Skip to content Skip to footer

The Orchestra Institute

The Orchestra Institute

In January 2014, at the initiative of Alexander Chernushenko, the Chief conductor of the St Petersburg State Capella Symphony Orchestra, a large-scale project called “The St Petersburg State Capella Orchestra Institute” was created. It is an educational program for the young-generation musicians, based on the Capella Symphony Orchestra. Regular master classes and concerts of the world-class musicians and teachers take place in the framework of the “Orchestra Institute.”

From the beginning, the project was meant to be an educational program to help soloists and orchestra musicians in their training and promotion. Musicians get an exceptional opportunity to work with both world-class tutors and the symphony orchestra at these classes. Both the tutor and the conductor supervise the educational process where not only the master class participants, but also the Capella Symphony Orchestra musicians, get their own invaluable experiences. Projects of this kind are quite rare internationally, all the more in Russia where such experience is absolutely unique. Considering the fact that young conductors and instrumentalists are not high-fed with opportunities to work with a symphony orchestra, the significance of the “Orchestra Institute” in their eyes can be absolutely unparalleled. 

The idea suggested by Alexander Chernushenko turned out to be widely sought after. The “Orchestra Institute” project has topped all expectations and has become a work activity that is both common and necessary.

Starting from the 2014-2015 concert season, the Gartow Foundation (Germany), which had been taking part in life of the St Petersburg musicians for several decades, is participating in undertaking the “International Orchestra Institute” project. Cooperation with the foundation has resulted in a regular concert series called “Around the World with German Musicians.” Thanks to this cooperation, leading German musicians give concerts and master class series for young soloists and orchestra musicians within the walls of Capella on a regular basis. We should take note of such remarkable performers as oboe player Gergor Witt, bassoon player Christian Kunert, cello players Wolfgang Emmanuel Schmidt and Jens Peter Maintz, horn player Jörg Brückner, trumpet player Jeroen Berwaerts among others.

Joint concerts of the Capella Symphony Orchestra and the Andrei Petrov St Petersburg Children’s Music School No.2, are held in the framework of the “Orchestra Institute.”

The “International Orchestra Institute” is meant to revive the traditions of instrumental classes that existed by the Court Capella Choir. Back in 1740, by the order of the Empress Anna Ioannovna, young Capella singers started to get instrumental education. Since 1884, thanks to the efforts of the Capella directors M.A. Balakirev and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, this education started to follow the Conservatory educational programs, which resulted in educatees getting Certificates of a Freelance Artist that confirmed higher musical education

Photos

Interviews