Vadim Kolpakov - Russian Gypsy Roma seven-string guitarist, singer and dancer
Russian Gypsy 7-string guitar, voice and dance guru Vadim Kolpakov's biography, pictures, video, mp3 sample, discography, performances and resume. Vadim Kolpakov has been steeped in the tradition from childhood. He plays the Russian 7-string guitar, sings and dances. He has toured extensively in the USA and Europe, including such venues as Carnegie Hall, Harvard University, Colony Theater (Miami, FL), and the Kennedy Center Concert Hall (Washington D.C.). He is a director of the Russian Gypsy Traditional Music and Dance ensemble "VIA ROMEN"
"Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song "Darogai dleennayoo", written by Boris Fomin (1900-1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskeei. The song deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism.
The song was popularized in the early 1960s by "The Limelighters", but the best known recording is by Welsh singer Mary Hopkin, released on August 30, 1968. Hopkin's recording was produced by Paul McCartney (catalogue number "APPLE 2"). Despite competition from Sandie Shaw, who released the same song as a single, Hopkin's version became a #1 hit in the UK singles chart, and reached #2 in the US.
"The Kolpakov Trio"
The striking style of The Kolpakov Trio reflects the training of its members at Moscow's Romen Gypsy Theatre.
Aleksander Kolpakov, the group's director, was born in 1943 in the district of Orenburg in Eastern Russia. He was raised with music among the Servo group of Rroma and began playing the seven-string guitar as a boy.
In the 1960s he moved to Moscow and has since worked with a number of groups, including the Romen Theatre. He is a composer as well as a singer and instrumentalist.
His nephew Vadim Kolpakov mastered the seven-string guitar, the vocal style and dance tradition of Russian Rroma Gypsy music at an early age and is from the Saratov region of Russia. In 1992 he moved to Moscow to train with his uncle. He has toured internationally and recorded with the Kolpakov Trio, and in addition sings, dances and plays the guitar in his own group "Via Romen", which he founded in the United States.
Tamara Cherepovskaia is a well-known Rroma singer, and has toured in France, Italy, Georgia, Latvia, and America. She is highly in demand in the contemporary Moscow gypsy scene as a solo singer and dancer, and has collaborated in several recordings.
Regular appearances with Russian national TV, Russian national radio and command performances are
too numerous to list. The following is a brief listing of Vadim Kolpakov’s life history:
2004
Carnegie Hall, NYC
Performed with Vassily Romani in the program
"Romani Inspiration".
2003
Talisman/Kolpakov Trio
Artist-in-residence at Harvard University, Boston
University, Oberlin College, Grinnell College and the
University of Iowa.
Performed and taught traditional Russian Gypsy music, dance and
other aspects of traditional Roma culture with Talisman and
the Kolpakov Trio.
“Gypsy Caravan”, USA
World Music Institute
Performed as member of the Kolpakov Trio in the 1 1/2 month-long
tour of over 15 major American cities. The “Gypsy Caravan”brought
together premiere Gypsy performing groups from 6 nations: India,
Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Spain. The Kolpakov Trio
were the Russian representatives.
Vadim Kolpakov and VIA ROMEN video
Film Soundtrack, Finland
Recorded guitar solos for the soundtrack of the Finnish film
‘Mire Bala Kale Hin’ directed by Katarina Lillqvist.
World Music Institute, NYC
Performed as a member of The Kolpakov Trio
in a Gypsy Festival hosted by WMI in New York City.
2002 President of Finland, Helsinki
Command Performance Tarja Halonen: Performed as part of a duo
at the invitation of the President of Finland during the visit of
the President of Portugal.
1997-2003 International touring with the
Moscow Gypsy Romen Theatre
Lead guitar for 16-guitar orchestra. Lead guitar in fully-staged, full-length Russian Roma operas, theater pieces and dance shows:
Limasol and Larnaka, Cypress 1997
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, command performance for President
Nazarbaev, President Putin, and presidents of neigbouring coun
tries: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tadlikistan among others.
1996–2003 Romen Theater, Moscow
Lead guitar for 16-gutiar orchestra, actor, vocalist, dancer
Full-time lead guitar in fully-staged, full-length Russian
Roma (Gypsy) operas, theater pieces and dance shows at the
800-person internationally renowned historic Romen Theater.
