Albert Lehman (1915-1998)
Composer, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Composition
at the Highest Moscow State Conservatory Tchaikovsky

Elena Gantchikova is considered one of the most talented and most promising young musicians of her generation.

In her works, she covers a very large range of genres and different forms of music. Her work shows a great professionalism as well as great originality of style, novelty of ideas and the methods of realization. Most stunning is the impression created by the union of the timbres of traditional orchestral instruments and folk instruments of varying origins, treated by real-time electronics.

Her talent, her creative personality and dynamism, her substantial cultural level, her mastery, the richness of her projects—all these attributes allow one to consider her already a remarkable phenomenon in contemporary musical creation. more »

Brian Ferneyhough

To whom it may concern,

I have followed the compositional career of Elena Gantchikova for some years, albeit somewhat periodically given our infrequent encounters. I first met her while she was a student in my master classes at Rayaumont and was impressed by the extent to which she was able to invest, with a great deal of engagement and intellectual energy, her encounter with western innovation.

Those of her more recent compositions, that I have had an opportunity to examine, bear witness to a firm sense of instrumental colour and texture. All the same, it would be clearly beneficial to Ms. Gantchikova to be afforded further opportunities to immerse herself more intensively in a professional performance ambiance.

Ms. Gantchikova is an unmistakably dedicated individual and I encourage those able to support her development to do so whenever possible. photo by Regine Koerner © 2004

Alexandre Sokolov

the Minister of Culture for the Russian Federation
PhD in Art Criticism

With this letter, the vice-chancellorship of the Highest State Academy of Tchaikovsky of Moscow (the principal establishment for music education of Russian Federation) assuresthat Miss Elena Gantchikova obtained in 1999 a diploma with distinction in musical composition, piano, conducting, and in music theory and education.

Since the completion of her studies, Elena Gantchikova has composed her own musical compositions and has performed musicological research. She has been a professor of music and is a concert piano performer. She has a great theoretical and practical range as well as a vast classical and contemporary repertory. more »