Second Violins

Evgeniya Granova

In the orchestra since 2025

Born in Khabarovsk, Evgeniya Granova graduated from the Secondary Special Music School-Lyceum of the St Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory (the class of Aleksandra Korobkina), and later from the St Petersburg Conservatory (the class of Professor Ilya Ioff). Currently she is doing an assistant internship programme at the Petrozavodsk Glazunov State Conservatory (the class of associate Professor Praskovya Tanikova). the Maria Yudina International Competition (I Prize), the Grand Music All-Russian Competition for Performing Musicians (I Prize), the Nota bene! International Youth Competition for Classical Solo Performance (I Prize), the Georgy Sviridov International Youth Performing Arts Competition (II Prize),

Evgeniya is the laureate of All-Russian and international competitions, including the Alexander Glazunov International Competition (I prize),

the Young Talents of Russia All-Russian Competition (I Prize), etc. She is the Russian Ministry of Culture Scholarship bursar, a recipient of the Russian Presidential Grant, and others.

She has performed both as a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles in Korea, China, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and the United Arab Emirates.

Evgeniya Granova is a co-founder and concertmaster of the Infinitum Chamber Orchestra, which performs at concert venues in St Petersburg and across Russia.

HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO BE A MUSICIAN?

I come from a family of an engineer and a programmer. According to my mother, from the first concerts I attended, I was interested in the double bass, especially the pizzicato technique, as well as the recordings of Berlioz's Harold in Italy performed by the young Yuri Bashmet. In music school, I chose the violin because I was sure that my instrument would grow with me, and one day I would play the double bass. One day I asked my teacher Lyudmila Shutova if the violin was to get bigger. Of course, she answered 'yes'. I remember being fascinated by the opportunity to play intervals and chords — playing several notes at the same time seemed like real magic to me. Over time, the violin completely captivated me, and today I can no longer imagine myself playing anything else.

WHAT MAKES MUSICAETERNA DIFFER FROM OTHER ENSEMBLES?

musicAeterna is an ensemble that is free from any stereotypes. At musicAeterna, for example, the seating arrangements for each programme are different. I might perform one concert on the second stand, the next on the seventh. Recently, the first and second violin sections have completely swapped places to play Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5. This is truly rermarkable — everyone understands the unique demands of the situation and can perform with complete freedom regardless of their position in the orchestra. There is also a unique opportunity here — to rehearse each programme not for two or three days, as in many other ensembles, but for two or three weeks. This allows all musicians to fully immerse themselves in the score. Teodor always pays close attention to the fabric of the music as a whole — knowing when to reverently accompany the French horn, when to make the sound airy, and when to infuse the music with passion and strength. Here, you can live every note of the piece, feel the freedom within the material during the performance, and embody Teodor's musical ideas.

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Every year I listen more and more to classical music, ranging from the Baroque to that of the 21st century. My favourite ensembles and performers include the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Augustine Hadelich, Nicholas Altstadt, Shunske Sato, and the Ébène Quartet. And sometimes I turn on Grappelli, Alla Pugacheva, Splin, Rammstein, Muse, AnnenMayKantereit or Måneskin. Yet I have a phobia of starting to lose my hearing, so I don't listen to music in headphones.

HOW DO YOU RELAX?

I take great pleasure in hiking, both outdoors and in the city. I always try to set a schedule so that I can get to my destination on foot. It helps to find the focus, highlight the main thing, and sing the piece I'm working on inside myself — it's at such moments that the musical form takes shape in my head.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE ON EARTH?

When travelling, I like to immerse myself in different cultures through art, to get acquainted with the local way of life. Not only to go to touristy places, but also to communicate with the residents, taste local cuisine, look at the cities early in the morning and after sunset. If we talk about where I want to go time after time, the first thing that comes to mind is the Vrubel Hall in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. And while on tour, I always dream of returning to St Petersburg — back home to my husband.