Sergei Skripka

Sergei Ivanovich Skripka (Russian: Серге́й Иванович Скрипка, October 5, 1949 in Kharkov) is a prominent Russian conductor, and a People's Artist of Russia.

Skripka graduated in 1972 from the Kharkov Institute of Arts as chorusmaster. In 1973 he entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, where he accomplished his course of studies under professor Leo Ginsburg as an opera–symphony conductor. In 1977 Skripka stayed in the Conservatoire for two more years as a postgraduate under the same professor as his practicing assistant.

After graduating from the Conservatoire in 1979, Skripka started to work with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra of Cinematography, and since 1993 he has been their Artistic Director and Chief Conductor. He has conducted a great number of the orchestra's concerts and recordings, including those with Mikhail Pletnyov, Konstantin Shsherbakov, Mikhail Bezverhnij, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Sergei Sudzilovsky. The orchestra toured Berlin in 1991, Frankfurt-am-Main in 1992, and Tunis in 1998. Concert programs include Britten's "War Requiem", Mozart's Requiem, Tchaikovsky's String Serenade, Mozart's Symphony in G-minor.

Skripka was the first in Russia to perform St. Marcus Passion by R. Keiser, and he also made the very first CD recordings of music by Degtyaryov, Gliere, Mosolov and Shebalin.

Simultaneously Skripka has conducted the Zhukovsky Symphony Orchestra since 1979, with which he has toured Switzerland (in 1991) and Hungary (in 1998). The concert program comprised works by Mozart, Bach, Corelli, Vivaldi, Ambrosio, Boccherini, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin and others.

Currently Skripka is also a professor at the Department of Orchestra Conducting in the Russian Gnesin Academy of Music.

Skripka speaks both German and English which greatly facilitates his work with foreign orchestras.