Vladimir Orlov

Vladimir Orlov received his first degree as a pianist (Kirov College of Arts, with honors, 1998). In 2003 he had graduated from Nizhny Novgorod Glinka Conservatory with a degree in musicology (research advisor: Prof. Tamara Levaya), organ, and chamber ensemble with honors diploma. In 2003 he began his graduate studies at the State Institute of Arts Studies in Moscow (advisor: Prof. Svetlana Savenko). He received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2005, which took him to the John W.Kluge Center, Library of Congress in Washington, District of Columbia (USA). After that he won another scholarship from Gate Cambridge Trust and the ORS Award in order to commence his graduate studies at the University of Cambridge, Clare College (United Kingdom), supervised by the Prof. Marina Frolova-Walker. In 2011 he earned his Ph.D. with the dissertation «Soviet Cantatas and Oratorios by Sergei Prokofiev in Their Social and Cultural Context.»

His research received a number of distinctions, such as first place on Russian competitions (the first in 2002). He presented his research in Russia, the US, and in the UK (this includes the presentation at the annual conference of American Musicological Society in 2012, and numerous conferences in the UK and in Russia). His research interests include a variety of topics such as Russian cultural history (the 19th Century, fin-de-siècle, Soviet and post-Soviet culture), and recently the psychology of music, and music education. He has numerous publications in Russian and in English.

From 2006 until 2012 he held leading positions (President, Trustee, then the Chair of Trustee Board) at the Cambridge University Russian Society — which was founded by Vladimir Nabokov in the 1920s. In this role he had organized dozens of concerts and cultural events in significant venues in Cambridge, London, and Oxford. Examples include the recitals of famous instrumentalists Alexander Ivashkin, Alissa Firsova, Yury Polubelov (et al), as well as rock concerts (by Boris Grebenshikov, at Royal Albert Hall), Nabokov Essay Competition, lectures by eminent speakers, etc.

He started teaching at the University of Cambridge, Clare College, reading courses on Fugue, and supervising students in courses on Shostakovich, and others. Since 2011 he has been employed at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Saint Petersburg State University. He has been on different committees and advisory boards since the early 2000s; he is a member of the American Musicological Society and other professional groups. Since 2014 he became the Head of the Young Scholars Council at the Faculty. He also holds the position of a Chair of the Young Scholars Council of the Faculty.

Awards and distinctions (selected)

• 2006–2010 Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and Overseas Award (full doctoral funding)

• 2005–2006 Fulbright Fellowship (first place among Russian entrants) at the John W.Kluge Center, Library of Congress (Washington D. C.)

• 2005 First Place Prize for the Best Paper Published by a Young Researcher (State Institute of Arts Studies, Moscow)

• 2002, 2005 Prizes on the 1st and 2nd Scriabin Competitions of Young Musicologists (Scriabin Memorial Museum, Moscow)

• 2002 First Place on the Competition for the Best Research in the Field of Musicology (Gnessin Institute, Moscow)