THE CONCEPT

 Dr. Timofeyev brings his vast knowledge of the little-known Russian guitar tradition, repertoire, and historical practice. Vadim Kolpakov has been steeped in the Russian Roma musical tradition from childhood, and he is equally stunning playing the seven-string guitar, singing, and dancing. Joining forces in 2004 as Zingaresca (which in Italian means: “in a Gypsy style”), the two musicians have been exploring an intricate mix of written legacy of Russian guitar composers with the exciting living tradition of the Russian Roma (“Gypsies”). 

THE NEW PROGRAM

For their “The Secrets of the Gypsy Guitar,” Oleg and Vadim use a great range of musical resources. Among them are the rare guitar publications of Mikhail Vysotsky (1791-1837), virtuoso arrangements of Sergei Orekhov (1936-1998), the original compositions of Vadim’s celebrated uncle Alexander Kolpakov, and the most recent arrangements of Fedor Kondenko. 

ZINGARESCA HISTORY

In 2002, as a recipient of a Fulbright grant, Oleg Timofeyev was teaching historical performance practice at the Maimonides Conservatory in Moscow. He attended a concert given by Vadim and his uncle, and was deeply impressed by their flamboyant, highly charismatic performance. He immediately thought of a possible joint project, and already in 2003 they recorded their first collaborative CD “Stesha,” dedicated to the famous Gypsy prima donna of the 1820s. Since then, Vadim Kolpakov moved to the US, and together with Oleg created their duo, ZINGARESCA. Their guitar duets were released in 2005 on the CD “Mikhail Vysotsky and the Gypsies of Moscow” (on Günter Hänssler Profil label). They performed at a variety of venues around the US, including many colleges and research universities, as well as musical festivals.