Olesya Rostovskaya

Olesya Rostovskaya (Олеся Ростовская; born 6 January 1975) is a Russian composer, theremin player, carillonneur, organist, and zvonist.

Biography
Olesya Rostovskaya studied piano at Anna Artobolevskaya class in Central Music School of Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. Then from 1993 to 2000 she completes her study at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory as composer (Professor - the head of Conservatory composition department - Albert Leman) and in 2001 she also graduates Moscow Conservatory as organist (Professor - Oleg Yanchenko). In 1998 she began to study playing thereminvox with Lydia Kavina. From 2003 Olesya Rostovskaya became a Russian bell-ringer. In 2006 she began to play carillon. In 2008 she has graduated the Saint-Petersburg State University as carillonneur (Professor - Jo Haazen) and in 2009 she has also graduated the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, Belgium (Professor - Jo Haazen). Olesya Rostovskaya has huge activity as a composer with her compositions for symphony and chamber orchestras, different ensembles, choir, organ, carillon, thereminvox, vocal, music for theater, radio, electro acoustic music. Among her compositions there are “Markus – Passion”, Concert for thereminvox and orchestra, “Carriage” opera on the book of Nikolay Gogol and many other. Her music was played in: Moscow conservatory, Tchaikovsky Moscow Philharmony Hall, Moscow International House of Music, Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture, Roman Catholic Cathedral of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Moscow Composers Union House, National Center of Contemporary Arts (Moscow), “Luzhniki” Palace of Sports (Moscow), Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall, Pro Arte Institute (St. Petersburg foundation for promotion of contemporary culture), “The Peter and Paul Fortress” (The State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg), and many other famous stages in Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, France, Nederland and other.

She is an artist member of “Duo inventum” ensemble and “Ars mirabilis” ensemble. She has an experience of playing with orchestras conducted by: Vladimir Fedoseev, Vladimir Ponkin, Veronika Dudarova, Sergey Skripka, Svetlana Bezrodnaya, Edvard Serov, and Vladislav Bulakhov. Also choirs: Blagovest (conducted by Galina Koltsova), and Choir of The State Tretyakov Gallery (conducted by Alexey Pusakov).

She has played with the ensembles Studio for New Music (Centre for Contemporary Music in Moscow Conservatory conducted by Igor Dronov), Pan-Asian ensemble, and many other musicians. Olesya Rostovskaya is a solo performer on organ, carillon and thereminvox. She is an active performer with authentic, classical and contemporary repertoire, improvisations and her own music also too. She performed original concert programs, for ex.: “Discotheque of 16th century”, “The secret life of church organists”, “The famous pedal solos”, “What did Peter I the Great hear from carillon tower”, “Soul of the Bell; Russian Music on Carillon”, “Playing on Waves”. She also pays great attention to improvisations on thereminvox and carillon, often includes them to her concerts. She makes many educational works. The booklet What is the Carillon? was published in Russian in 2009 as well as CD Soul of the Bell; Russian Music on Carillon. In 2008 she wrote the book Playing skill of bell music: parallels of Russian & Flemish traditions. Many seminars and workshops were made for thereminvox (“Thereminvox: the practical magic” and others). An article “How to compose music for thereminvox” was published. Olesya Rostovskaya is an author of two cycles of radio programs: Secrets of Musician and Don Carillon.

For orchestra

 * Suite for symphonic orchestra
 * Concert for thereminvox & orchestra
 * Suite for thereminvox & string orchestra
 * “To make the word “ETERNITY” - camber symphony for orchestra of soloists on the theme DSCH.

For choir

 * “Marcus Passion” for soloists, choir and chamber ensemble
 * Ave Maria for choir and organ
 * Ave Maria for choir and piano
 * “Hoi Ivan!” for choir and solo-violin
 * “Lullaby” for children choir and piano

Ensembles

 * Mass for soprano, alto and organ
 * Quintet for two violins, viola, cello and piano
 * Suite for violin and piano
 * Suite for guitar and piano
 * “Crystal Meditation” for percussion
 * Suite for viola and harp
 * “Suonare” for cello and organ
 * “Isolde” for thereminvox and lute (as part of whole composition “Tristan and Isolde” with Sandor Kalloś)
 * “Chloe” for thereminvox, lute and soundtrack (as part of whole composition “Daphnis and Chloe” with Sandor Kalloś)
 * “Basso ostinato” for two lutes
 * Suite for flute and lute
 * Suite for two theremins
 * Cycle of pieces for four theremins
 * Concert for organ and harpsichord
 * Concert for three organs, wind and a bird
 * Ave Maria for soprano, cello and piano
 * “Beautiful songs” for soprano and chamber ensemble
 * Adagio and Foxtrot for eight cellos and piano
 * “Скаккато” - children piano music for four hands
 * "Shine" for organ and bells

