Biography
Victor Ignatiev was born on February 7, 1988. At the age of three, he began his musical studying with initial lessons from his mother, a professional violinist. From 1995 to 2004, he studied piano at the Mravinsky Music School in St. Petersburg.
After graduating, Victor enrolled in the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music, where he studied choral conducting under the Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Boris Abalyan, until 2008. During his time at the college, he interned with the mixed choir and the female choir of the college.
From 2008 to 2013, Victor pursued conducting at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, under the guidance of Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Boris Abalyan. During his tenure as a conductor, he interned with the Chamber Choir of the St. Petersburg Conservatory (2008-2012) and the Student Choir of the St. Petersburg Conservatory (2013). He also studied piano under Tatiana Borisova, assistant professor from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory and professor from the Petrozavodsk State Conservatory named after A.K. Glazunov. During his studies, Victor was awarded prizes at the All-Russian competition and international festivals as a pianist. He also pursued studies in various theoretical subjects, including 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, Galina Nekrasova, and Professors Ivan Fedoseev and Ludmila Skaftimova, and arrangement with Assistant Professor Sergey Pleshak. In 2013, Victor completed his Master's degree in conducting at the conservatory. He also studied organ and harpsichord with Assistant Professors Andrey Kolomiytsev and Marina Vyazya, and conducting with Alexander Polishchuk.
During and after his conservatory studies, Victor participated in various international masterclasses in conducting with renowned instructors, including Yury Simonov (Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra), Viktor Yampolsky (Director of Orchestral Programs, Northwestern University; Music Director Emeritus, Peninsula Music Festival), and Yuri Temirkanov (Music Director and Chief Conductor, St. Petersburg Music Festival; Music Director Emeritus, Omaha Symphony; Honorary Director, Scotia Music Festival). We are honored to have the following distinguished guests: Uri Temirkanov (Music Director and Chief Conductor, St. Petersburg Music Festival; Music Director Emeritus, Omaha Symphony; Honorary Director, Scotia Music Festival), and Boris Abalyan (Honored Artist of Russia, Professor at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory, Chief Conductor of the Gracias Choir). As a pianist and organist, he participated in international masterclasses with Pavel Egorov (Professor at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory), Ton Koopman (Honorary Professor at the Lübeck Academy of Music), and Johann Trummer (Professor at the University of Graz). Victor also received private conducting lessons from Georg Christoph Sandmann (Professor at the Dresden University of Music, Germany).
After graduating from the conservatory, Victor founded the Vyborg State Chamber String Orchestra, where he served as artistic director and chief conductor until 2017.
Since 2014, Victor has participated in projects focused on the development of modern electronic music. In 2017, stage performance "The Soul of a Clown" won the Grand Prix at the "Stars of The Albion" festival in London. The music for this piece was composed by Victor Ignatiev.
Victor also has experience as an organist. He worked as a pianist and accompanist at a theater and a theater academy for several years.
From 2019 to 2024, Victor held the position the music director and principal conductor of the Hong Kong Sesory Choir and Orchestra, with branches in Hong Kong and Bangkok. He also taught conducting and composition.
In 2023, Victor organized a conducting academy in Myanmar, which included masterclasses (conducting, piano), open rehearsals with an orchestra and choir (Jindallae Orchestra, Jindallae Choir, Hong Kong Sesory Choir and Orchestra). This academy was a significant success, contributing to the development of Myanmar's musical culture.
In addition to his role as a conductor, Victor is also working as a composer, aranger and orchestrator. He is collaborated with such musicians as Polina Alexandrova (pianist), Daniil Arsenev (conductor, violinist, pianist), Patric Baton(conductor).
In addition, Victor has composed film music and collaborated with directors such as Nuriya Urazgildeeva, whose work includes "Once There Was a Man" (a Special Prize named after Yu. A. Mikhailov at the 42nd International Student Festival of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography; participation in the INtonation Festival in 2023), "The Opus of the Letter I" and "Three Squares Perpendicular to Malevich.", with Ekaterina Oskolkova (is currently the film is in the production).
Furthermore, Victor develops individual teaching programs in a range of subjects, including conducting, theory of musical elements, Renaissance and Baroque counterpoint, classical harmony, piano, organ, and harpsichord.