Creativity for life: the Young Talents of Russia winners on their path to victory and love for art

Moscow is rich with talented young people who regularly achieve great results at national and international competitions. The recent All-Russian competition Young Talents of Russia was not an exception: 27 students from Moscow art schools took the prize. Three winners confessed to mos.ru that they owe their first places to hard work, regular practice, and discipline. They shared other secrets, too, as well as their impressions of the competition.

Thorough preparation is the key

Young Talents of Russia is an annual competition for talented children from all over the country, like students of children’s art schools, colleges, and higher educational institutions, who have achieved great success during their studies. For them, getting a prize at the All-Russian creative competition is equal to getting a prestigious quality mark. Thus, it is not surprising that they pay the closest attention and devote almost all their time practicing for such competitions.

“To participate in such contests, one needs to dedicate a lot of time and effort and study hard. I’d say our education is one long, endless process of preparation,” notes 18-year-old Fyodor Orlov, a student of the Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music, winner of the first prize in the Piano and Organ nomination.

The young man spends at least six hours a day honing his piano skills; in the summer, the count reaches nine hours. That is how much it takes to become a masterful pianist, he believes.

The benefits of regular practice are also noted by Viktoria Svichkarenko, a student of the music school at the Moscow State College of Musical Performance named after Frederic Chopin. At the age of 13, she became the winner of the competition in the Orchestral String Instruments nomination.

“I have music school lessons twice a week, but when preparing for competitions and concerts, I go there much more often. I study with the teacher for an hour or an hour and a half, and once at home, I practice for about three hours. The most difficult part of it all is when I have to memorize bigger pieces studying music sheets and working on the fast parts again and again. To perfect the performance and present it at a concert or competition, it takes about a month of daily classes,” says the young violinist.

Her words are backed by Tatiana Fomenko, a 15-year-old student of Klass-Center Secondary School with an Extended Education, who won first prize in the Performance Art and Circus Art nomination.

“I believe we should devote all our free time to preparing for a competition. For example, classes at my school last all day: from nine in the morning to six in the evening. Of course, these aren’t only about the educational program; they also include the whole set of creative disciplines, such as acting, solfeggio, stage speech, choreography, and art history. Studying takes about nine hours a day. And, of course, there are also homework assignments and practices. Here go another two or three hours,” says the student.

A brilliant ending and a long-awaited victory

The competitions varied in nominations and formats. While Fyodor Orlov and Viktoria Svichkarenko participated in absentia in the first and second rounds and performed on the stage of the Academic Music College in the finale, Tatiana Fomenko demonstrated her skills only on video recordings. And, according to her impression, this was the most difficult part of the competition: being kept in the dark about other participants’ performances and the jury’s reactions.

For the final stage, Tatiana Fomenko submitted videos of her performances from school competitions and a recital of excerpts from the novel The Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov and The Thaw by Ilya Ehrenburg, as well as a choreographic show. According to the performer herself, these performances best characterize her as an aspiring artist.

“The victory in the Young Talents of Russia was a surprise to me since I’ve never participated in competitions of this scale before. I found out I won the first prize while I was making it on a subway train. My mom sent me a screenshot from the website. And I probably looked weird because I was literally jumping with joy. I really wanted to hug someone and share this happy news. I was out of my mind with happiness. This is a great experience and gives me motivation to move on,” says the young artist.

Viktoria Svichkarenko’s virtuoso performance of the most complex violin pieces got her straight to the second stage. And the finale performance of a Jenő Hubay’s fantasy on themes from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet brought the young violinist a well-deserved victory.

“This is a vibrant violin piece that’s meant for a win. Besides, I've been practicing it for quite a while, so my teacher Elena Ivanova and I decided to perform it for the competition,” the winner shared. She admits that the competition at the contest was pretty tough; all the participants are extremely talented.

As for Fyodor Orlov, he won the jury over with the performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2. “Since 2023 is the year of the great composer’s 150th anniversary, the choice was obvious. Moreover, this sonata is the pinnacle of piano art and the most difficult work for a solo performance,” the musician explains.

He admits that he, of course, would have wanted to win the first prize, but he did not fixate on winning, and perhaps this approach brought him success.

The beginning of the artistic journey

All the Young Talents winners have known what they wanted to do in life since they were kids. For example, Viktoria Svichkarenko has been playing the violin since the earliest years of her life. “My whole family plays the violin: my dad, mom, and older sister. When I was very young, I watched my sister practice and imitated her: I took a small violin and tried to play something. So my parents decided to enroll me in a music school,” she recalls.

Tatiana Fomenko’s story is similar. She has been enamored with theater since her childhood. With her mother, she used to go watch various plays and then auditioned at the Klass-Center school. Since then, performative art has become an integral part of her life.

Fyodor Orlov also made this fateful choice in his childhood. Even before moving to Moscow, at the age of seven, his mother introduced him to a music school that was recruiting students at the time. Young Fyodor successfully passed the entrance exam and was enrolled in the piano class. Today, the winner recalls this with a smile; he can no longer imagine himself without a piano, the king among the musical instruments.

Hobbies and big dreams

Fyodor Orlov constantly takes part in concerts and international music competitions. With his busy schedule, he barely has time for friends and going out. The musician has a hobby: once Fyodor finds himself in a new city, he tries to visit local places of interest before or after the performance. He also spends his free moments reading, mostly Russian classics. The young man is sure that such a pastime is good for creative people because one can get a lot from the books, especially inspiration. In the near future, he plans to take part in two international four-round competitions for adult pianists (up to 33 years old), which will be held in the fall of 2023. The young pianist also has one dearest wish.

“I sincerely want to serve classical music, to do everything to preserve Russian culture, and to continue the traditions of the Russian piano school, especially the one of my teacher Elena Berezkina. And I’m not planning to stop playing the piano, ever,” concludes Fyodor Orlov.

Despite her young age, Viktoria Svichkarenko has already performed at the Bolshoi and Small Halls of the Moscow Conservatory. For her, participation in various musical events is an opportunity to gain invaluable experience and meet new people, including famous artists. 

Viktoria plans to enter the Moscow State College of Musical Performance named after Frederic Chopin. Her main goal is to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

A busy schedule does not prevent the girl from making friends; they mostly hang out at school. In the summer, when there is more free time, Viktoria Svichkarenko likes to go rollerblading in the park next to her house. She is also good at making desserts.

Tatiana Fomenko can also boast a large number of friends. They, just like her, are also creative people. They get together, listen to music, and discuss art. Tatiana also likes to play the drums.

Her biggest dream is to enter an art institute and work in theater. She also wants to meet her idol, Valentina Talyzina, the actress of the Mossovet Theater.