For solo instruments

 * Concert for oboe
 * Cycle of pieces for viola
 * “Six ancient Greek duets” for lute
 * 4 inventions for thereminvox solo

For carillon solo

 * “Swiss music-box”
 * Elegies d moll, G dur, Es dur, F dur, с moll
 * “Romantic suite”
 * “St. Peter & St.Paul belfry in St.Petersburg”
 * The Second carillon suite (“Old-Dance-Suite”)
 * The Third carillon suite
 * “Changing twinkles”
 * Cycle "Звоны русской традиции"
 * "Swinging bells"

Carillon for four hands

 * The First carillon suite
 * Two Japanese tanka
 * Notturno
 * “Echo of rain”
 * Duet с moll
 * Two inventions – G dur and A dur

For piano solo

 * “Dithyramb B-La-F” for composer Belaev
 * Piece for pianist B. Petrushansky
 * “Little bird” - cycle of pieces for children

For organ solo

 * Triosonata
 * “Twelve non-existent chorals”
 * «Освальд фон Волкенштайн – заходит в зáмок – и выходит, раненный в сердце»
 * Chorals
 * Fantasia “Hieronymus Bosch”
 * "Suite of ancient dances”
 * J.P.Sweelinck - O.Rostovskaya "Fantasia "Echo"

For thereminvox

 * “Suonare” for thereminvox and organ
 * Cryptophonian piece on name "Roslavets" (theremin & piano)
 * "Romance" (theremin & piano)
 * "Luminescence" for theremin & ANS synthesizer
 * "Africanian Suite"
 * Cycle pieces in retro-style
 * “Murmures” for theremin and glass armonica

Electronic music

 * “Music of Breath”
 * “Духовный стих”
 * “Methods of upbringing”
 * “Way to berth”
 * “Corpuscular mechanics”
 * "North voices" (with live djembe)
 * "Nightingale" (with live djembe)
 * "Monkey-Donkey beat-box" (with live djembe)
 * "Ascension" for ANS synthesizer and organ

with solo - theremin

 * “Russian bell”
 * “X-plot”
 * “Charmed wood”
 * “Paranoidalian Eros of Kadakes” for theremin with live electronic (programming by Dmitry Subochev)
 * “Swan” for theremin with live electronic (programming by Dmitry Subochev)

Discography
The first in the world Audio CD with just only Russian music played on carillon. Recorded in 2007 on carillon of the Peter and Paul Fortress at St.Petersburg. Recording and editing engineer - Vladimir Ryabenko, mastering engineer – Alexey Pogarskiy.
 * Soul of a Bell. Russian Music on Carillon (Audio CD) — AM 090000, © Artes Mirabiles, 2009
 * Nikolai Obouhov. Croix Sonore (Audio CD) - SMC CD 0083, © & (P) Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, 2012
 * What Peter The Great Heard From The Carillon Tower (Audio CD + DSD 256) — AM 160001, © Artes Mirabiles, 2016
 * Soul of a Bell 2 (Audio CD + DSD 256) — AM 170002, © Artes Mirabiles, 2017
 * Tanido Espanol (Audio CD + DSD 256) — AM 170003, © Artes Mirabiles, 2017
 * 16 Century Discothèque (Audio CD + DSD 256) — AM 170004, © Artes Mirabiles, 2017
 * The Bells of Northern Skies (Audio CD + DSD 256) — AM 180005, © Artes Mirabiles, 2018
 * The Organ In A Russian Home (Audio CD + DSD 256) — AM 180007, © Artes Mirabiles, 2018
 * Weightlessness - theremin and electric violin (Audio CD + DSD 512) — AM 190008, © Artes Mirabiles, 2019
 * 5 Parts from 'Missa Electronica Paschalis' for theremin, voices, organ and electronics (DSD 512) — AM 200010, © Artes Mirabiles, 2020

Awards
Olesya Rostovskaya is a member of Russian Composers Union. She is also a member of Russian Association of Electro-acoustical music and Association of Russian Organists.
 * Sacred music contest (1996, Russia)
 * First National Young Composers Contest (1999, Russia)
 * “New generation music” festival (2000, Russia)
 * Massalitinov's national music contest (2005, Russia)
 * Piano improvisation contest (2006, Russia)
 * 10th ARTIADA of Russia (2009, Russia)
 * «Pure Sound 2019» International Award for the Best Audio Recording of Russian Academic Music (2019, Russia)