Arkady Shilkloper

French horn, flugelhorn, alphorn, didgeridoo, Wagner tuba etc.

Born in Moscow, Russia on October 17, 1956.

At the age of six started to play alto horn in a brass orchestra at the Kuntsevo District Young Pioneers House in Moscow.

1967 to 1974: the Moscow Military Music School.
1974 to 1976: the orchestra at the Lenin Military Political Academy, Soviet Armed Forces.
1976 to 1981: studied French horn at the Gnesins State Music Education Institute (now Gnesins Russian Academy of Music.)
1978 to 1985: member of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra.
1985 to 1989: member of the Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra.
1976 to 1978: along with his studies at the Gnesins, takes courses in jazz improvisation at the Moscow Experimental Studio of Music Improvisation (now Moscow College of Improvised Music.)
1984 to 1986: first serious experience in jazz, a french horn - acoustic bass duo (with bassist Mikhail Karetnikov).
1985 to 1989: member of "Three O", with Sergey Letov (saxes, flutes) and Arkady Kirichenko (tuba, vocal).

Since 1988: duo with Mikhail «Misha» Alperin (piano). Their first ECM album «Wave Of Sorrow» (1989) was the first russian album on ECM. Later on, Shilkloper participated in three more Alperin recordings for ECM: «North Story» (1997),  «First Impression» (1999, with John Surman), «Her First Dance» (2008, with Anja Lechner).

In 1990, the Alperin-Shilkloper duo invites Sergey Starostin, a Moscow Conservatory-educated clarinetist and a dedicated researcher of Russian authentic folklore music, which results in the creation of Moscow Art Trio. The trio tours regularly, though its members now live in three different countries; it is one of the most interesting and well-known Ethno Jazz groups from Russia. In Russia, their albums were released by Boheme Music; in Europe, by Jaro.

Since 1992, Arkady Shilkloper performs solo.

Since 1995, Arkady Shilkloper plays in Pago Libre Quartet with austrian violinist Tscho Theissing, swiss pianist John Wolf Brennan and austrian bassist Georg Breinschmid.

Since 1998, Arkady also plays alphorn, quite an unusual instrument for improvised music. Arkady rates one of the best of the few existing jazz performers on alphorn.

In 1998 — 2002 Arkady Shilkloper performed with Vienna Art Orchestra.

In 2000, Arkady put together the Mauve Trio with brazilian guitar player Alegre Correa and austrian bassist Georg Breinschmid. Their debut album «Mauve» (Quinton, 2002) was awarded the prestigious Hans Koller Prize of Austria as the «CD Of The Year».

Arkady Shilkloper plays concerts and gives master-classes around the world (about 100 in a year!!!): Russia, Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Panama, China, Korea, Australia...

He is playing with Mikhail Alperin, Sergey Starostin, Sergei Nakariakov, Denis Matsuev, Daniel Schnyder, Georg Breinschmid, Uri Brener, WDR Big Band, Vince Mendoza Orchestra, Geir Lysne Ensemble, VSP Orkestra, Christian Muthspiel Octet Ost, Tonkünstler Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Berner Symphonieorchester, Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, Crested Butte Festival Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig MDR Symphony Orchestra, The Dusseldorf Symphoniker, Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie, Norvegian Chamber Orchestra, «Kremlin» (Mikhail Rahlevsky), «Musica Viva», «Moscow Soloists», «Hermitage Ensemble of Soloists» (Alexey Utkin), Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, St-Petersburg State Capella Symphony Orchestra and many others...

"Arkady Shilkloper is simply the most creative hornist on the planet, and is without doubt one of the greatest horn players who has ever lived. Nobody can do what he does. He is commonly termed a "jazz" player, but what he does goes far beyond that, transcending genre and national styles. He also performs with ear-boggling virtuosity on at least three instruments: horn, alphorn, and fluegelhorn, and no one who has ever had the cosmic good luck of hearing him in performance has ever forgotten his indelible and supreme artistry.
Let me close with a quote (from the horn journal) from the first time I heard Arkady: Shilkloper and his bass player swing like nobody's business. He rips and riffs and goes places that horn players aren't supposed to go without a net, map, seat belt, crash helmet, overhead air support, and a note from their mothers. And he does so with extraordinary ease and musicality. I think maybe nobody ever told him "Jazz playing on horn is very difficult, and probably not natural" or perhaps the phrase does not translate into Russian. I'd walk a camel a mile to hear this guy."

Jeffrey Agrell
Associate Professor of Horn School of Music
UCC Music 3754 The University of Iowa
http://www.uiowa.edu/~somhorn/

"Arkady Shilkloper is a world-class performer on horn, flugelhorn and alphorn (on which he is truly unrivaled around the globe!). He is not only an outstanding performer, but also a very skilled composer and resourceful arranger for both brass and string orchestras and ensembles.
The quartet PAGO LIBRE was founded in 1989, Mr Shilkloper joined the group in 1994, and ever since he brought the level of this band up to the highest possible level, both as original musician and unique personality. Thanks to him, PAGO LIBRE enjoys the status of one of Europe’s top ensembles in the triangle of contemporary classical,new jazz and imaginary folk music.

John Wolf Brennan
Professor at Hochschule für Design+Kunst, Luzern,
Composer, Pianist, Organist, Publisher and Producer.
http://www.brennan.ch