Biography
A life in music
“A woman playing the flute becomes part of it; the melody that sounds through her is her soul…”
Ksenia Kuelyar
Origins
Orenburg — Saint Petersburg
Ksenia Kuelyar was born in Orenburg (Russia) in a family of professional musicians. At the age of six Ksenia started playing the flute and piano, she was admitted to musical school to both departments but then chose the flute. (Teachers: I.B.Halzova and T.A.Kuznez ) In 1997 Ksenia completed her studies at Musical College named after M. Rostropovich (course of A. Kucherov) and continued her education at St. Petersburg Conservatory named after N. Rimsky-Korsakov (course of professor O. Cherniadyeva).
Masterclasses
since 2002
After graduating from Conservatoire (2002) Ksenia improved her skills attending master classes by the best professors of Europe: Felix Renggli, Joahim Shmitz and Renate Grais-Armin.
Her mentor, Professor Felix Renggli (Switzerland), had a profound influence on Ksenia's artistic path as a flutist.
Competitions
2000 — 2021
Ksenia - winner All Russian Competition Second Prize (Saint-Petersburg, 2000) and 2004 - Grand Prix at the international competition "XX Century Art" (Ukraine)
Ksenia became a wiiner of the first and unique award of "Nordic Piccolo Artist Competition" in Odense, Denmark 2021
Orchestra
since 2008
Since 2008 Ksenia has been working as an orchestra performer for St. Petersburg Philharmonic orchestra under the direction of maestro Temirkanov, currently N. G. Alekseev.
Soloist
Russia · Germany · Spain
Alongside with her working in the orchestra Ksenia regularly performs as a soloist with St. Petersburg Philharmonic orchestra and also with Infinitum Orchestra, the International Festival “Virtuosi of the Flute” in Saint Petersburg and the Piccolo Masters Festival in Moscow, participates in projects organized by Ensemle of Modern Music under Pro Arte Foundation. Ksenia Kuelyar also gives master classes in Russia, Germany and Spain, and appears as a director and producer of theatrical and musical projects and concerts. Ksenia
Subscription
since 2016
In 2016 Ksenia and flutist Georgy Dolgov organized the first philharmonic subscription in Russia dedicated to the flute — “Flute Players”.
It comprised six concerts on varied themes — Baroque, jazz, music by French composers, Romanticism and more.
Teaching
2014 — 2018
In 2014-2018 Ksenia taught such disciplines as flute and encemble as a teaching assistant at the Orchestra department of St. Petersburg Conservatory named after Rimsky-Korsakof.
Festival
since 2023
Since 2023 year Ksenia Kuelyar - artistic director of International Festival Flute - Piccolo in Saint-Perersburg, Russia.