Biography
Early Education and Musical Foundations
Victor Ignatiev was born on February 7, 1988. He began his musical studies at the age of three with his mother, a professional violinist. From 1995 to 2004, he studied piano at the Mravinsky Music School in St. Petersburg, where he received a solid classical foundation in piano performance, ear training, and music theory.
After graduation, he enrolled in the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music in St. Petersburg, where he studied choral conducting under Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Boris Abalyan — a distinguished conductor and one of the leading conducting pedagogues worldwide. During his time at the college, Victor interned as a conductor with both the Mixed Choir and the Women’s Choir of the institution.
In 2008, he graduated with a diploma in choral conducting with advanced qualification.
Conservatory Studies
From 2008 to 2013, Victor pursued his studies in conducting at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov. He studied under the guidance of Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Boris Abalyan, continuing a deep and intensive mentorship. During these years, Victor gained experience as a conductor through internships with both the Chamber Choir of the Conservatory (2008–2012) and the Student Choir of the Conservatory (2013), developing a broad repertoire and practical rehearsal and concert skills.
In addition to conducting, he studied piano with Tatiana Borisova, assistant professor at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory and professor at the A.K. Glazunov Petrozavodsk State Conservatory.
His education also included extensive training in music theory and history. He studied:
• Harmony with Professor Oleg Sokolov
• Renaissance and Baroque counterpoint with Assistant Professor Galina Abdulina
• Musical form analysis with Professor Igor Rogalev
• Music history with Assistant Professors Tamara Tverdovskaya and Galina Nekrasova, and Professors Ivan Fedoseev and Ludmila Skaftimova
• Orchestration and arrangement with Assistant Professor Sergey Pleshak
He also studied organ and harpsichord with Assistant Professors Andrey Kolomiytsev and Marina Vyazya.
He successfully completed his Master’s degree in Conducting in 2013.
Competitions and Festivals
During his years at the conservatory, Victor Ignatiev distinguished himself through remarkable achievements in piano performance. In 2009, he became a laureate of the Kazan State Conservatory Piano Competition. He was subsequently awarded top honors at the prestigious International Piano Duo Festival in Petrozavodsk in both 2011 and 2012. These distinctions were conferred in recognition of his exceptional musical talent, artistic expressiveness, and ensemble performance skills.
The Piano Duo Festival is a highly respected international event that attracts leading performers and educators. Victor’s winning performances were praised by a distinguished jury of professors from major Russian conservatories and members of composer unions in Russia and Latvia. Among the participants and jury members were renowned scholars and musicians such as Prof. Svetlana Svintsova, Prof. Vladimir Solovyev, Prof. Viktor Portnoy, and Prof. Raffi Haradzhanyan (Latvia), underscoring the festival’s international prestige.
Notably, archival materials from the festival — including programs featuring Victor’s performances — were later acquired by the Library of Congress (USA) for their cultural and scholarly value, highlighting his early impact as a pianist of artistic distinction and professional excellence.
Masterclasses
During and after his studies, Victor participated in numerous prestigious international masterclasses in conducting, where he trained with several renowned maestros:
• Victor Yampolsky (USA) – Music Director Emeritus of the Peninsula Music Festival and former Director of Orchestras at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University. After working closely with Victor, Maestro Yampolsky provided him with a strong letter of recommendation, recognizing his professional potential and artistic integrity.
• Yuri Temirkanov (Russia) – Music Director and Chief Conductor of the St. Petersburg Music Festival, Music Director Emeritus of the Omaha Symphony, and Honorary Director of the Scotia Music Festival.
• Georg Christoph Sandmann (Germany) – Professor of Conducting at the Dresden University of Music, with whom Victor also studied privately.
• Patrick Baton (Belgium) – Professor of Conducting and Orchestral Practice at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and former Principal Conductor of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie. Following their collaboration, Maestro Baton also provided Victor with a strong recommendation and later conducted Victor’s orchestral arrangements with both the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Liège and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
As a pianist and organist, Victor participated in international masterclasses with:
• Pavel Egorov – Distinguished pianist and Professor at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory;
• Ton Koopman – Renowned Dutch conductor, harpsichordist, organist and Honorary Professor at the Lübeck Academy of Music;
• Johann Trummer – Professor at the University of Graz and a respected authority on Baroque performance practice.
Professional Career and Artistic Leadership
After completing his Master’s degree in 2013, Victor Ignatiev founded the Vyborg State Chamber String Orchestra, where he served as artistic director and chief conductor until 2017. Under his leadership, the ensemble gave numerous performances, gaining acclaim for its stylistic versatility and refined interpretations of both classical and contemporary repertoire.
From 2019 to 2024, Victor held the position of Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Hong Kong Sesory Choir and Orchestra, with branches in Hong Kong and Bangkok. In this role, he conducted large-scale symphonic and choral programs across Asia, leading concerts for audiences of 1,500 to 5,000 people and participating in broadcasts viewed by millions online. The ensemble performed across multiple countries and was celebrated for its artistic range and emotional impact. Alongside his conducting duties, Victor also taught conducting and composition, playing a central role in shaping the musical development of young artists in the region.
