MOL: Tell us about Virtu Foundation.
The Virtu Foundation is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is a
501 (c) (3) corporation. The purpose of the Foundation is to give children (and others)
access to music by providing violins, violas and cellos to musicians who otherwise could
not afford an appropriate instrument. The Foundation's Mentor program provides instruments
to very young children, usually in poor communities. The Foundation's Scholarship program,
provides performance-quality instruments to very advanced musicians.
MOL: What kind of Cello did you receive?
I received a contemporary American cello made by David Caron of
Taos, New Mexico.
MOL: How many years are you allow to use this cello?
Instruments such as mine are placed on two-year Scholarships, which
may be renewed for any length of time.
MOL: Who are the sponsors of this foundation?
The Foundation was founded by Curtis F. and Julie Peterson. It is
now publicly supported.
MOL: Tell us about your musical background.
I come from the family of musicians. My grandfather, who passed away
before I was born, was an opera singer. He was a beautiful dramatic tenor. So he and his
wife, my grandmother who was a soprano, made a beautiful duo together. In fact we were
able to restore one of their records. Unfortunately all the old records with their
performances we had fell apart one day. It must have happened because they had not been
kept in appropriate condition.
My aunt, Margarita Miroshnikova, was a great mezzo-soprano. She
worked with such musicians as Dmitri Shostakovich, Boris Tchaikovsky, Eugeny Mravinsky,
Mstislav Rostropovich, Leonid Kogan, Rudolf Barshai and others. She sang many premiers,
made a lot of recordings and toured all over the world. It would be easier to list the
countries where she never went to then where she was. Her husband is a cello teacher and
was one of my first teachers. He teaches at one of the music schools in Moscow.
One of my musical
icons or ideals has been my uncle, violinist Andrei Korsakov. His career as soloist took
off during his student years in the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. During those years he
was awarded prizes at the most prestigious international competitions such as The Nicolo
Paganini Competition in Genoa, The Montreal Competition in Canada, The Jacques Thilbaud
Competition in Paris. He later went on to win prizes at The Tchaikovsky Competition in
Moscow and The Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels. His outstanding performing
reputation during the years that followed resulted in collaboration with numerous renowned
conductors and orchestras throughout the world. In addition to teaching at the Tchaikovsky
Moscow Conservatory, he was the artistic director and leading violinist of the chamber
ensemble "Concertino". During the last years of his life he took over the
Russian State Chamber Orchestra and remained the artistic director until his last day in
life.
My another aunt, Iolanta Miroshnikova-Caprarica is a pianist with an
interesting career too. She rose during her student years winning several national and
international competitions. She has performed and made recordings as a soloist, chamber
musician and a musical partner with Andrei Korsakov in many countries. She now plays
regularly with her daughter, violinist Natasha Korsakova, who happened to be my cousin. Oh
wow! I feel like I’m having a family reunion and I have just described less than a
half of my family.
OK, Natasha
Korsakova. She is an amazing violinist of young generation. But for her ages she has
performed as a violin soloist with many chamber and symphony orchestras, on different big
concert stages and collaborated with many famous musicians such as Mstislav Rostropovich,
Salvatore Accardo, Eugeny Svetlanov, Vladimir Fedoseev and others. She now lives in
Amsterdam and you can check her out at www.natashakorsakova.com. I just remembered that
her another grandmother is a pianist and teaches at Special Music School at Tchaikovsky
Moscow Conservatory in Moscow. Her another grandfather, Boris Korsakov, was a
concertmaster of USSR Radio and Television Large Symphony Orchestra for many years.
Now it’s time to talk a few words about my parents, even though
they deserved much more than that. They are both pianists. They studied in Tchaikovsky
Moscow Conservatory and have followed variety of musical streams in their careers. My
father, Alexei Miroshnikov, is a Doctor of Music and the leading Professor at the National
Conservatory in Athens, Greece. While in Russia he had piano studios in three
conservatories and had students in many cities of the former USSR. For many years he
collaborated with leading Russian baroque gambist Dobrokhotov and had his Baroque
Ensemble, which resulted in many recordings and concerts.
