Flutes

Fyodor Chernyshov

In the orchestra since 2024

Fyodor studied to play the flute from the age of six. In 2018 he graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov S. Petersburg State Conservatory (the class of Denis Lupachev, soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra). From 2018 to 2020, he studied at the State University of Music and the Perform-ing Arts Stuttgart (Germany, the class of Professor Davide Formisano). Since 2022, he has been studying at the graduate school of the Mozarteum Higher Academy of Music (Salzburg, Austria) in the class of Professor Paolo Taballione, the soloist of the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.

He took part in master classes of such musicians as Felix Renggli, Andrea Lieberknecht, Barthold Kuijken, Denis Buryakov, Emmanuel Pahud, Patrick Gallois, Paolo Taballione, and Egor Egorkin.

He is a participant and laureate of international competitions, including the 7th and 8th Crescendo International Competition (St. Petersburg, 2013 — the first prize; St. Petersburg and New York, 2014 — the second prize), the 4th Theobald Böhm International Competition (Munich, 2019 — a finalist), and the 4th All-Russian Symphony Orchestra Artists Competition (Moscow, 2021 — the second prize). Fyodor Chernyshov is a scholar-ship holder of the New Names International Charitable Foundation (2006), and the winner of the Russian President’s Award for the Support of Talented Youth (2011). Since 2014, he has been a par-ticipant in the programmes of the St Petersburg House of Music.

From 2021 to 2024 he worked as a soloist of the Mikhailovsky Theatre Orchestra. Since 2024 he has been a member of the musicAeterna orchestra.

WHEN DID YOU REALISE YOU WERE GOING TO BE A MUSICIAN?

One of my earliest memories is that my sister is learning Prokofiev's Sonata No. 3. As soon as she leaves, I stand at the instrument and play what I've heard by ear, and all the right notes. My parents, who are professional musicians, realized that I had absolute hearing and decided that I needed to study music too. I still think that absolute hearing is my gift and curse. On the one hand, it helps me in my work, and on the other hand, it affects the perception of any noise, for example, a car with a siren. I won't be able to calm down until I understand what notes I heard in this siren.

IF YOU DIDN'T BECOME A MUSICIAN, WHO WOULD YOU BECOME?

I can't imagine myself outside the profession of a musician. However, in my youth I had thoughts of foraying into another field. I even thought of becoming a basketball player! Or, for example, to engage in music criticism. I have an analytical mindset. This is also evident in the way I prepare for concerts. After practice, I sit down with a notebook and write down which phrases need to be perfected. It helps me later when I go on stage.

WHAT DISTINGUISHES MUSICAETERNA FROM OTHER ORCHESTRAS?

When I first heard musicAeterna perform, I was struck by how powerful an orchestra can sound. Teodor finds details in the scores that no one ever paid attention to before, and turns the findings into ideas so convincingly that you follow his thoughts without any resistance — they are internally logical. I like the symphonic repertoire, I have many more yet unplayed symphonies of Beethoven, Shostakovich and Prokofiev ahead of me. And if to dream of my favourite musical genre, opera, I would love to play Puccini. But actually, with Teodor, I'm ready to do anything.

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO AT HOME?

I learned English from the songs of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Queen. Now I listen mainly to jazz: I'm a fan of Bill Evans and his trio. When I have the opportunity, I go to jazz clubs: I really love the drive that musicians sometimes catch. At home I have a vinyl record player and a small selection of my favourite artists. Making time, brewing tea, playing your favourite record, listening to the hiss of the pickup before the start of the soundtrack is a whole ritual that is usually difficult to find time for, and therefore it is especially valuable.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO PERFORM?

I dream of making a concert programme of two sections. The first would feature German and Italian Baroque, and the second would consist in a jazz suite for flute, piano, double bass and percussion. I see a connection between these directions, and I would like to talk about it at the concert. I think I'll carry out my plan one day, it's interesting. In the meantime, I improvise for myself: I paraphrase jazz standards or turn popular classical music themes into jazz, for example, from the Swan Lake.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?

Now a day off for me is a day when I need to do everything in time: get enough sleep, do things that I didn't have enough time for on weekdays, clean up, practice the flute, do sports (badminton, squash or running), meet friends and, finally, watch a new or an old movie. My favourites are Talk to Her, Volver, and Julieta by Pedro Almodovar, I experience catharsis every time I watch them. Woody Allen's comedies stand next in my personal rating. They say he's the same in every film, but not at all for me. He is recognizable as Beethoven, but if Beethoven's style exists, it does not mean that Beethoven is the same in all his works. I also really love Tarantino's and Lynch's movies. It is difficult to single out one film, but their cinematographic language impresses with its originality.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM?

Sometimes I imagine that I go on vacation to Italy, rent a car there and drive around the country. To make this picture a reality, I am taking driving lessons. Driving is a cool skill. Now I'm a little scared, as it should be, but I already see myself driving on a future road trip.