Vladimir Kontarev is an experienced conductor and musician. Professor at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, winner of the Leonid Sobinov Prize and Artistic Director of «Yaro slavya» State Philharmonic Choral Cappella. Vladimir Kontarev is praised as one of the best choir conductors in Russia today. His musical activities are extensive and versatile: lessons at the Moscow State Conservatory, concerts on the stage of the most prestigious concert venues in Russia, participation in juries at international competitions and festivals, master-classes in Russia, Armenia, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and elsewhere. The former students of Prof. Kontarev have joined many choirs and orchestras in Russia and around the world. They are successful teachers of music, leaders of choirs and orchestras, choirmasters at opera and musical theatres. In the capacity of conductor and artistic director, Vladimir Kontarev is well known in Austria, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. His repertoire is extensive: from Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Sergei Taneyev and Igor Stravinsky; from Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff Rodion Shchedrin and Valery Gavrilin; from Edison Denisov and Alfred Schnittke to Georgy Sviridov, Arvo Part and Giya Kancheli, and the modern Russian composers Andrey Mikita, Dmitry Dianov, Mikhail Petukhov, Vladimir Ryabov et als. Since 2008 Vladimir Kontarev is Artistic Director and Chief of «Yaroslavya» State Philharmonic Choral Cappella. Under his direction «Yaroslavya» has developed into one of the best Russian philharmonic choirs participating in notable projects and festivals, including the Yuri Bashmet, Valery Gergiev and Valeriy ?olyansky festivals, the International Contemporary Music Festival Moscow Autumn, the festival of choral singing and ringing art of Russia Preobrazhenie (Transfiguration) and many others.