Vita · Mandolin

Elena
Kisseljow

Elena Kisseljow grew up in Ukraine and came to the mandolin by way of the domra. In Kyiv she studied domra and conducting — as a scholarship holder of the President of Ukraine — before making the baroque and concert mandolin her instrument with Marga Wilden-Hüsgen and Gertrud Weyhofen in Wuppertal, completing her studies with distinction and a concert diploma.

Today she is a sought-after mandolinist at German and Swiss opera and symphony houses. She performs across Europe and Japan, moving effortlessly between early music, the classical repertoire, contemporary music and Russian works. With Valerij Kisseljow she forms the Duo «Opus 1».

Baroque mandolinNeapolitan mandolinRenaissance luteDomraPiano

Valerij’s vita → Enquire about lessons

Studies

Education.

From Kyiv via Wuppertal to Zurich.

Tschaikowsky-Musikakademie, Kiew. Domra & conducting — diploma with distinction.
Musikhochschule Köln · Wuppertal. Mandolin & baroque mandolin with Marga Wilden-Hüsgen and Gertrud Weyhofen — diploma with distinction and Konzertexamen.
Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK). CAS in Music Pedagogy (piano).

Competitions & Scholarships

Awards.

A selection.

◆ Yasuo-Kuwahara-Preis — International Mandolin Competition, Schweinfurt.
◆ «Grand Prix» — International Chamber Music Competition «Ghitaralia», Poland.
◆ 3rd Prize — International Domra Competition (solo), Kyiv.
◆ Scholarship of the President of Ukraine.

Concerts & Ensembles

On stage.

Neapolitan and baroque mandolin, Renaissance lute, domra and piano.

◆ Ensemble «Opus 1» with Valerij Kisseljow (since 2005) — Neapolitan mandolin & mandola.
◆ Ensemble «L'Esprit des Cordes» — early music on baroque and historical mandolins & harpsichord.
◆ Baroque mandolin & archlute with Professor Hans-Michael Koch (Hanover) — early music.
◆ Ensemble «Wolga-Virtuosen» — Russian repertoire on the domra.
◆ Klangforum Wien & «NoTabu» Düsseldorf — contemporary music.
◆ «Musica Aeterna» (Teodor Currentzis, 2017).
◆ Münchner Philharmoniker (Valery Gergiev, 2019) — Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
◆ YARUSS-Quartett — founding member (since 2009); incl. Lower Saxony Music Days, Alte Oper Frankfurt, «Zaubersee» Festival Lucerne, WDR Cologne. Chamber music also with Tatjana Masurenko (viola).
◆ European tours with the Ivan Rebroff Ensemble.
◆ Concerts in Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Japan.
◆ CD and radio recordings for WDR and HR.

Opera & Symphony

Houses.

Regular engagements at German and Swiss opera and symphony houses.

◆ Frankfurt Opera

◆ Zurich Opera

◆ Wiesbaden State Theatre

◆ Mannheim National Theatre

◆ Munich Opera

◆ Theater Basel

◆ Theater St. Gallen

◆ Theater Gießen

◆ Kyiv Radio Symphony Orchestra

Discography

Recordings.

A selection.

«Maestro Calace»

Romantic music for mandolin and liuto cantabile.
«Maestro Kuwahara»

Japanese music for mandolin, mandola and guitar.
«Schönberg und die Schrammelbrüder»

with Klangforum Wien.
«Trio Swon»

for the tours with Ivan Rebroff.
«Das Buckelpferdchen»

a musical fairy tale with the Volga Virtuosi.
«Dances of Light»

with the YARUSS Quartet and Tatjana Masurenko (viola).

To the CDs

Teaching

Passing it on.

An individual approach to each student — through chamber music, ensemble playing and performance.

Her central teaching position today is at the Uster/Greifensee Music School, where she heads the mandolin class and teaches mandolin and piano.

Further stations (in no particular order)

◆ Youth Plucked-String Orchestra of Baden-Württemberg — mandolin tutor.
◆ Bavarian Youth Plucked-String Orchestra (BLZO) — mandolin tutor.
◆ Offenbach Music School.
◆ Nationwide Children’s Mandolin Competition, Offenbach — initiator and organiser.
◆ Darmstadt-Eberstadt and Rodgau mandolin orchestras — building up mandolin classes and founding a children’s orchestra.
◆ BDZ — Federation of German Plucked-String Musicians — tutor at courses (mandolin, chamber music, conducting).