Talents For Whom Stroytransgaz Is Building Cultural and Educational Centres

The construction of cultural and educational centres across Russia is a priority project for Stroytransgaz. In Kaliningrad, Kemerovo, Vladivostok and South Russia, it will build not just buildings, but branches of major national museums, which will become cultural points of attraction in the federal districts. The educational parts of the centres will include departments of leading creative universities and children passionate about art will be able to study close to their homes.

We continue to introduce you to students of the branch of the Central School of Music in Kaliningrad, who are now studying in the new building of the Baltics branch of the Central School of Music.

In the spotlight is Stepan Khomenko, he is a young and charming student in 9th grade, he plays the violin tutored by Svetlana Lysenko. And it seems that Stepan is destined to become a talented musician. An interesting fact is that the young man was born on the same day with such virtuoso violinists as Niccolo Paganini and Vanessa May, on 27 October.

 "My parents knew about it. From the earliest years, they have played classical records for me. For example, I remember Mozart's Turkish March for sure, I loved it very much," says Stepan Khomenko.

By the way, Niccolo Paganini also made his contribution to the creative development of the young Kaliningrader. "I played several pieces by Paganini, including one of his capriccios. Paganini's capriccios are very difficult to play and thanks to this I made a huge breakthrough in performing skills and technique. I like to say that a composer's work is a letter to the one who performs it. That is, Paganini wrote me a letter and I conveyed the contents of the letter from the great composer through music."

A kind of "internal" dialogue helps a musician not only to feel the piece, but also to tune in to a successful concert performance.

 "First of all, I feel confident and focused. When I perform a concert program, I have a kind of "musical dialogue" with the concertmaster, the orchestra and the audience, because they are an integral part of all performances. After all, the audience provides the support, good atmosphere and emotions that they experience when listening to classical music. I feel it inside me. When I hear the audience applauding, I feel grateful."

Stepan started his professional career as a violinist at the age of 3. Then his mother enrolled him in music classes at the Center for Early Aesthetic Development at Hoffmann School of Music in Kaliningrad. There Stepan was marked by the violin tutor Svetlana Vavilina.

"Since then, Svetlana Vavilina had been my tutor for eight years before I entered the Central School of Music. Thanks to her, I am now studying at a branch of one of the best music school in Russia and the whole world."

In November opened the Cultural & Educational Centre on Oktyabrsky Island. The Central Music School at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory (the Baltic branch) and the 550-seat comprehensive school welcomed first students in all-new buildings. Stepan shared his experience from the new place.

"I really like to spend all my days in the new building on Oktyabrsky Island, because there is an infinite musical environment that I did not feel in the temporary building. All students work here, train with tutors from Moscow and spend their free time together. It is very interesting and incredibly beautiful here! My classmates, friends and I live in a dormitory at the branch of the Central School of Music. We are very close, we can share our emotions and experience any time. It is very comfortable. We live all as one family, we have a very friendly company."

The young musician is inspired by beautiful pleasant music. Stepan loves to listen to the works of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Mahler, Debussy, Ravel and many other composers. However, the young man does not have one particular idol.

"I have a lot of them, a life is not enough to list them all. For example, Dutch violinist Janine Jansen. I take her as an example. She feels and understands music deeply and performs expressively. It is amazing and fascinating to me." 

Stepan was involved at Sirius Educational Center. The purpose of the Center is the early identification, development and further professional support of gifted children who have shown outstanding abilities in arts, sports, natural sciences and high technical achievements.

"There is a very tough competition. To be honest, it took me two attempts to get there. I applied about three years ago and they didn’t admit me, but I didn’t give up and started to work harder. And now I am in Sirius.  All students were divided into teams. I made a lot of friends there. And there is a very motivating environment, everyone is doing what they love, everyone knows that they will be musicians. We attended 10 master classes in 24 days. At these master classes, I realized that all students have a great talent in composing music and then I saw the goal! I can become not only a violinist, but also a composer. I will compose my own music and present it to the public. It was in Sirius that I wrote my first true work and performed it."

Now, Stepan Khomenko is working hard to prepare for the upcoming concert dedicated to the opening of the branch of the Central School of Music in Kaliningrad. On 16 December, students of the Central School of Music will perform together with the Kaliningrad Symphony Orchestra in the new concert hall of the Baltic branch. This is a landmark event for Kaliningrad Region. Process equipment and materials used in the music school at the branch of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory are produced in accordance with best international practice.

When you enter the school's concert hall, you find yourself not in a class of an educational institution, but at a serious academic venue, where classical music and theatrical performances can show through the complete range of colours. This approach can be seen in everything from classrooms and concert halls with premium quality microphones, hi-end professional digital machinery and stage lighting to the best possible equipment for recording studios. Performing at the best national and international academic venues in the future, the graduates will not notice much difference as compared to their home stage.