Repertoire titles include: Grushenka, We Gypsies,
Dancing Daughter of Tents, Carmen, Men on Sunday,
Gypsy, Color of Cherry and others.
1996 Tour of Bulgaria with the
Gelori Studio, Moscow
Lead guitar
EDUCATION
Moscow, Russia 1995 Gelori High School for Roma Performing Arts
Study of traditional Russian Roma dance, song, music and performance tradition
Moscow, Russia 1995–2001 Private study with Alexander Kolpakov, musical director of
the Romen Theater
RECORDINGS
2001 “Best Gypsy Songs and Romances of the 20th Century”
Duo Russian 7-String Guitar with Alexander Kolpakov
4CD set
Familia Publishing
2002 “Bare Droma” Solo Russian 7-String Guitar
Svenko & Manas Records
2003 “You Are My Soul” Gelem
Solo Russian 7-String Guitar
2004 “Stesha” Talisman
Historically informed reconstruction of 1820s Russian Roma music
Solo and ensemble Russian 7-String Guitar and vocals
Naxos World
2003 “Trin”
Kolpakov Trio
Solo and ensemble Russian 7-String Guitar and vocals
2004 “Vissotsky”
Talisman
Historically informed reconstruction of 1820s Russian Roma music
Vadim Kolpakov is one of the most prominent and renowned Russian Gypsy 7-string guitarists in the world. He was a lead musician of the Moscow Roma (Gypsy) Theatre Romen, where he performed as a guitarist, composer, vocalist, dancer and dramatic actor. To this day, his original guitar compositions are performed in many prominent plays at the theatre as part of the vibrant oral tradition of the Russian Gypsy culture. Hailing from Saratov, Russia, Vadim graduated from the Roma performing arts school Gilori and studied guitar with his uncle Alexander Kolpakov, the virtuoso Russian 7-string guitarist who served as the musical director of the Romen Gypsy Theatre for over a quarter of a century. At the age of 15, Vadim began work at the Romen Gypsy Theatre, where he worked for 8 years and was the leading guitarist for 7 years.
Vadim has performed extensively in Russia and abroad. He has given concerts in Carnegie Hall (New York City), as well as in the Kremlin (Moscow) for the Russian president Putin, the Kazakhstan president Nazarbaev, and for both the Finnish and Portuguese presidents and parliaments. Vadim has also performed in Europe with the Russian Gypsy group Gelem as lead guitarist, and performed in the famous Roma festival Khamoro in the Czech capital, Prague. He has performed in innumerable other musical projects on Russian, Canadian and American television and radio and was invited to record his own compositions for the soundtrack of the Finnish motion picture Mire Bala Kale Hin. He has recorded several CDs with Alexander Kolpakov and the group Gelem. In 1999, Vadim participated in the major concert tour 'Gypsy Caravan' as part of the famous Gypsy group The Kolpakov Trio.
Selected as leading representatives of the Russian Gypsy musical tradition, The Kolpakov Trio gave several unforgettable concerts in America and Canada together with premier Gypsy musical groups from 5 other countries: Taraf de Haiduks (Romania), Antonio El Pipa Ensemble (Spain), Musafir (India), Kaly jag (Hungary) and Yuri Yunakov Ensemble (Bulgaria/USA). The New York Times singled out Vadim's virtuoso guitar playing while playing on that tour, which was organized by World Music Institute and included over 15 major American and Canadian cities, including an appearance at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington D.C.) and Sanders Theatre at Harvard University.
In 2003, the Russian American ensemble TALISMAN invited him to reconstruct and record music of the Russian Gypsies of the 1820s. The resulting recording, A Tribute to Stesha, was released by NAXOS in 2005, and the program was featured at the Boston Early Music Festival 2005. In that performance, Vadim repeatedly brought the audience to their feet with his expert guitar skills, his passionate dancing and also his singing. Since then, he has recorded several other collaborative projects with the group to be released soon, including Dostoevsky’s Jews and Gypsies (music and dance vignettes drawn from The Brothers Karamazov) and Vissotsky and the Gypsies (an examination of the musical sharing of vocabulary between the early Russian and Roma guitar and vocal traditions). With TALISMAN, he has taken part in performances and lecture/demonstrations at Harvard University, Boston University, Oberlin College, University of Iowa and Grinnell College, and interviews on NPR, teaching audiences about the Roma nationality and cultural tradition through music and dance. Vadim has also performed and recorded Romany activist songs with the lead singer of Gogol Bordello, which he hopes will promote understanding of the Roma nationality and human rights.
