Posts Tagged "music"
Lesha: Music Student
St. Petersburg: Lesha, a 3rd year music student in St. Peterburg, was waiting for friends at the airport dressed in an USA print t-shirt. Lesha grew up in Novosibirsk, Siberia's largest city, and took to music at an early age. Lesha, who enjoys pop, rock, jazz and classical, prefers playing the piano.
Nafset: Seeing-Impaired Singer
MOSCOW: ‘’It was very painful. I didn’t want my family to leave me at the boarding school. A teacher calmed me down, but when I went to look for [my relatives], I was told they left. It was very traumatic. My mom wasn’t allowed to meet me for a while. They said I had to get used to this school,’’ said Nafset, a native of Adygar in perfect English….
Ksenia & Alexandra: Ulyanovsk Acoustic Duo
ULYANOVSK: Ksenia and Alexandra, both 19, met each other in psychology class at university and started an acoustic duo five months ago. They play cover songs by groups like Cold Play and Armstrong in pubs and bars in Ulyanovsk. They call their duo 'Sunday.' ''We thought for a long time about what to call ourselves, but we couldn't find something that fit,'' said Alexandra, whose parents and brother play instruments. Then one day, they auditioned at a pub. The pub's art director commented positively about their music, using a Russian word that can be translated as cheerful or sunny. ''Therefore, they recommended we call ourselves Sunday, because our music is bright and warm like a sunny day.''
Olya: Music Student from Moscow Suburbs
Olya, 15, was asking commuters for money as they exited the metro in the center of Moscow. She was carrying a violin, so I asked why she didn’t play for money. ”It is quite cold and my fingers go numb.” She said she just started a music academy and will study for four years. Olya said she lives in the Moscow suburbs and is one of 11 children by the same mom.
Maria: Iron Maiden Fan
Maria was walking with a guitar on her back and sporting an Iron Maiden t-shirt. For some reason, t-shirts of 1970s-1980s rock groups were popular this year in Moscow (especially among those born way after these groups became popular). Though I think it's more of a fashion trend that a sign of music taste for many, Maria said she liked Iron Maiden. She said she played the harp for many heard and then moved over to the flute. She doesn't play the guitar, but was rathering kindly carrying it for her friend. Maria said she really likes physics and may pursue that in university. When I mentioned I switched over to the history faculty after burning out on quantum physics, she pulled a book out of her bag to show me what she was currently reading. It was titled something like "The secrets of quantum physics."
Alexei: Russian with Spanish Roots
I will continue with the music theme today before moving on to Voronezh portraits. I saw Alexei in his unusual boots and just had to stop him for a chat. Just as he told me he played 'brutual death metal,' some other guy also noticed Alexei and came over to join us. The other guy interrupted me and started talking to Alexei about boots, music and something else, but I couldn't understand him well as he was quite intoxicated and his words slurred. Alexei gave him some change and he walked away, a bottle of dark liquor sticking out of his bag. Alexei then told me a bit more about his music and that he was also studying computer programming. He ended our conversation with his family history that I will share in my next post of Alexei.
