Pavel Gershtein

Producer, Artistic director and Chief conductor of regional state budgetary culture institution “Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra”.

Pavel Yakovlevich Gershtein ( born on November, 7, 1968 in the city of Perm) graduated from Glinka Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory in choir conducting, in 1994, he also completed training at postgraduate study at Glinka Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory and got a diploma of opera & symphony conductor in 1998. Pavel Yakovlevich has the following awards: Commendation by Minister of Culture of Russian Federation ( 2018); he`s a winner of the Central Federal District Award in the sphere of literature & arts ( Letter of Appreciation, December,12, 2019); Lapel Badge «Recognition» ( July,11, 2015); «Person of the Year» Award ( 2011); municipal Award named after academician D.S.Likhachev ( August, 11, 2009). Pavel Yakovlevich Gershtein has been the Chief conductor of a symphonic orchestra since 1999.

Being the Head of the only symphonic orchestra in the whole region, which he personally created in 1999, Pavel Gershtein is rightly considered one of the key figures in Kostroma culture.

Today, twenty four years after its creation, Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra is an autonomous concert institution with a vast base for rehearsals & recitals, substantial repertoire & an impressive roster of soloists, most of them are graduates of Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. It was achieved due to well-aimed ambition, leadership, organizational skills, proficiency & authority of the head of collective. In 2014, thanks to Pavel Gershtein`s efforts, Kostroma Municipal Symphony Orchestra gained the status of a regional institution, & in a while, а big reconstructed building , close to the historical center, was transferred to the orchesrta. The salary increase attracted the graduates of metropolitan music higher educational institutions to provincial Kostroma. Due to Chief Conductor`s collaboration with Russian Department of «Yamaha Music» the orchestra obtained two grand pianos «Bösendorfer»: minor – for rehearsals & major – for concerts.

Maestro Pavel Yakovlevich Gershtein is a master of music of different epochs, styles & forms: from baroque to contemporary, from symphonic to jazz & ethnic, from large scale to chamber. His conductor`s interpretations of music have a specific dramatic effect, a special nerve & his professional mind is characterized by deep understanding of symphonism & an acute sense of rhythm. Besides, Artistic Director of Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra has his own conductor`s mono-topic, he regularly addresses. That is – totalitarism, the relations between a strong personality, an individual & a suppressing state, which is vividly expressed in the national & world music of the first half of the 20th century. Pavel Yakovlevich Gershtein is especially interested in contemporary music, running a risk of being the first, who performs the creations of currently living Russian & foreign composers: Baruch Berliner (Israel), Alla Pavlova ( USA ), Kirill Lambov (Bulgaria), Michael Rоchat ( Switzerland), Alexey Shor ( Malta),Michael Bogdanov (Russia), Jury Sherling (Russia-Israel) and others.

Wide professional range of Maestro Pavel Gershtein attracts a lot of soloists, who eagerly cooperate with Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra. There`re lots of first-class musicians among them, such as Graf Murzha, Alexander Kniazev, Yury Bashmet, Eliso Versaladze, Irina Bochkova, Dmitry Bashkirov, Alexander Gindin, Pavel Nersesian, Ram Urasin, Alexander Trostiansky, Arcady Shilkloper, Vladimir Mischuk, Alexander Kaganovsky, Alexander Malofeiev, Aliona Baeva, Alexander Ramm, Sergey Tarasov, Julianna Avdeieva, Peter Laul, Phillipp Kopachevsky, Andrey Baranov, Vadim Kholodenko, Lukas Debargue, Marc Drobinsky, Matias Maurer ( principal violaof Royal Orchestra «Concertgebow» Amsterdam ), Yelena Rosanova ( France) and the others. Multiple times Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra performed on the stage with the biggest choirs of the country, such as State Academic Capella named after A.A.Yurlov, Moscow Choir Theatre by Boris Pevzner, Moscow State Academic Chamber Choir directed by V.M.Minin.

The experience of co-creation with well-known musicians, accumulated for years, enabled Pavel Gershtein to organize a big International Music Festival «Kostroma Symphonic», which is being held for the 12th time. Every year the festival brings famous musicians-soloists & singers to Kostroma, & offers a new unique program to the music lovers. All the festivals «Kostroma Symphonic» are thematically consistent, they can be dedicated to the composers anniversaries or introducing new stars to the audience.

Pavel Gershtein pays a special attention to work with children. Since 2007 he is an ambassador of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Fund in Kostroma & an initiator & organizer of an International Festival «Music is a way to life». Every year young pianists, string and brass instrument players come to Kostroma from all over the world to perform with a big symphonic orchestra for the first time in their lives. For several days novice musicians take master-classes from famous teachers, practice their programs with concertmasters of Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra departments, and, as a result of an educational program, take part in a big gala, where every festival participant performs with the orchestra. Yung musicians from Kostroma are also being led to the big stage within the festival «Music is a way to life», presenting them with an opportunity to prove them capable at the international level.

Another vector of Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra & its leader`s activity is social. Large families, disable & socially unprotected people are provided with 100% discount for all concerts.

Pavel Gershtein`s orchestra multiple times performed on famous Russian stages, such as Grand Concert Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Moscow International Music House, Minor Hall of Moscow Conservatory. Under Pavel Yakovlevich Gershtein`s conduct Kostroma Governorate Symphony Orchestra actively tours. For more than two decades of its history the orchestra held concerts in Moscow – in Grand Concert Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Moscow International Music House, the halls of Moscow region. In 2003 the orchestra held 30 concerts in Germany. In 2006 it recorded a CD album «The best of Armenian music», including pieces of music by Edvard Mirzoyan & Stepan Shakarian, it was highly appreciated by composers, as well as by Minister of Culture of Armenia Asmik Pogosian. Pavel Gershtein performed together with Iosiph Kobzon, «Turetsky Choir». From 2015 until now he organizes joint charity tours with «Ballet Kostroma» showing program «Back home with Victory». Twice they performed in Moscow & St.Petersburgh.

Pavel Gershtein is a promoter of Isaac Schwartz artistic heritage. According to the will of the composer, he is a conductor-performer of his last major work – Concert for an orchestra «Yellow stars», in memory of Holocaust victims.

Pavel Gershtein himself actively cooperates with symphonic orchestras of different cities & countries. He conducted the Khabarovsk chamber orchestra, “The soloists of Nizhny Novgorod” orchestra, State Orchestra of Belarus, State Symphony Orchestra “New Russia”, Yekaterinburg “Bach – Orchestra”, the Novosibirsk, Kislovodsk, Krasnoyarsk, Volgograd and Yaroslavl academic
symphonic orchestras, National symphonic orchestra of Armenia, the student symphonic orchestra of Bern Conservatory (Switzerland), Symphony Orchestra «Junge Philharmonie Köln» (Germany), Symphony Orchestra of Korea Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) (South Korea, Seoul), and others.