BIOGRAPHY
Springing from a creative and musically-inclined family, Vitaly began showing signs of musical prowess at an early age. His striking skills, innate talent in playing piano and keen interest in percussion instruments was recognized and encouraged by his mother, a gifted piano player. By the age of seven, he was studying in the most prestigious music school in Russia. Never reticent in public performance and increasingly interested in the creative arts, Vitaly soon developed an appreciation for the dialogical relationship between performer and audience.
Appearances in several artistic events has expanded Vitaly’s renown as a performer invested in crossing boundaries with festival highlights including performance at the November Music, Holland Festival, Wonderfeel, Dag in de Brandig, Gaudeamus, Oerol, Over het Ij, Nederlands Theater Festival, TedEx. In addition to his already established music career, Vitaly continues to probe artistic perceptions. Recent performances with well-regarded theatre groups has opened up new conceptual venues. The multidisciplinarity of blending his artistry with theatrical performance and experimentation with crossovers in diverse milieus has compelled him to go beyond his comfort zone as a stationary musician. Vanguard collaborations include NITE, Orkater, Oorkaan, Schweigman&, Silbersee and Diamantfabriek. One piece that demonstrates this trajectory of ongoing growth is a VSCD 2018 Award winning piece “For The Time Being”, where besides being the sole musician, Vitaly has also performed to the fullest extent in mime, a vastly growing performance study. The mix between a dancer/actor/performer has gone far in illuminating the borders and roles of the performing arts. He has also performed with leading contemporary music ensembles in the Netherlands such as Klang, Asko|Schoenberg, Silbersee, Ragazze Quartet, Cappella Amsterdam. On top of these, he has successfully developed several interdisciplinary creative project collaborations including ”Beat Bit Space”, “Matte Pat Cut”, “iMac Music”, “Sounding Sculpture” and “Occupied Space” under the auspices of SonoLab, a contemporary music and performance ensemble co-founded with fellow percussionist Mei-Yi Lee, created to foster artistic collaborations that stimulate the evolution and development of performance practice. Vitaly has also been actively promoting with Slagwerk Den Haag, bringing unique musical styles and performances to the public.
Vitaly holds a Master in Music (Percussion) from The Royal Conservatory, The Hague with a prior Bachelor in Music (Percussion) degree from the Prins Claus Conservatory, Groningen and a Music (Percussion and Piano) diploma at the Special Music School of Rimsky-Korsakov in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Committed to expanding the role of what it means to be a 21st century musician, Vitaly Medvedev’s work challenges the norm and explores its in-depth bodily and intellectual influence with an end-view of bringing musical performance together and bridging the gap between performance disciplines, ultimately changing audience perspectives of contemporary percussion, music, and performance. At present, Vitaly is focusing on his exhaustive collaboration and engagement in theatre, dance, movement, and visual and performance art; a career with prescient beginnings.