Victoria Vaksman

Ever since my first steps, I have been lucky with my wonderful teachers. They made me realize that there was a radical difference between me within the music world and me beyond it. And I did want to be a part of that world.

My mother is always the first person that comes to my mind when I am asked such questions. And I do not just say it out of gratitude or mere politeness. My mother shaped the tiniest particles of my tastes and my personality. I spent my whole childhood listening to her stories of great artists, singers and conductors (and at the time of her youth, pretty much all of those were indeed great). At the times she left me alone, I entertained myself looking through countless art catalogues. I remember sitting on the floor at 6 years of age and skimming through Bryullov’s catalogue. I found Bryullov’s art scary at times; Picasso’s, on the other hand, seemed absolutely unintelligible but extremely captivating.

Presently, working with Teodor Currentzis is definitely the brightest part of my life. I first met him 7 or 8 years ago and instantly realized what a unique and otherworldly phenomenon he was. Yet as much as I admired his creative output, I could not even imagine that the audience only got to see the tip of the iceberg that his actual work comprised. You can only realize its true scale once you become directly involved in it. All his projects are a chance for each of us to discover something we have yet to acknowledge about ourselves. This happens every single time — can you believe that? While speaking to the whole troupe, he manages to communicate with each member on a personal level. This is my impression, at least: I am but a drop in the ocean, yet Maestro is speaking to me. And we cannot imagine it any other way. We grow due to this dialogue in which both parties trust each other unconditionally. This is amazing!

I find talented people incredibly inspiring. Their popularity and scale do not matter: both a well-known public figure and a “no-name” street artist can be hugely talented. To quote Anna Demidova’s recent interview, “talent nourishes talent”. I think this is spot on: I am surrounded by so many outstandingly gifted people that inspiration comes to me seamlessly. Those people energize me and jump-start my creativity. I become interested in what they find inspiring. To my mind, there is nothing wrong with following in the footsteps of geniuses!

I believe dreams are not really meant to be to be discussed in much detail. All I can say that aside from music school, I also went to folk dance school as a child. Both schools had teachers that were truly faithful to their calling. Ever since then, my second greatest passion in life has been dancing, motion, plastic movement… I should probably stop here. My dream is to bring all my skills and my intuition into a state of perfect synergy. I also hope everything that makes up my whole life right now — the time, the people, the music, the friends — lasts as long as possible!

It is my oxygen! It is a place where inspiration is born. It is a place where people have a blast working, exploring, and dedicating themselves to their ideas. If there is music, there is God. And where God is, there is Love!