Second Violins

Lina Vartanova

In the orchestra since 2023

She graduated from Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music, Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and postgraduate studies at the Moscow State Conservatory in the class of solo performance.

She is the laureate of international competitions, a participant of Ars Longa festivals and Holland Music Sessions, and is a Rostropovich Foundation scholarship holder. She gives solo and ensemble concerts and engages in teaching work.

From 2005 to 2016 she worked at the State Academic Symphony Orchestra “Evgeny Svetlanov” (since 2011 she was the second concertmaster of the second violin group). In 2009 she was invited to the CIS Youth Orchestra as the concertmaster of the second violin group. From 2016 to 2023 she worked in the Russian National Orchestra as the second concertmaster of the second violin group.

In 2022 as a guest musician she took part in the work of the Utopia International Orchestra under the direction of Teodor Currentzis. Since 2023 she has been assistant concertmaster of the second violin group in the musicAeterna Orchestra.

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE A MUSICIAN?

her work brought her, as well as how effortlessly she played the violin. The time came, and I was taken to an audition at a music school. It turned out that I have an absolute ear for music. I could easily read the sheet music. According to my mother, the thing that surprised me the most when I was 7 years old was that after a whole year of studies I had to study further at the Moscow Gnessin Special School of Music. I thought I had already learned everything.

WHICH OF THE MUSICIANS INFLUENCED YOU MOST?

My favourite composer is Shostakovich. His compositions go straight to my heart. I was lucky enough to graduate from the conservatory with his Violin Concerto, he gave me a lot technically and musically, and I feel a special affinity with Dmitri Dmitrievich's music. For those who want to discover his music, I would recommend listening to his Symphony No. 9 and fragments from the ballet The Golden Age, and then the Symphonies No. 5, 7, and 10. Only such music is worth listening to in a concert hall, and not on the record — that is where you can feel the depth of emotional feelings that the musicians broadcast from the stage.

WHAT MAKES MUSICAETERNA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ENSEMBLES?

There is not a single run-off-the-mill rehearsal in musicAeterna. I have performed Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini many times in other orchestras, but when I sat down at the music stand under Teodor's direction, I saw unprecedented depth in this composition. It seemed to me that I was sitting in a room with blank walls and had studied every object in it long ago, yet Teodor showed that there were windows and opened them wide. He always has a strikingly convincing, coherent and logical interpretation that captivates you and carries away.

WHO WOULD YOU BECOME IF NOT A MUSICIAN?

Perhaps if I hadn't become an academic musician, I would have performed on an alternative stage. Not so long ago, I had a rock band, and we performed in clubs and parks, and went to play in other cities. I played the amplified violin. Besides me, the band had a real rock vocalist, two guitarists and a drummer. Our repertoire included Russian and foreign rock music, and the feeling of reward from the audience was unforgettable!

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO AT HOME?

I listen to a lot of different music, especially the 1960s, classic rock and its derivatives: The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Among the local and modern bands I love Billy's Band, but the list of my favourite rock is huge.