In 2004, Vadim assembled his own group VIA Romen, which has already performed at venues such as the New York Gypsy Festival (Roxy Club, NYC), The Festival of International Cultural Exchange (Portland, Maine), and at clubs such as the Avalon and the Middle East (Boston), Club Pearl (Miami), and at the Signet Club at Harvard University, among others.
Vadim’s musical repertoire includes Russian- and Gypsy-style compositions by Alexander Kolpakov, music by Sergey Orekhov, 19th-century Russian 7-string guitar repertoire and his own compositions and improvisations on Gypsy, Russian, classical, rap and world music. He works exclusively in the oral tradition and teaches traditional Roma guitar, dance and vocal repertoire to students in his studio in Cambridge, MA.
Regular appearances with Russian national TV, Russian national radio and command performances are too numerous to list. The following is a brief listing of Vadim Kolpakov’s life history:
2003–present TALISMAN, U.S.A.
Cambridge, MA
Lead Russian Gypsy 7-string guitarist, vocalist, dancer
and instructor for numerous concert performances,
artist residencies and recordings.
Projects include: “Dostoevsky’s Jews and Gypsies”, “Stesha:
Russian Gypsy Diva: Early Music of the Russian Gypsies”, “Vissotsky and
the Gypsies”, “The Russian Gypsy Musical Tradition.”
Venues include: Boston Early Music Festival 2005, Harvard University,
Oberlin College, University of Iowa, Englert Theater (Iowa City),
Boston University, Grinnell College (Iowa), Baruch College (NYC).
1996–present Romen Theater
Moscow, Russia
Lead guitar for 16-guitar orchestra, actor, vocalist, dancer.
Full-time lead guitar in fully-staged, full-length Russian Roma (Gypsy) operas, theater pieces and dance shows at the 800-person internationally renowned historic Romen Theater. Repertoire titles include: Grushenka, We Gypsies, Dancing Daughter of Tents, Carmen, Men on Sunday, Gypsy, Color of Cherry, Hot Blood, and others.
2005 Dudley House Traditional
Musical Ensemble
Harvard University, MA
Russian 7-string guitar & vocals
Program: “Traditional Music From Around the World”
Arabesque Ethnic Guitar
Festival, Club Passim,
Cambridge, MA
Russian 7-string guitar
Program: “The Russian Gypsy 7-String Guitar Tradition”
Guest solo appearance
Framingham, MA
Russian 7-string guitar & vocals
Program: World War II Memorial Concert to Benefit Veterans
Tufts University
(with Gypsy Czars)
Russian 7-string guitar & vocals
Faculty Concert: “Music of the Russian Gypsies”
2004
Carnegie Hall, NYC
Russian 7-string guitar, and traditional songs
Performed with Vassily Romani in the program “Romani Inspiration.”
2004-present
VIA Romen, USA
Artistic Director and Lead Performer
Russian 7-string guitar, vocals & dance in this ensemble devoted to
performing and propagating traditional Russian Gypsy performance traditions.
Performance venues include: New York GypsyFest 2005, Roxy Club (NYC);
Middle East Club, Cambridge, MA (with Gogol Bordello); Signet Club,
Harvard University; Avalon Club, Boston (with Dresden Dolls); Karoun Club
Newton, MA; Annual Festival of International Cultural Exchange, Portland, ME.
2004-2005 Boston Russian Chorus Russian
7-string guitar, dance & vocals
Special guest for programs including: “Tchaikovsky's Music” and “Russian Christmas.”
2003 Khamoro Gypsy Festival
Prague, Czech Republic
Russian 7-string guitar, dance & vocals
Largest international annual Roma Festival in the world
Performed as a member of the Russian Gypsy group Gelem.
