Yuri Wichniakov (Юрий Вишняков)
Yuri Wichniakov was born in Moscow in 1951. He finished lower musical school and then the Moscow Conservatory at the Theory and Composing Faculty. He has substantial experience in editorial, journalistic and composing work. From 1980 he has been member of the the State Chamber Choir of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, singing Russian repertoire from old Orthodox chants to Alfred Schnittke, also western european music from Palestrina to Schoenberg. He has intense touring life - as a solo bass/octavist singer. He is the featured bass on the Orthodox Singers' recording Basso Profondo From Old Russia. Wichniakov has performed the All-Night Vigil by Rachmaninov many times, most notably with the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir and maestro Valery Polansky in 1986. Wichniakov currently performs with the Grand Choir “Masters of Choral Singing” under Lev Kantorovich.