Semyon V. Shmelkov

Performer (bayan), teacher.

Semyon Vladimirovich Shmelkov was born in 1984 in the city of Kemerovo and began studying bayan at Children’s Music School No. 4 in Kemerovo with V. V. Shmelkov.

In 2002 he graduated from the Special Secondary Music School at the Novosibirsk State Conservatory named after M. I. Glinka (class of Professor A. V. Krupin), in 2008 from the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music (class of People’s Artist of Russia, Professor F. R. Lips), and in 2011 from the postgraduate programme there under the artistic supervision of F. R. Lips and the academic supervision of T. I. Naumenko, Doctor of Art History and Professor.

Since 2010 he has taught at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, where he is currently Associate Professor at the Bayan and Accordion Department.

He has received an official Letter of Gratitude from the Minister of Culture «for a major contribution to the development of culture and many years of fruitful work».

He is a laureate of international competitions, including:

• Città di Castelfidardo (Italy);
• Arrasate Hiria (Spain);
• Vogtland Accordion Days (Germany);
• Third Tianjin International Bayan and Accordion Competition (China);
• ACCOHoliday (Ukraine);
• Friedrich Lips Cup (Chelyabinsk);
• Fifth International Bayan and Accordion Competition in Moscow;
• First Petro‑Pavlovskie Assamblei International Music Competition (St Petersburg);
• Grand Prix winner of the Cup of the North VI competition (Cherepovets).

He has given solo recitals in the United States, Germany, Austria, Spain, Serbia, Montenegro, Poland, China and in many Russian cities.

He has appeared as soloist with orchestras including:

• the Russian National Symphony Orchestra under Mikhail Pletnev;
• the Seasons Chamber Orchestra under Vladislav Bulakhov;
• the Ivanovo Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra under Dmitry Shchudrov;
• the Tambov Folk Instrument Orchestra Rossiyane under Yury Khramov;
• the Melodies of Russia Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Stupino Philharmonic under Alexey Sysoyev;
• the Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Novosibirsk Conservatory named after M. I. Glinka under Yulia Milovanova;
• the Bayan Orchestra of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music under Ruslan Kaneev.

He has given first performances of works by A. Kholminov, K. Volkov, V. Kobekin, T. Sergeyeva, I. Dubkova, A. Zelensky and O. Chistokhina.

He is the author of the additional pre‑professional general education programme in musical art «Folk Instruments (Bayan)».

He has written teaching and methodological publications, including:

• Transcriptions of Chamber and Symphonic Music for Bayan (anthology);
• Forming the Young Bayanist‑Accordionist (a teaching guide for teachers at children’s music schools and secondary specialised institutions);
• Romanticism and Modernity (anthology);
• Piano and Symphonic Music in Transcription for Bayan (anthology);
• the music collection for children’s music schools On Stage: Young Bayanists and Accordionists;
• the scholarly article «…Against the Background of the Russian Landscape by Roman Ledenev: Features of Compositional Structure».

His recorded audio albums include:

• Poema (2006);
• Sempre maggiore! (2007);
• Vecherniye stradaniya (Evening Sorrows) (2008);
• L’amour!! (2012);
• Schmel (2014);
• Flight of the Bumblebee (2016);
• Mozart in the Rain (2018);
• Dialoque (2019);
• Flowers (2020);
• Strawberry Heart (2020);
• O Polichinelo (2021);
• Solar Wind (2023).

He serves on the juries of international competitions, including:

• Trophée Mondial (France);
• CIS Cup (Moscow);
• Petro‑Pavlovskie Assamblei (St Petersburg);
• Friend of the Bayan (Kurgan);
• the Siberian Cup International Bayan and Accordion Competition (Krasnoyarsk);
• the A. V. Krupin All‑Russian Competition (Novosibirsk);
• the Young Talents All‑Russian Competition (Syktyvkar);
• the B. S. Troyanovsky International Folk Instrument Performance Competition (Pskov);
• the Sibiriada International Competition (Kemerovo);
• the M. M. Verner All‑Siberian Arts Competition‑Festival (Kemerovo) and others.

He has given masterclasses:

• at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Austria);
• at the Conservatory in Klagenfurt (Austria);
• within the Erasmus+ international programme at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen (Denmark);
• at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice (Poland);
• as part of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music Summer School;
• within the Young Talents of Kuzbass Charitable Foundation programme in Kemerovo (Children’s Music School No. 4);
• within the Young Talents All‑Russian Competition in Syktyvkar (Music College);
• within the city accordion and bayan competition in Kaluga (Children’s Music School No. 4);
• within the Velvet Encounters Festival in Dzhankoy and Bakhchisaray;
• within the New Names Charitable Foundation programme in Izhevsk, Lipetsk, Perm and Suzdal;
• within the Yuri Rozum Charitable Foundation programme in Klin, Korolyov, Kolomna, Sevastopol, Simferopol, Kerch and Feodosia;
• within the Vladimir Spivakov Academy programme on Sakhalin;
• within the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music Students in Concert Festival in Kurgan (Music College);
• as part of preparation for the Governor’s Cup at Children’s Music School No. 4 named after Yu. A. Vostrelov and at the V. Ya. Shebalin Music College in Omsk;
• at the S. I. Taneyev Music College in Kaluga.

He has also run professional development courses in Moscow and the Moscow Region, St Petersburg, Voronezh, Bryansk, Lipetsk, Ivanovo, Tver, Petrozavodsk, Tomsk, Barnaul, Yakutsk and Penza.