Tenore

Konstantin Pogrebovsky

In the choir since 2015

Biography
Interview

Konstantin Pogrebovsky was born in the Udmurt Republic. In 2005, he
graduated from the choir and conducting department at the Republican music college in Izhevsk (E. Shishkina’s class). He was later accepted to the conducting faculty at the Popov Choral Arts Academy (prof. V. Safonova’s class). Together with the academy choir, he went on tours to Switzerland, Japan and Germany.

In 2011–2012, Konstantin Pogrebovsky was a member of the Sverdlovsk
Philharmonic Symphony choir.

Since 2012, Konstantin Pogrebovsky has been a member of the musicAeterna choir. His repertoire includes the following parts: Misail (“Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky), Triquet (“Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky), Lopez, the Second Monk (“Betrothal in a Monastery” by Prokofiev), Minstrel (“Maid of Orleans” by Tchaikovsky), Le Doyen (“Cendrillon” by Massenet), Chancellor, April, May, the First Herald (“Twelve Months” by Banevich), Master of Ceremonies (“Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky).

CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING ANYTHING ELSE BUT A MUSICIAN?

I’ve actually worked a whole bunch of jobs before: a courier, a mover… I even handed out flyers for a while.

WHAT MADE YOU BECOME A MUSICIAN THEN?

I’ve been surrounded by music since childhood. My mother is a solfège and piano teacher at an arts school. She brought me to music school, and I haven’t considered doing anything else for a living ever since. Of course, there are some other things I’d like to try my hand at, such as music management or logistics. The world has a lot of interesting stuff — but for now, I choose to focus on my creative work and try to achieve whatever I can in that area.

WHAT THREE RECORDINGS ARE YOUR “DESERT ISLAND” ONES?

When stranded on a desert island, you either build something new, or you go back mentally to something that makes you feel warm inside. So I’d probably choose the recordings of pieces I’ve played before: “Aida”, “Jeanne aû bucher”, and Mahler’s “Symphony No.8”. Those are always nice to reminisce about.

DOES LISTENING TO A MUSIC PIECE FEEL DIFFERENT TO PLAYING IT?

Yes, the feeling is distinctly different. But even as a listener, I perceive the music from an artistic standpoint: I feel for the performers, try to help them mentally, imagine the ways I would play the piece myself. I can’t just go and listen to music.

WHAT DOES MUSICAETERNA MEAN TO YOU?

First and foremost, it is an opportunity to work at the highest professional level. It’s a chance for me to push beyond my own limits, learn something new, and bring my skills to perfection.