2003 & 2004 World Music Institute, NYC
Russian 7-string guitar, vocals and traditional dance
Performed as a member of The Kolpakov Trio in Gypsy Festivals hosted by WMI in New York City.
2003 Film Soundtrack, Finland
Russian 7-string guitar
Recorded guitar solos for the soundtrack of the Finnish film
'Mire Bala Kale Hin' directed by Katarina Lillqvist.
2002 President of Finland
Helsinki, Finland
Russian 7-string guitar
Command performance for Tarja Halonen, President of Finland:
Performed as part of a duo at the invitation of the President of Finland during the visit of the President of Portugal.
1997–2003 International touring
with the Moscow Gypsy
Romen Theatre
Lead Russian 7-string guitarfor 16-guitar orchestra
Lead guitar in fully-staged, full-length Russian Roma operas,
theater pieces and dance shows:
Limasol and Larnaka, Cypress, Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan,
command performance for President Nazarbaev
President Putin, and presidents of neigbouring countries: Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan and Tadjikistan among others.
1999 “Gypsy Caravan”, USA
World Music Institute
Russian 7-string guitar, vocals and traditional dance
Performed as member of the Kolpakov Trio in the 1 1/2 month-long tour of major American cites. The “Gypsy Caravan” brought together premiere Gypsy performing groups from 6 nations: India, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Spain. The Kolpakov Trio were chosen to represent all Russian Roma music.
1996 Tour of Bulgaria
Lead Russian 7-string guitar, vocals & dance
Led performances of the Gelori Studio, Moscow, the premiere Russian Roma performance practice training chool for the arts in all of Russia.
R E C O R D I N G S
2005-2006 “Tolstoy’s Gypsies”
TALISMAN
Historically informed reconstruction of in progress fin-du-siecle Russian Roma romansy and traditional Russian Roma music and dance
in progress
2005 “Dostoevsky's Jews and Gypsies”
TALISMAN
Historically informed mid-19th century Russian, Klezmer & Roma music
forthcoming
2004 “Vissotsky”
TALISMAN
Historically informed reconstruction of 1840s Russian music
forthcoming on Hanssler
2004 “Stesha”
TALISMAN
Historically informed reconstruction of 1820s Russian Roma music
Solo and ensemble Russian 7-String Guitar and vocals
Naxos
2003 “Trin”
Kolpakov Trio
Solo and ensemble Russian 7-String Guitar and vocals
Forthcoming on Marquis
2003 “You Are My Soul”
Gelem
Solo Russian 7-String Guitar
2002 “Bare Droma”
Solo Russian 7-String Guitar
Svenko & Manas Records
2002 “Gypsy 7-String Guitar of Russia”
Solo and Duo Russian 7-String Guitar with Alexander Kolpakov
Erdenko Records
2001 “Best Gypsy Songs and Romances of the 20th Century”
Duo Russian 7-String Guitar with Alexander Kolpakov
4CD set
Familia Publishing Entertainment
R A D I O
2005
“Radio Plus+”
Russian Community Radio Station
Toronto, Canada
RE: “ Russian Gypsy Influences on New World Music from the Romen Theatre, Moscow”
National Public Radio
Boston
RE: “Gogol Bordello & Russian Gypsy Influence”
2004 & 2005 National Public Radio
Iowa City
RE: TALISMAN & Russian Gypsy Projects
VIA ROMEN - traditional music and dance ensemble. Artistic Director Vadim Kolpakov
Vasily Romani Gypsy Band - music and dance show
from New York City, New York. Artistic director Vasily Yankovich
Timofeyev and Kolpakov - 7-string guitar duo specializes in the traditional music, songs and dances of the Russian and Roma (Gypsy) tradition. They perform ancient Gypsy melodies, heartfelt lyrical romansy, accompanied by the Russian Gypsy 7-string guitar.
World Music Institute, NYC
1996–2003
The striking style of The Kolpakov Trio reflects the training of its members at Moscow's Romen Gypsy Theatre.
Aleksander Kolpakov, the group's director, was born in 1943 in the district of Orenburg in Eastern Russia. He was raised with music among the Servo group of Rroma and began playing the seven-string guitar as a boy.
In the 1960s he moved to Moscow and has since worked with a number of groups, including the Romen Theatre. He is a composer as well as a singer and instrumentalist.
