I could imagine being a sound engineer, an acoustics specialist, or some sort of IT specialist. I could also help people by becoming a family or corporate psychologist: I’m interested in studying ethics and human relationships.

I’m a musician due to my parents. It often happens that children from non-musical families come to music schools: if the parents are musicians themselves, they realize what a complex and somewhat controversial occupation that is, so they try to make their children go a different way. On the other hand, non-musical parents are enchanted by the romantic image of a musician as a member of the intellectual elite.

I loved singing as a child, and I adored anything I heard: 90s’ hits, songs from Soviet movies, bard songs that my father sang while playing the guitar. Nobody thought I’d become a musician when they brought me to music school. Like many other children, I started with playing the recorder. At music school concerts, I first got acquainted with the world of classical music, and I was particularly impressed by J.S. Bach’s works. I once asked my parents to buy me a recording of the Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor which I had heard at a concert; they bought me a CD where the piece was played by organist Lionel Rogg. I was absolutely struck by it and listened to the recording every day: Bach’s music combined with the sound of the organ was a colossal discovery for me! I still have the CD to this day. Ever since then, Bach’s music has been my model of unreachable beauty, power, originality, wit and intelligence. I soon began showing good progress in solfège, and my wonderful teacher — Olga Nikolaevna Neklyudova — drew my parents’ attention to that. She convinced my mother to take me to the teachers at the Gnessin school, which she did. And that’s how my professional journey began.

I’ve been playing the clarinet since I was 11 years old, so I can’t imagine my life without it anymore. I loved how the organ sounded, and I imagined a choir or a clarinet ensemble to be the closest to that. I didn’t fancy being in a choir; the clarinet, however, proved to be very appealing to me — besides, my father learned to play it for a while in his youth. It’s commonly believed that the choice of the musical instrument influences one’s personality. I partly agree with that but also think that the repertoire (both solo and orchestra) has an even greater effect. Intonation, phrasing — that’s the composer’s voice that we’re trying to transmit to the audience. Thus, I view every orchestra instrument as a particular character within a music piece, and the clarinet is no exception. Composers may assign vastly different parts to the clarinet: from transparent lyrical themes to impudent replies and skilful solos. I love that. The most expressive clarinet solos have been written in piano and pianissimo. That’s where the clarinet’s true calling is. Such solos can bring out all the warmth and meekness, as well as all the finest movements.

I need to be well-rested, and to me, that means sleeping till noon and getting proper meals. Before going up on stage, I prefer to keep my talking to a minimum and to ignore others’ conversations. Ideally, I try to stay in complete silence so that I can visualize my whole upcoming performance, feel the mood of the music piece, and highlight the important nuances. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn” — this phrase by John Maxwell helps me overcome anxiety. Whatever happens, it ends up as experience and food for thought.

musicAeterna is a place where living, eternal music is born. It’s a place where musicians play freely and sincerely. This place exists in Russia due to the circumstances — and also against all odds. It is the most progressive modern ensemble with a bright future. It gives world-class performances of a huge musical repertoire from various eras. For some ensembles, their history ended long ago. But musicAeterna’s history is being made right now! The orchestra is a trendsetter for modern style, taste and sound; it is the modern avant-garde. This is all due to the unified effort of Maestro (who is “like a flying demon”) and the top-notch musicians.

Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet, performed by Richard Mühlfeld.

My own music, which has yet to be written.

I’m not sure but I think our country has at least one thing that we could change collectively to make the future of Russia glorious.