In 2023, he launched a Conducting Academy in Myanmar, organizing a series of professional masterclasses in conducting and piano, along with open rehearsals and concerts in collaboration with the Jindallae Orchestra, Jindallae Choir, and the Hong Kong Sesory Choir and Orchestra. The initiative made a significant contribution to the development of Myanmar’s musical infrastructure and received enthusiastic responses from participants and institutions alike.
Victor has also worked as an organist, concert pianist, and accompanist. For several years, he was active at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (a renowned theatrical academy in St. Petersburg), as well as its affiliated Training Theatre “Na Mokhovoy”, where he contributed to numerous stage productions and vocal coaching projects.
In 2025, Victor began a new chapter in his career as the Music Director and Principal Conductor of four choirs within the Sängerkreis Lohhof (Germany), part of the Musikgesellschaft Unterschleißheim/Lohhof e.V. These ensembles include the Male Choir, Female Choir, Mixed Choir “Querbeet”, and the Youth Choir Forever 29. His leadership brought a fresh artistic vision, culminating in a major concert celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Male Choir, which received wide acclaim in the German press. The event was attended by local dignitaries, including Mayor Christoph Böck, who personally praised Victor’s musical direction and the artistic excellence of the performance.
More information can be found at:
• Victor Ignatiev – Sängerkreis Lohhof Profile
http://www.saengerkreis-lohhof.de/index.php?id=58
• Current News and Concerts
http://www.saengerkreis-lohhof.de/index.php?id=74
• Portfolio Website
https://www.ignatievvv.com/portfolio
Since 2024, Victor has also collaborated with Konstantin Nowitzky, the Berlin-based director of Urban Theater Berlin, as a composer and musical consultant, with additional projects currently under development.
Composition, Orchestration, and Collaborative Projects
In addition to his work as a conductor, Victor Ignatiev has established himself as a prolific composer, arranger, and orchestrator. His creative output spans concert works, stage productions, and film scores. Notably, he composed the original music for the stage performance The Soul of a Clown, which was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2017 “Stars of the Albion” festival in London — a recognition of both the musical and dramatic power of the work.
Victor has collaborated with internationally renowned artists including:
• Polina Alexandrova, pianist
• Daniil Arsenev, conductor and violinist
• Patrick Baton, Belgian conductor, with whom he collaborated as an orchestrator
His orchestral arrangements were conducted by Patrick Baton with both the Symphony Orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Liège and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, highlighting Victor’s reputation as a highly skilled orchestrator.
He also received a personal recommendation from Maestro Baton acknowledging his excellence in orchestral writing and musical insight.
Additionally, Victor has composed music for several short and experimental films, working closely with film directors such as:
• Nuriya Urazgildeeva, whose film Once There Was a Man received a special prize at the 42nd International Student Festival of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography and was featured at the INtonation Festival in 2023
• Ekaterina Oskolkova, whose current film project is in production and features Victor’s original score
Victor’s compositional language draws upon classical traditions while integrating contemporary textures and emotional depth, making his work sought after in both concert and interdisciplinary settings.
Experimental and Contemporary Music
Since 2014, Victor Ignatiev has been deeply engaged in the field of experimental and contemporary music, working at the intersection of acoustic performance, improvisation, and electronic sound art.
He collaborated closely with the Sound Museum of St. Petersburg, one of Russia’s leading institutions dedicated to sonic experimentation and new musical thought. Through this platform, he worked with some of the most influential figures of the Russian avant-garde and experimental scene, including:
• Nikolay Rubanov – saxophonist, composer, and long-time member of the legendary experimental rock band Auktyon, renowned for his work in free improvisation and avant-jazz;
• Mikhail Kotosky – multi-instrumentalist and composer, also a member of Auktyon, whose creative work spans experimental, noise, and art-rock genres;
• Petr Terentiev – experimental guitarist and composer, active in electroacoustic music and interdisciplinary performance;
• Leonid Levin – composer and theorist of new music, a key figure in St. Petersburg’s sound art and experimental composition scene.
Victor’s collaborations with these artists included performances, workshops, and improvisational projects that expanded his artistic language and deepened his engagement with sonic innovation. These experiences continue to influence his work as a conductor, composer, and educator, particularly in contexts where contemporary and cross-genre approaches are essential.
ICEBERG – Community for Journalists, Media Makers, and Creative Professionals in Berlin
Member since 2024
Victor Ignatiev has been an active member of ICEBERG since 2024. This Berlin-based interdisciplinary network unites professionals from the fields of media, journalism, art, and culture. As part of the community, Victor regularly participates in artistic meetings and cultural initiatives, expanding his creative and professional dialogue within Germany’s vibrant cultural landscape.