Shekhtman, Mikhail Yuryevich

Born in Moscow in a family of biophysicists Yuri Nikolayevich Antonenko and Elena Avramovna Kotova, who already had their eldest daughter Ekaterina (in 2017, the head of the Intrada vocal team). Father - Doctor of Science and Professor at Moscow State University. Mikhail's grandfather, Avram Moiseevich Shekhtman, loved classical music and, having a pleasant tenor voice, often sang to his grandson, which developed his early interest in music. Mikhail began to play the piano at the age of 6, and a year later he took part in his first concert. From childhood, his teacher was Elena Alexandrova, a student of Professor Lev Vlasenko ^[5] .

From 2004 to 2008, he studied at the College of Music at the Moscow Conservatory under Vera Khoroshina, a student of Heinrich Neuhaus (teacher S. Richter and E. Gilels). Michael continued his studies at the Moscow Conservatory. P.I. Tchaikovsky with Professor Pavel Nersesyan , was one of the last students of the pianist and accompanist Vazha Chachava . He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 2013 ^[5] .

With opera singer Julia Lezhneva at a Mozart Gala concert. UPC, May 30, 2018

Since 2007, Mikhail has been constantly working with soprano Julia Lezhneva ^[6] , whom he met at the College of Music at the Moscow Conservatory . He accompanied Lezhneva at many concert venues in the world, including the Vienna and Berlin Concerthouses, the Amsterdam Musikgebau, the Champs Elysees Theater and the Gavo Hall in Paris, the Melbourne Resource Center, the Hamburg Leishalle, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Grand and Small Halls of St. Petersburg as well as festivals in Gstaad (Yehudi Menuhin Festival), Quinsien Musical in San Sebastian, Toroella de Montgri, Peralade and Moscow (December evenings of Sviatoslav Richter ) ^{[3] [7] [8] [9] [10]} .

Shekhtman performs as a solo pianist in Russia, Great Britain , France , Germany , Switzerland , Austria , Italy . The debut as a conductor took place at the New Year's concert at the end of December 2015 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory . In a number of concerts he not only soloed, but also conducted because of the piano ^[3] .

In January 2016, he took part as a pianist in the hall of the Congress Center in Lucerne , performing together with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Guffigan. In November 2016, the musician took part in a Christmas concert with the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Herbert Blomstedt in the Gewandhaus Hall in Leipzig .

Conducted by the Concerto Köln orchestra on the recording of a new disc by Julia Lezhneva, dedicated to composer Karl Heinrich Graun . The disc was released in April 2017 under the label Decca and became the disc of the month Bayerischer Rundfunk CD (May 2017), NDR CD of the week, and also received Choc Classica and 5 stars of Diapason magazine in France, 5 stars in German Kulturradio and 4 stars in the newspaper review The Guardian in the UK ^{[4] [11]} .

Accompanied Yulia Lezhneva (first prize) at the 6th Mirjam Helin International Singing Compeitition in 2009, in 2016, at the 51st Touluose Singing Competition Dilyara Idrisova (second prize).

On January 18, 2018, the conductor performed in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, making his debut with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia named after Svetlanova . He performed Beethoven's First Piano Concerto as a conductor and soloist, and also conducted opera arias, overtures by Mozart, Rossini , Donizetti and Meyerbeer with the participation of soprano Dilyara Idrisova and tenor Alexei Tatarintsev ^[12] .

On February 22, 2018 in Seoul, on the stage of the Lotte Concert Hall, the conductor made his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra ^[13] .

May 30, 2018 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory conducted the State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia at a Mozart Gal concert, during which symphonic works, overtures and arias from Mozart’s operas performed by the orchestra, Julia Lezhneva and the Intrada vocal ensemble were performed ^{[13] [14]} .

Shekhtman’s repertoire includes works from the early Baroque (Scarlatti and Cooperen) to works of the 20th century ( Prokofiev , Stravinsky , Shostakovich ). A special place in his work is occupied by the works of Bach , Mozart , Beethoven and Schubert . Often, in one branch of the concert, Antonenko performs as a pianist, and in the second, behind the conductor’s console ^[15] . Among the major pianists of our time who have had the greatest influence on Antonenko are Grigory Sokolov and Murray Peraia ^[5] .

On July 2, 2018, he conducted the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra as part of the Stars of the White Nights festival at the invitation of Valery Gergiev ^{[16] [5]} .

Describing the creative style of the conductor in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory , the Belcanto.ru music portal in January 2016 noted: “The young maestro easily found a common language with the Chamber Orchestra of Russia, which in musical interpretations of the classical repertoire was expressed in the accuracy of accents and nuance, in the soft sound and adjusted balance of orchestral texture ” ^[3] .

Michael is not married.

In April 2019, the conductor adopted the grand name of his grandfather - Shekhtman ^{[1] [5]} .

• A solo pianist is always a hermit. Pianist and conductor Mikhail Antonenko on music education in Russia and the new generation of stars of the Russian opera // "Without Stamps", June 8, 2018