Yuri Akbalkan is a Russian-born composer making work in the field of multimedia art with a focus on human perception and sensory modalities.
He studied composition at the Rimski-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory with Prof. Sergei Slonimsky (RU) and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Prof. Markus Hechtle (DE). Currently, he resides in Hamburg, where he is pursuing Artistic Research (Dr. sc. mus.) and teaching art theory at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.
He held the position of an artist in residence at the ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien Karlsruhe as part of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for New Music, Contemporary Dance, Theater, and New Media (a project of the Goethe-Institut). During his time in St. Petersburg, he participated in the Electroacoustic Music Lab ESG-21, worked as a lecturer and co-curator of the Course in Experimental Music Practice, and held the position of the Editor-in-Chief at the Edition reMusik.org, which operates within the Saint Petersburg Contemporary Music Center.
Akbalkan’s music has been performed at various locations and festivals, including reMusik.org, Sound Ways, Fin de siècle, blurred edges, Exposition XXI, Opus 52, ProToArt, the Pythian Games composers’ competition, Moscow Philharmonia, Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, Orpheus Radio, Manege Central Exhibition Hall, and the New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre.
His works have been performed by ensemble recherche, noname-ensemble, Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble (MCME), MolOt-ensemble, Gallery of Actual Music Ensemble (GAM-Ensemble), eNsemble Pro Arte, Mariinsky New Music Ensemble, {instead} ensemble, Ensemble Adapter, and Chromatic Noise Collection.
Chronology
Yuri Akbalkan
born 1986 in Chelyabinsk (RU)
Works in the fields of composition, improvisation, and multimedia
Education
since 2021
Artistic Research Fellow at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (DE), Doctor of Musicology (Dr. sc. mus.)
2020-2021
Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (DE), Kontaktstudium Neue Kompositionstechniken
2015-2017
Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (DE), Master of Music, Instrumental Composition
2009-2014
The Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory (RU), Specialist Degree, Composition
2003-2007
The Ozersk College of Arts (RU), Choir Conducting
Residence programs
2016
Artist in Residence at ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (DE)
2015-2017
Interdisciplinary Laboratory for new music, contemporary dance, theater and new media, Project of the Goethe-Institut, St. Petersburg (RU)
Social activity
since 2023
Lecturer at HfMT Hamburg @ ligeti zentrum (DE)
2017-2020
Editor in Chief of the Edition reMusik.org
2015-2016
Lecturer and co-curator of the Course in Experimental Music Practice in Experimental Sound Gallery (ESG-21), St. Petersburg (RU)
Co-curator with Denis Sorokin of the project “Wandelweiser. Tuning for hearing” in the frame of the festival Music of the Present, St. Petersburg (RU)
2014-2015
Project Coordinator at the St. Petersburg Contemporary Music Center reMusik.org (RU)
2014
Participant of the ESG-21 Electroacoustic Music Lab, St. Petersburg (RU)
Grants and Awards
2020
Stipendium der Thörl Stiftung (DE)
2014
VI Radio Orpheus Young Composers Competition, 1th Prize, Moscow (RU)
2010
II International Edison Denisov Young Composers Competition, 2nd Prize, Tomsk (RU)
Festivals and workshops
2021
next_generation, ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (Online/DE)
2020
Tohuwabohu #9 Online Edition, in the frame of the “blurred edges” Festival für aktuelle Musik, Hamburg (DE)
reMusik.org, The 7th St. Petersburg International New Music Festival (RU)
MultimediaImproLab, Multifunktionsstudio, HfMT Hamburg (DE)
Live-Elektronik Abschlußworkshop Orchesterstudio, HfMT Hamburg (DE)
Tohuwabohu #8, Multifunktionsstudio, HfMT Hamburg (DE)
2018
Composition ⇄ Improvisation. Practical experience of the interpretation of graphic scores. Treatise by Cornelius Cardew, lecture in the frame of the Academic Conference, Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory (RU)
Profession Code: [not found], lecture in the frame of the Academic Conference, Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory (RU)
Division of the Canon. Lecture 1: Sound and Number. Otkrytye Masterskie, in the frame of the Algorithm of Art Festival, St. Petersburg (RU)
