Viatcheslav Semionov Accordion Master Class at the Liszt Academy

19 February 2020

We hereby inform our students and the audience, that Viatcheslav Semionov’s master class is cancelled.

Dates and venue:

  • Saturday 9 May 2020, 9.00–12.00, Main Building (Liszt Ferenc square 8), Room XXIII
  • Saturday 9 May 2020, 13.30–18.00, Main Building, Auditorium (Room I)
  • Sunday 10 May 2020, 9.00–18.00, Main Building, Auditorium (Room I)
  • Monday 11 May 2020, 9.00–18.00, Main Building, Auditorium (Room I)

 

Application and participation:

Active participants:

  • Active participants shall be talented accordionist students on elementary, secondary (high school) and higher education (university) level.
  • Apply by filling in the application form and send it to Prof. Mihály Demeniv at mihaly.demeniv[at]gmail.com.

Passive participants:

  • Entry is free of charge, subject to room capacity. Registration is necessary by sending an email to Prof. Mihály Demeniv at mihaly.demeniv[at]gmail.com.
  • Certificates of attendance are not issued.

 

Viatcheslav Semionov was born in 1946. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he began playing the bayan (chromatic accordion) at the age of 7. After his father's initial tuition he continued his studies at the Rostov Art College and the Gnessins' Musical Pedagogical Institute in Moscow (now called the Russian Gnessins Academy of Music), one of the great musical centres in Russia. At 21 years of age his international career began, when he started to take part in accordion competitions in Klingenthal, Germany (1967), Sofia, Bulgaria (1968) and Berlin, Germany (1973), in all of which he was placed Laureate of these competitions. As concert artist Viatcheslav Semionov has given concerts in more than 30 countries.

Viatcheslav Semionov (who may rightly be called, one of the founders of the modern school of the bayan) began teaching in 1968 at the Rostov Musical Pedagogical Institute. In 1988, Semionov was invited to be a Professor of Gnessins Russian Academy of Music. Over 100 of his students have been competition winners at international level and many others of his students have won national competitions.

In addition to his intensive teaching schedule, he pursued his career on the concert stage, for which he received the following accolades:

  • 1977 Awarded the title "Honoured Artist of Russia"
  • 1982 Vice-President of the Music Committee of the
  • Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes
  • 1988 Professor at the Gnessins Russian Academy of Music, Moscow.
  • 1995 Awarded the highest possible honour "People's Artist of Russia" by President Boris Yeltsin
  • 2004 Awarded the Merit Award of the Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes
  • 2005 Order of Friendship presented by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin
  • 2011 Rolland Original Composition Award
  • 2014 Vice-president of the Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes

As well as often being invited to give master classes at conservatories in Russia and abroad, he is frequently asked to judge at international competitions. Since 1991 he has been playing duo with his wife Natalya Semionov who plays the domra (a traditional Russian folk instrument). They have given concerts in the USA, China, and extensively throughout Europe. Viatcheslav is well known as a composer for the bayan. His compositions, as First Sonata, BasqueriadSecond Sonata, Reminiscense of the future–Third Sonata and others, are considered standard repertoire by many accordionists in the world and his works are compulsory pieces for many international accordion competitions.