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Alissa Firsova
Alissa Firsova
Алиса Фирсова
Born	24 July 1986 (age 38); Moscow, Russian SSR, Soviet Union
Occupations	Composer; pianist; conductor;

Alissa Firsova (Russian: Алиса Фирсова; born 24 July 1986) is a Russian-British classical composer, pianist and conductor.

Born in Moscow to the composers Elena Firsova and Dmitri Smirnov, she moved to the UK in 1991.

In 2001 she won the BBC/Guardian/Proms Young Composer Competition with her piano piece "Les Pavots".^[1]

She graduated from Purcell School as a composer and pianist in 2004, and Royal Academy of Music as a pianist in 2009, where she also developed her conducting studies with Paul Brough.

In 2009 she entered the Conducting Postgraduate Course in Royal Academy of Music under the tuition of Colin Metters.

Her piano teachers included Tatiana Kantorovich, Valéria Szervánszky, James Gibb, Simon Mulligan, Hamish Milne, Ian Fountain, and Stephen Kovacevich. Among her composition teachers were Jeoffrey Sharkey, Richard Dubugnon, Jonathan Cole and Simon Speare. She also participated in workshops and master classes with composers Nicholas Maw, Simon Holt, Anthony Gilbert, David Bedford, David Matthews, and Mark-Anthony Turnage.

She had her Wigmore Hall debut in May 2009, followed by a Royal Albert Hall debut playing Stravinsky's Les Noces in the Proms festival in August. Her "Bach Allegro", commissioned by BBC Proms, was premiered in Royal Albert Hall in August 2010 by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrew Litton.

Her solo piano debut CD Russian Emigres was released by the Vivat label.^[2] Alissa's music is featured in a Proms Portrait on 27 August 2015, prior to the world premiere of her "Bergen’s Bonfire" by the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Litton.

Works

Op. 1, Les Pavots for solo piano
Op. 2, Strength Through Joy for symphony orchestra
Op. 3, Three Pieces for cello and piano
Op. 4, The Entire City for string quintet
Op. 5, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in heaven for wind and string ensemble
Op. 6, Rhapsody for solo violin
Op. 7, Lyrisches Stuck for viola and piano
Op. 8, Prophet for mixed chorus
Op. 9, Expressions for clarinet and piano
Op. 10, Loss for clarinet quintet
Op. 11, The Endless Corridor for piano
Op. 12, Birth of Remembrance for flute, clarinet, violin and cello
Op. 13, Lune Rouge for piano
Op. 14, Age of Reason for string quartet
Op. 15, Celebration for clarinet, flute, violin and cello
Op. 16, Tamaris for two cellos
Op. 17, Bluebells for piano solo, clarinet, horn, string quartet and percussion (third movement of Family Concerto, In memory of Dmitri Shostakovich – family project)^[3]
Op. 18, Paradiso for string quartet (third movement of "Divine Comedy" – family project)^[4]
Op. 19, Freedom (Clarinet Concerto)
Op. 20, Zhivago Songs to Boris Pasternak's poems for voice and piano
Op. 21, Moonlight over the Sea based on Munch's painting for solo violin
Op. 22, Chateau de Canisy for voice and piano
Op. 23, Souvenir Melancolique for clarinet and horn
Bach Allegro for large symphony orchestra (transcription of the third movement of Bach's 3rd Viola da Gamba Sonata, BWV 1029). Proms Commission 2010.
Op. 24, Kubla Khan for tenor, bayan, violin and cello (fifth movement of family project)
Op. 25, Gallo Variations for chamber orchestra
Op. 26, Unity for bass-baritone and piano
Op. 27, Serenade for Strings for string orchestra
Op. 28, Paradisi Gloria for SATB choir a cappella
Op. 29, Fantasy for cello and piano
Op. 30, Stabat Mater for SATB choir a cappella
Op. 31, Bergen’s Bonfire for Symphony Orchestra (Triple winds)
Op. 32, Tree of Hope for 4 Harps
Op. 33, Le Soleil de Conques for two solo cellos and string orchestra
Op. 34, Bride of the Wind for piano-duet
Op. 35, Asiago Concerto for piano trio and chamber orchestra
Op. 36, Tennyson Fantasy for string quartet

References

^ She won this Composer Competition in the age of 15. This followed workshops with Leonard Slatkin, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Fraser Trainer and Sally Beamish, plus a Radio 3 broadcast of Les Pavots played by Alissa herself.
^ See the details on vivatmusic.com Archived 1 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine. There is a promotional film on the website: ICA Films Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Commissioned by Dartington Summer School. Other movements of the Concerto (1. "Red Bells" and 2. "Black Bells") were composed by Dmitri Smirnov and Elena Firsova.
^ The commission from the Liverpool University. The whole family project "La Divina Commedia" consists of 3 String Quartets ("Inferno", "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso"), written for Dante String Quartet. Here is more detailed information about the London premiere Archived 6 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine of the piece.

External links

Official website
Op.13 "Lune Rouge" for Piano on YouTube
Article in The Guardian (UK)
Article in The Observer (UK)
Article in Musicalpointers (UK)
Article in Classica FM (Russia) Archived 1 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
Unreleased recording of her performance of her father's Piano Sonata No. 6 Blake-Sonata (2008), in two movements
- First movement on YouTube
- Second movement on YouTube

[1] She won this Composer Competition in the age of 15. This followed workshops with Leonard Slatkin, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Fraser Trainer and Sally Beamish, plus a Radio 3 broadcast of Les Pavots played by Alissa herself.

[2] See the details on vivatmusic.com Archived 1 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine. There is a promotional film on the website: ICA Films Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.

[3] Commissioned by Dartington Summer School. Other movements of the Concerto (1. "Red Bells" and 2. "Black Bells") were composed by Dmitri Smirnov and Elena Firsova.

[4] The commission from the Liverpool University. The whole family project "La Divina Commedia" consists of 3 String Quartets ("Inferno", "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso"), written for Dante String Quartet. Here is more detailed information about the London premiere Archived 6 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine of the piece.

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