2015
A sound and a society: lecture and workshop in the frame of the Course in Experimental Music Practice, St. Petersburg (RU)
Binary numeral system in composition: lecture and concert in the frame of the Course in Experimental Music Practice, St. Petersburg (RU)
reMusik.org, The 3rd St. Petersburg International New Music Festival (RU)
2014
4th International Young Composers Academy in Tchaikovsky city (RU)
Pythian Games, Composers’ Competition, St. Petersburg (RU)
Sound Ways, International New Music Festival, St. Petersburg (RU)
2013
Opus 52, International Night Open Air Contemporary Music Festival, Nizhny Novgorod (RU)
Exposition XXI, New Music Festival, Nizhny Novgorod (RU)
2010
Fin de siècle, International New Music Festival, St. Petersburg (RU)
Premieres and projects
2020
ricercar (short film) @ Tohuwabohu #9 Online Edition, in the frame of the “blurred edges” Festival für aktuelle Musik, Hamburg (DE)
ricercar @ Ensemble Adapter, 7th St. Petersburg International New Music Festival reMusik.org (RU)
÷ ⁵ for chronometer, objects, and live electronics @ Live-Elektronik Abschlußworkshop Orchesterstudio, HfMT Hamburg (DE)
Realization 4d: ensemble and noise according to the table Nr. 1 (from “Euler’s Book”) @ Tohuwabohu #8, Multifunktionsstudio, HfMT Hamburg (DE)
2018
÷ ⁴ for linear and non-linear sound signals @ {instead} ensemble, in the frame of the ProToArt Festival, Manege Central Exhibition Hall, St. Petersburg (RU)
2017
Realization 4c: ensemble and noise according to the table No. 1. From the Euler’s Book @ New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (RU)
ПУСТ*, interdisciplinary project: light, dance, sound, finding/created objects and documents @ Berthold Centre, St. Petersburg (RU)
÷ ³ for chronometer, group of musicians and video @ Konzertsaal der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (DE)
÷ ² for chronometer and improvisers @ {instead} ensemble, Vorota, Kaliningrad (RU)
÷ for chronometer @ Museum of the Belarusian Cinema History, Minsk (BY)
2016
ПУСТ*, multimedia project: movement, sound, video and objects @ Kubus, ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe (DE)
5.1.1. @ SoundArtLab, Kaliningrad (RU)
0.1. lzrs @ Konzertsaal der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln (DE)
0.1. @ La Voirie à Biel/Bienne, Rue des Fontaines 1, Biel (CH)
2015
Rose @ Ensemble Batida, 3rd St. Petersburg International New Music Festival reMusik.org (RU)
Randomness and error @ in the frame of the Course in Experimental Music Practice, St. Petersburg (RU)
Пространство 1 → 3, sound performance in collaboration with Andrey Popovsky, Denis Sorokin, and Boris Shershenkov, @ GES-21, St. Petersburg (RU)
НА10МД (ten minutes longer), sound performance in collaboration with Andrey Popovsky, Denis Sorokin, and Boris Shershenkov @ New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (RU)
Music for dice, in the frame of @ ASMR CMPSRS project, St. Petersburg (RU)
2014
5.1.1. [70 minutes version] @ Experimental Sound Gallery (ESG-21), St. Petersburg (RU)
Realization 4: clarinet, cello and noise according to the table No. 1. From the Euler’s Book @ Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Tchaikovsky city (RU)
5.1.1. @ eNsemble Pro Arte, New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (RU)
Bass lines @ MolOt-ensemble, St. Petersburg (RU)
Realization 1: orchestra and Euler’s tables. From the Euler’s Book @ Orpheus Radio Symphony Orchestra; Conductor: Andrey Jakovlev; Piano: Miroslav Drobot, Moscow (RU)
2013
0.1. @ Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (RU)
2012
3:1 @ ensemble recherche, The Small Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, St. Petersburg (RU)
Music for dice, solo performance @ Rotunde, St. Petersburg (RU)
When I make tea, I make a tea @ NoName-ensemble, Nizhny Novgorod (RU)
2011
Test 1 @ Gallery of Actual Music Ensemble, The Small Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic, Moscow (RU)
Selected Group Works
2016 / 2017
ПУСТ*, interdisciplinary project in collaboration with Alexandra Portyannikova, Sergey Shabohin, Snezhana Vinogradova, Nikita Golyshev, Daria Plohova, Sergey Kostyrko, Karlsruhe (DE) / St. Petersburg (RU)
2015
Пространство 1 → 3, sound performance with Andrey Popovsky, Denis Sorokin and Boris Shershenkov, St. Petersburg (RU)
НА10МД (for ten minutes longer), sound performance, with Andrey Popovsky, Denis Sorokin and Boris Shershenkov, St. Petersburg (RU)
