Marina O. Balyanskaya

She was born in Moscow.

In 1990 she graduated with distinction from the M. M. Ippolitov‑Ivanov Music College (class of O. S. Karaseva), and in 1995, also with distinction, from the Gnesin State Musical‑Pedagogical Institute in the class of Sergei D. Gusev, People’s Artist of Russia and Professor.

In 1995 she joined the A. A. Yurlov State Academic Russian Choir as a chorus master, and since 2006 has served as the choir’s Principal Chorus Master.

From 2020 to 2024 she was Principal Chorus Master of the A. V. Sveshnikov State Academic Russian Choir.

From 2010 to 2024 she taught in the Choral Conducting Department of the Moscow State Institute of Culture and Arts.

Since 2016 she has held the post of Associate Professor in the Choral Conducting Department of the A. G. Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music.

In 2024 she was appointed Associate Professor at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

With the A. A. Yurlov Russian State Academic Choir she has prepared for concert performance a number of large‑scale cantata‑oratorio works, including:

• B. Britten, «War Requiem»;
• J. Haydn, «Die Schöpfung» («The Creation»);
• Giya Kancheli, «Styx» and «Dixi»;
• D. Shostakovich, Symphony No. 13 «Babi Yar» and «The Execution of Stepan Razin»;
• L. Bernstein, Symphony No. 3 «Kaddish»;
• L. Beethoven, «Missa solemnis»;
• J. S. Bach, «St John Passion»;
• I. Stravinsky, «Zvezdoliki» («The Star‑Faced One») and the opera «The Nightingale»;
• J. Adams, oratorio «El Niño»;
• V. Artemov, «Christmas Hymns»;
• G. Gershwin, «Porgy and Bess»;
• C. Debussy, mystery play «Le Martyr de saint Sébastien»;
• A. Lloyd Webber, Requiem;
• G. Ligeti, Requiem;
• K. Jenkins, «The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace» and Requiem;
• A. Schoenberg, oratorio «Gurre‑Lieder»;
• M. Ravel, «Daphnis et Chloé» (suite).

Over her years with the Choir she has prepared dozens of programmes featuring masterpieces of film music, songs from the Soviet era, and popular songs from around the world.

As a conductor she has appeared at the Christmas Festival on Tenerife (Spain, 2005), at a Defender of the Fatherland Day concert in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory (2008), at Valery Gergiev’s Moscow Easter Festival (2013), in the State Kremlin Palace (2015), in Dubna (2013, 2015), Klin (2014), Perm and Vladimir (2016), in Brazil (2017), and in the Lutheran Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Moscow (2020).

She has taken part in numerous international and national festivals, including the Yuri Bashmet Winter Festival, the Moscow Easter Festival, the Russian National Orchestra Festival, the Mstislav Rostropovich International Festival, and Denis Matsuev’s «Stars on Baikal» Festival.

On tour she has performed in more than fifty Russian cities, from Magadan to Kaliningrad, across the Volga region, Siberia, the Urals, and the cities of the Golden Ring, as well as abroad in France, Spain, Greece, the United Kingdom, Norway, Brazil, Armenia, Poland, North Korea, and the Baltic states.

In spring 2014, together with the A. A. Yurlov Choir, she played an active role in the preparation and realisation of the opening and closing ceremonies of the XXII Winter Olympic Games and XI Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi.

Marina Balyanskaya is a member of the organising committees of the A. A. Yurlov Choir’s festivals «Holy Love», «Kremlins and Churches of Russia», «Glory to You, My Russia!» (marking the 800th anniversary of Alexander Nevsky), and the joint Music Festival of the Yurlov Choir and the A. V. Sveshnikov State Russian Choir.

During her years with the Choir she has collaborated with many leading Russian conductors, including Evgeny Svetlanov, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yuri Bashmet, Valery Gergiev, Dmitri Jurowski, Vladimir Jurowski, Sergei Skripka, Alexander Sladkovsky, Fyodor Chizhovsky, Fyodor Lednev, Teodor Currentzis, Alexander Rudin, and Alexander Rubin.

With her direct involvement a wide range of CDs has been recorded, including:

• S. Rachmaninov, «All‑Night Vigil»;
• A. Schnittke, «Requiem» from the music to Schiller’s drama «Don Carlos», for soloists, mixed choir, and instrumental ensemble («From the Golden Fund of the A. A. Yurlov State Academic Choir of Russia»);
• I. Stravinsky, «Les Noces» and «Podblyudniye», four Russian peasant songs for women’s choir and four horns;
• G. Sviridov, «Kursk Songs» and the cantata «Three Old Songs of the Kursk Province» for two mezzo‑sopranos, mixed choir, and percussion ensemble;
• «The Soul Yearns for Heaven», masterpieces of Russian music for male choir;
• «With Love for Russia», folk songs and choral works by Russian composers;
• «Let My Prayer Arise», four centuries of Russian choral music;
• Anthology of the Choral Music of Georgy Sviridov (the complete a cappella choral works on seven CDs);
• two volumes of the Anthology of the Choral Music of Rodion Shchedrin;
• S. Rachmaninov, «All‑Night Vigil» performed jointly by the A. A. Yurlov Choir and the A. V. Sveshnikov State Russian Choir.

She has served on the juries of numerous national and international choral competitions, including:

• the 16th Moscow International Children’s and Youth Music Festival «Zvuchit Moskva» («Moscow Sounds», 2018, 2021);
• the 7th International Festival of Slavic Art «Russian Field»;
• the 20th, 21st, and 22nd Moscow Children’s and Youth Choral Festival‑Competition for the Best Performance of Sacred Music «Christmas Song»;
• the All‑Russian Choral Festival (regional and district stages);
• the International Competition «Christmas Inside»;
• the online competition «Victory for All Time»;
• the All‑Russian Festival of School Choirs «Children of Russia Sing» (2021);
• the «Children of Moscow Sing» competition (2022).

She has also served on the juries of the 3rd All‑Russian Choral Conductors’ Competition named after S. V. Popov (2022) and the 1st and 2nd A. G. Schnittke Choral Conductors’ Competitions (2021, 2023).

She has collaborated with the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation. In 2016, at the Foundation’s invitation, she led choral masterclasses on Sakhalin as part of the «Children for Children» Academy, for which her work was recognised with a Letter of Appreciation from Vladimir Spivakov. She also conducted the combined children’s and youth choir at the closing of the 14th «Moscow Greets Friends» International Festival.

She regularly gives open rehearsals for students at the concert base of the A. A. Yurlov Choir.

In 2020 she received a Letter of Appreciation from the President of the Russian Federation for her participation in events celebrating Russia Day.

Her artistic work has been recognised with the ministerial award «Honorary Certificate of the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation» No. 82‑VN of 7 February 2011. For her significant contribution to culture and many years of dedicated service she received a Letter of Appreciation from the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation by order of 26 August 2024.

By Presidential Decree of 26 August 2016 she was awarded the honorary title «Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation».