' Demian", oratorium "Prelesta"). In his music Dmitriy Riabtsev combines different composer's techniques, but always tries to hide them deeply in the matter ("technique is not the goal"). For example in the piece for piano and string orchestra "...for Benjamin and Peter" there are three sections: Preludium (with complicated polyphonic development on a theme with unstable measure size), Fuga (of 4 voices that "just
accompany" the expressive melody of the solo violin) and Variations on 24_tones theme ostinato. All together sounds like romantic or minimalistic piece, and as a result it is easy for non musicians to listen to this music (of course it isn't a goal - it is just a result). Dmitriy Riabtsev has taken part in festivals and his music was performed in Moscow, St. Peterburg, Novgorod, Novosibirsk; USA, Finland, Israel, Estonia and other venues.

List of major compositions:

• "...for Benjamin and Peter" (2003) for piano and string orchestra
• "The Doll" for electro_acoustic ensemble (2002)
• "Berceuse" for ensemble (2000)
• Concerto for flute, piano and symphonic orchestra (1996)
• Sonata for harp solo (1995)
• "Rusalki" ("Water_nymphs") for Russian orchestra (1994)