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Vladislav Chernushenko

Vladislav Chernushenko is a unique personality in the world of music conductors' performance. His talent and enormous efficiency allow him with equal success to conduct opera and ballet presentations, symphony, chamber, vocal and instrumental, and choir concerts, as well as to deliver lectures, to run a conductor class, to organise and manage festivals and competitions, and to head the two oldest Russian professional musical institutions - the St. Petersburg Capella and the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. 

Vladislav Chernushenko was born in 1936 in Leningrad. He acquired a special musical education in the Choir College at the Leningrad Capella and in the Leningrad Conservatory, which he graduated from in 1958 having specialised at the choir-conductor faculty. In 1967 he finished the faculty of opera and symphony conducting and in 1970 his post-graduate course at the same department under the guidance of Professor I. Mussin. In 1962 he organised the Leningrad Chamber Choir, which gained European recognition with time. He was heading this amateur choir team for 17 years. In those years he often appeared as a conductor of symphony and chamber concerts, produced a number of performances in the Opera Studio of the Conservatory and for five years worked in the position of second conductor of the Leningrad State Academic Maly Opera and Ballet Theatre (now the Mussorgsky Opera Theatre).

In 1974, Vladislav Chernushenko became Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Capella of St. Petersburg. Over a short period of time he virtually revived this most celebrated Russian singer's group, which was then surviving a deep crisis in its creative activity, thus having brought it back to the range of world best choirs. It is mainly V. Chernushenko's merit in raising prohibitions and bringing back Russian spiritual music to the concert performance activity in Russia. Under the leadership of V.Chernushenko the Capella's repertoire regained its wealth and diversity: oratorios, cantatas, masses, concert productions of operas, works of composers of various epochs and styles, and for sure, of modern Russian composers. A special place in the choir's repertoire has belonged to the music of G. Sviridov.

Since 1979, V. Chernushenko has been Rector of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the oldest Russia's higher music school. 

V.Chernushenko has been the recipient of the highest and honorary national titles and prizes.

News release

Oberlin Conservatory (Oberlin, USA)