Viktor Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov was a Nizhny Novgorod musician, domra player, conductor, and educator — the founder of the Nizhny Novgorod domra school, the founder and long-serving director of the Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra, and a People's Artist of Russia. Viktor Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov was born on 13 June 1937 in Stalingrad; after evacuation, the family relocated to Lipetsk in 1947.[1] His date of birth is not given in available sources; the orchestra was founded by Kuznetsov and legally registered as the limited liability company "Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra" on 28 May 1993.[2] Kuznetsov passed away before October 2021, when a memorial festival was held in his honor. He died on 14 December 2020 in Nizhny Novgorod. Kuznetsov's musical gifts first emerged in an amateur folk-instrument orchestra at a tractor-plant club, where he began playing the small domra; in 1954 he enrolled at the Voronezh Music College, and in 1958 at the Gnesin State Musical Pedagogical Institute, which he graduated from in 1965 with specializations in domra (under Professors A. Ya. Aleksandrov and V. S. Chunin) and conducting (under Professors S. S. Sakharov and S. Z. Trubachyov), completing his conducting assistantship-internship at the same institute in 1969. In 1957, Kuznetsov took part in the cultural program of the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow as a domra soloist, performing Budashkin's Concerto for Domra with the Lipetsk Orchestra at a qualifying audition chaired by P. I. Necheporenko. From 1965 to 1974, Kuznetsov taught at the Vladimir Music College, and from 1974, at the invitation of Rector A. A. Nesterov, he joined Glinka Conservatory, where he later became a professor. Kuznetsov was awarded the title Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation (1992), the title People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2007), the Nizhny Novgorod Prize (2000 and 2012), and the title "Honorary Citizen of Nizhny Novgorod" (2018).[1][1][1][1][1][1]

The Nizhny Novgorod Domra School and Orchestra

Kuznetsov created a unique domra performance school and founded the Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra, which was subsequently named after him. All the orchestra's musicians were his students to one degree or another; in the words of chief conductor Boris Skhirtladze, Kuznetsov "taught not only music, but life itself."[1] Among the school's alumni is Nizhny Novgorod domra player Kristina Fish, who became one of the driving forces behind the memorial festival.[1] He served as general director and sole founder of the limited liability company "Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra" (TIN 5260027518) from the time of its state re-registration in 2002; the legal entity was struck from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on 9 December 2021.[2]

The Festival "Legacy. Dedication to the Maestro"

In October–December 2021, the Nizhny Novgorod Region hosted the festival "Legacy. Dedication to the Maestro," organized in memory of Kuznetsov. The opening took place on 13 October 2021 at the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory named after M. I. Glinka; the festival ran until 14 December.[1] Concerts by the Nizhny Novgorod Russian Folk Orchestra named after V. A. Kuznetsov were held in five cities of the region: Nizhny Novgorod, Dzerzhinsk, Pavlovo, and Kstovo.[1] The festival also included concerts by the orchestra of Children's Arts School No. 9 named after A. D. Ulybyshev and a solo performance by Kristina Fish with a string quintet, as well as masterclasses featuring musicians from Moscow and Krasnodar — Yefrem Podgaits, Anatoly Vinokur, Andrey Gorbachyov, Aleksandr Tsygankov, and others.[1] The festival concept was conceived by singer Maya Balashova; its artistic director was Elena Lupina, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1]

Sources

  1. wikiprofile.ru — Kuznetsov, Viktor Aleksandrovich (domra player) — Viktor Aleksandrovich Kuznetsov was born on 13 June 1937 in Stalingrad; after evacuation, the family relocated to Lipetsk in 1947. He passed away…
  2. checko.ru — LLC "NIZHNY NOVGOROD RUSSIAN FOLK ORCHESTRA" — Nizhny Novgorod — TIN 5260027518 — General Director Kuznetsov V. A.
  3. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Musical festival "Legacy. Dedication to the Maestro" to open in Nizhny Novgorod Region on 13 October — Zhivyom v Nizhnem (archive)