Ruslan G. Kaneev

In 2011 he graduated from the A. A. Arkhangelsky Penza Music College with a major in bayan (class of Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation S. R. Lyalin) and conducting (class of Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation O. A. Lyalina). He completed the Bachelor’s degree (2015), Master’s degree (2017), and assistant‑traineeship (2020) at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music in Orchestral Folk Instrument Conducting in the class of Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, Head of the Orchestral Conducting Department, Professor B. S. Voron. In 2023 he completed the Specialist degree at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music in Artistic Direction of Opera and Symphony Orchestra in the class of Associate Professor A. S. Rein.

Since 2016 he has been Artistic Director and Conductor of the Gnesin College bayan and accordion orchestra «Gnesin‑Garmonica», and Conductor of the chamber, wind, and folk orchestras of the M. M. Ippolitov‑Ivanov Children’s Music School.

Since 2018 he has taught at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music.

From 2020 to 2024 he served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music Concert Russian Orchestra «Akademiya».

Since 2021 he has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Gnesin Academy bayan and accordion orchestra.

Artistic achievements:

Laureate of all‑Russian and international competitions:

• Grand Prix at the 3rd All‑Russian Competition for Orchestral Conductors named after Veronika Dudarova (Moscow, 2015);
• First Prize at the 1st All‑Russian Competition‑Festival for Performers on Folk Instruments «Yury Vostrelov Cup» (Gnesin Academy bayan and accordion orchestra, Omsk, 2023);
• First Prize at the 5th International Competition for Performers on Bayan, Accordion, and Garmon (Gnesin College bayan and accordion orchestra, Tambov, 2023);
• First Prize at the International Folk Instrument Competition «Les étoiles Sancybérie» (Gnesin College bayan and accordion orchestra, Mont‑Dore, France, 2021);
• First Prize at the 12th All‑Russian Competition of Folk Instrument Ensembles and Orchestras «Narodnye melodii» (“Folk Melodies”) (Gnesin College bayan and accordion orchestra, Kazan, 2019);
• First Prize in Conducting at the 6th International Competition «Prikamye — 2018» (Perm, 2018);
• First Prize at the 2nd All‑Russian Festival of Contemporary Music «Lilovy drozd» (“Lilac Thrush”) (Moscow, 2018);
• First Prize at the 5th All‑Russian Orchestration Competition for Russian Orchestra (Moscow, 2017);
• First Prize in Conducting at the 4th International Competition «Prikamye — 2014» (Perm, 2014);
• First Prize at the 2nd All‑Russian Competition for Orchestral Conductors named after Veronika Dudarova (Moscow, 2012);
• Second Prize in Conducting at the 4th International Competition named after Salikh Saidashev (Kazan, 2016);
• Second Prize at the 4th All‑Russian Orchestration Competition for Russian Orchestra (Moscow, 2016);
• Second Prize at the 2nd All‑Russian Orchestration Competition for Russian Orchestra (Moscow, 2013);
• Second Prize at the 8th Southern Russian Competition for Young Conductors of Russian Folk Instrument Orchestras (Rostov‑on‑Don, 2017);
• Diploma winner at the 3rd All‑Russian Competition for Young Symphony Orchestra Conductors named after Ilya Musin (Kostroma, 2013).

He has repeatedly become a laureate of all‑Russian competitions as a member of a piano duo:

• 7th All‑Russian Festival‑Competition of Educational Projects «Music and Word» (Moscow, 2014);
• 2nd Open All‑Russian Piano Competition for Students of Various Specialities (Saratov, 2014);
• competition‑festival within the international project «Kolibel Rossii» (“Cradle of Russia”, Moscow, 2014) and the 7th International Open Competition «Kulturnaya stolitsa» (“Cultural Capital”, St Petersburg, 2015).

As a conductor he has appeared many times with the Gnesin Academy Concert Russian Orchestra «Akademiya», the Gnesin College and Academy bayan and accordion orchestras, the Stupino Philharmonic Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra «Melodii Rossii» (“Melodies of Russia”), the Belgorod Academic Russian Orchestra, the N. P. Budashkin Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Moscow State Institute of Culture, the A. A. Arkhangelsky Penza Music College Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra, the Gnesin Academy Chamber Orchestra, the A. G. Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the Gnesin Academy Opera Studio Symphony Orchestra, a Chinese symphony orchestra, and others.

He has attended masterclasses with People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, Professor of the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory V. A. Ponkin, and Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, Professor of the A. G. Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music I. Yu. Gromov. In July 2019 he took part as an auditor in the 5th All‑Russian Mastercourse for Young Conductors led by Professor Yuri Simonov.

In May 2018 the A. G. Schnittke Moscow State Institute of Music invited him to work on Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 and to conduct the symphony orchestra at the gala concert of the international festival «At the Crossroads of Past and Future».

He has participated in all‑Russian and international festivals such as «Music of Russia», «Bayan and Bayanists», «Strings of Young Russia», «All‑Russian Parade of Conductors», and others.

He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Moscow (all‑Russian) Festival‑Competition of Folk Instrument Art for Children and Young People «Detskaya akademiya» (“Children’s Academy”).

Publications:

• for the 70th anniversary of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music and the 140th anniversary of Elena F. Gnesina’s birth, a joint collection with Maria Kalamagina «Music and Word. Arrangements for Two Pianos» was published;
• in 2019, together with Maya Mikhaylova, he published the book «Returning to the Sources... The Music of Kirill Volkov for Folk Instruments and Russian Folk Orchestra»;
• in 2020, to mark the 125th anniversary of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, a «Collection of Articles» by teachers of the Orchestral Conducting Department was issued, including R. G. Kaneev’s article «The Creative Profile of Composer G. Chernov: National Originality in Symphonic Works for Russian Folk Orchestra»;
• he is currently working on a Candidate of Art History dissertation, «Orchestral Technique and Timbral Dramaturgy in Works for Russian Folk Orchestra: New Trends».