Kirill Kalmykov

Strings Faculty (cello); Associate Branch, Strings:

Academy (Chamber Music)

kirillkalmykov@hotmail.com

Born in St. Petersburg, Russian-Canadian cellist Kirill Kalmykov leads an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestra player and teacher. Praised for his expressive style and thoughtful interpretations, Mr. Kalmykov is equally at ease as a recitalist, orchestra musician, and teacher. Having performed since 1987, he has appeared throughout the former USSR, Europe, Latin America, Canada and the United States.

Kirill Kalmykov holds a Master’s degree in Cello Performance from the University of Calgary where he studied with Amanda Forsyth, principal cellist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Prior to coming to Calgary, Mr. Kalmykov also received training in Russia and the United States, studying with the principal cellist of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic A. Nikitine, Professor Cecylia Barczyk at Towson State University and Dallas Symphony cellist Jolyon Pegis.

As a soloist, Mr. Kalmykov has appeared with the St. Petersburg Conservatory Orchestra (Russia), Minsk Chamber Orchestra (Belarus), D’Angelo Symphony (USA), as well as the Red Deer Symphony, Symphonie of the Kootenays and the Calgary Bach Society Orchestra, performing works by Haydn, Boccherini, Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns.

Over the years, Kirill Kalmykov has been a full-time member of many symphony orchestras in Europe and North America, including the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Red Deer Symphony and the Calgary Philharmonic, and has worked with many distinguished conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Hans Graf and Sir Neville Marriner. In 2011, Mr. Kalmykov left his position with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in order to focus on solo and chamber music performances as well as his teaching career.

An artist of outstanding musical versatility, Mr. Kalmykov has performed with many chamber groups and art organizations including the St. Petersburg Cello Ensemble, the University of Calgary String Quartet, Calgary Bach Society, Kensington Sinfonia, Instrumental Society of Calgary, the Mountain View Connection and Bell’arte Strings, and has appeared in concert with Arnold Draper, Charles Foreman, Rudolf Jansen, Kathleen van Mourik, Christie Reside and Olivier Thouin, among others. Kirill Kalmykov has performed at music festivals in Davos (Switzerland), Beauvais (France) and the Mountain View International Festival of Song and Chamber Music (Canada). He has been featured on CBC Radio broadcasts, and has also appeared on the St. Petersburg Cello Ensemble recording released in Japan in 1994.

Since 2005, Mr. Kalmykov and his wife Julia Haager have performed as Duo Polaris, a professional cello/piano duo that has performed extensively in Alberta and British Columbia, most recently at the Mountain View Festival, The Banff Centre and Instrumental Society of Calgary concert series.

Mr. Kalmykov is on faculty at the Mount Royal University Conservatory where he teaches cello and chamber music.

Kirill Kalmykov is grateful to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for its generous support of his career.