My
mother, Natalia Miroshnikova, also has her piano studio in Athens. Having performed many
solo recitals and symphony concerts, she remains my favorite musical partner and I try to
use every possibility to go on a concert stage with her. She has accompanied and played
sonatas and other chamber music with many instrumentalists and vocalists. She is a very
sensitive musician and one will never feel shaky on the concert stage with her. She has
won many awards and diplomas as "a best accompanist" supporting musicians on
competitions. Several years ago my parents organized a piano duo successfully performing
in several European countries and released 2CDs.
So, as you see I was doomed to be an astronaut.
When I was five or may be a little beat before that, my parents
started thinking what musical instrument I should play on. There was no way I could start
playing piano, cause there was only one piano and two pianists. The third one would be
just too much. My hands were too big for a violin and after I was introduced to Leonid
Kogan he suggested that I start cello. My parents were thinking about this too, so at the
age of five I started playing cello.
After the school years I got accepted to the Music College at the
Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. At the end of my first year in the college I was awarded
with the 2nd prize at the XIV Young Artist International Competition in
Hungary. After that I went to Germany and gave recitals and played in a few chamber
concerts as a part of a summer festival. During my college years, I also went to Austria
and France where I performed Saint-Saens Concerto and played in a chamber group and
orchestra.
In 1992 I was accepted to the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory and
had 5 years of hard work, variety of concert opportunities and a lot of fun too.
After graduating from the conservatory in 1997, I received a full
scholarship in Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. While studying there, I
played concerts with symphony orchestras in the US, gave many recitals and won the Virtu
Foundation Instrument Scholarship in 2000, "TECHNI" Cello Competition in
Thessaloniki, Greece in 1999, Schadt String Competition in Allentown, PA in 1998 and
Oberlin Concerto Competition in 1998. I finished my Artist Diploma in 1999 but stayed for
another year before I moved to New York City.
About teacher(s) Who are your teachers? And when you recall some of
your teachers what are the first and best qualities you remember? How did your teacher
influence you as a musician? How did your friend, parents, etc. influence you as a
musician?
Everyone whom I have studied, I consider my teacher. Starting from
my father who has been influential all these years. My uncle Andrei Korsakov and Leonid
Kogan made a big impact on my playing. My teacher during the first year in college (she
was invited to Mexico City and left the college after my first year) Gayane Mndoian gave
me a lot during that year, definitely Prof. Andor Toth in Oberlin, who taught me many
different perspectives of playing and added more to my Russian School of thought.
Furthermore, I strongly consider attending the concerts and listening CDs and have all
contributed to my learning experience. But I would say that my main teacher was Prof.
Natalia Shakhovskaya. I studied with her from my second year in college and through the
conservatory. She is the best in Russia and I’m very fortunate that I got in her
studio. She gave me a lot of information, taught me how to listen to myself and other
instruments whether it’s orchestra or a piano. She taught me how to practice, what to
look for and what to strive for, and what kind of attitude one needs to achieve their
goal(s).
About practicing strategy Do you have a practicing method you follow
everyday? How much do you practice daily before a performance?
When I have a concert coming up I practice a little more, but my
practice hours are generally the same. I try to start as early in the morning as I can and
practice as much as I can. If I can practice till midnight – fine, but it’s too
much, I think. Usually it ends around 6 or 7 p.m.
How much or often do you practice basic (tone production, breathing,
etc.)? If so, what kind of basic do you practice?
In my strong opinion, music is not only about hitting the right
notes. It involves much more: feelings breathing, tone production, intonation, phrasing,
different colors, rhythm, freedom, feeling your musical partner(s), understanding what you
are playing about and more. This is what I try to work on.
Mr.
Miroshnikov’s recent accomplishments include receiving a cello from the Virtu
Foundation as a Scholarship Award 2000, being awarded first prize at the 1999
"TECHNI" Cello Competition in Thessaloniki, Greece, and winning the 1998-1999
Oberlin Conservatory Concerto Competition. He was also awarded an honorary bow made
especially for him by the German bow-maker Rudolf Neudörfer, who personally presented it
to him after a concert in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory. Christophor is a part of the 4th generation in a family of
professional musicians. After finishing his Artist Diploma under the leadership of Prof.
Andor Toth at Oberlin Conservatory he moved to New York City where he currently resides.
