Sopranos

Evgeniya Kashirskaya

In the choir since 2025

In 2011, Evgeniya graduated from the Gnessin College of Music with a degree in Vocal Art (the class of Natalia Popova). In 2016 she graduated from the Viktor Popov Academy of Choral Art with a degree in Vocal Art (the class of Associate Professor Tatyana Baykova).

From 2015 to 2024, she was a soloist with the Kozhevnikov State Academic Moscow Regional Choir under the direction of Nikolai Azarov. With this ensemble, she toured Europe and Japan. Since 2020, she has been working as a member of the choir and as a soloist of the Intrada vocal ensemble conducted by Ekaterina Antonenko. Since 2022, she has been performing as a member of the choir and as a soloist of the Questa Muisca conducted by Philipp Chizhevsky. From 2023 to 2024, she participated as a soloist in a Christmas tour of China with the Moldovan Broadcasting Orchestra conducted by Chief Conductor Gheorghe Mustea.

Since 2024, she has participated in the St Petersburg projects of the musicAeterna Choir under the direction of Teodor Currentzis. Since 2018, she has been a guest actress at the Teresa Durova Theatre, and since 2024, she has been a guest artist at the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre.

She has collaborated with such conductors as Vladimir Spivakov, Vladimir Yurovsky, Mikhail Pletnev, Yuri Bashmet, Peter Phillips, Vincent Dumestre, Ken David Masur, Nicola Giuliani, and others. She performs music by such contemporary composers as Alexey Sysoev, Sergey Akhunov, Andreas Moustoukis, Egor Ananko, and many more.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A SINGER?

In kindergarten, a music teacher came into our group one day and asked, "Who is singing all the time?' So the teacher pointed at me, saying 'Please take this girl, it's her!' That is how at the age of four, I started studying music. I especially liked the fact that singing allowed me to 'skip' the nap time. While the other children were napping, they brought me a sandwich with fried sausage from the dining room, put me in a car and took me to the dressmaker to try on costumes.

HOW DID YOUR COLLABORATION WITH MUSICAETERNA BEGIN?

I never dreamed of singing in a choir, but I was lucky, I entered the Academy of Choral Art at a good time — we had very interesting classes, constant tours, and internship in Russia and abroad. This became a part of my life. We have always been told that the choir will never interfere with solo performance, choral practice helps to feel and understand better those with whom you share the stage. For me, it really is like that.

Of course, I was worried when I joined such a big choir as musicAeterna. After the Academy, I worked in the Moscow Regional Choir with people from my course, we didn't have to get used to each other — we were an established ensemble. Then there were more chamber ensembles: Intrada, Questa Musica. By contrast, joining a large choir is a task that requires time, work, and attention. I think I'm on my way to that.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE ON THE WORLD MAP?

I've been to Japan four times, and I'd like to go back there. I had my longest tour there: my ensemble and I spent more than a month there, we travelled half the country along the coast, working on a cruise ship. It seemed to us, fresh graduates, that all roads were open in front of us, it was an inspiring journey. There is also a grateful audience in Japan and everything is extremely clear from the point of view of the organization, it's really nice to perform there.

WHAT ELSE FILLS YOUR LIFE BESIDES MUSIC?

Combining motherhood and an artistic career is not easy. Once, when my eldest daughter was four years old, she woke up at 7 AM, put on makeup with felt-tip pens and came up to me. I asked her, 'What is this?' 'I play-pretend an actress. When I grow up, I will become an actress, and my children will be waiting for me at home', she replied. Of course, at such moments you begin to doubt yourself. But I think there are advantages — with a singer mom, children can be creative freely. Maybe I play with them less, but I try to raise them to be interesting people who have a lot to talk about. I think that's the main thing.

WHAT DOES YOUR PERFECT DAY OFF LOOK LIKE?

My ideal day off starts with a delicious breakfast that I cook myself and serve beautifully for myself and my loved ones. This is important to me: I can't eat on the run; I really like fancy dishes, I never keep them 'until better times.' We don't have this habit in our family at all. Children wear Elsa's dresses at home, they can go to kindergarten in a snowflake crown on top of a hat. I don't think anything should be put away for later. It is necessary to live here and now: to eat delicious food from beautiful dishes, to do everything, if not like for the last time, but always with pleasure.