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by mia hadjigeorgiou
As a professional conductor, composer, and musician, Nikita Sukhikh definitely has many strings to his bow, and with over thirty years of classical training, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to categorise this conductor as a musical maestro…
Nikita first began playing the violin at the young age of six, due to his parents’ admiration of his uncle, who was the conductor of a local symphony orchestra, and as such, a respected member of the local community.
Admittedly, Nikita wasn’t hugely enthusiastic about playing the violin in his youth, instead preferring to play sports- predominantly football- or hang around on the streets chatting with friends. He also dreamed of potentially one day becoming a painter, following in the
footsteps of his grandfather, who was an amateur artist.
In his teenage years, Nikita began to take his violin-playing more seriously, particularly after his uncle’s passing, when he discovered a number of recordings of his uncle’s phenomenal violin-playing.
Following years of dedicated training, Nikita was then accepted into the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow at the age of twenty-two.
During his time at the academy, Nikita trained hard to understand the intricacies of not just music-playing, but also music theory, stating that “if you don’t know music theory, you’re like a blind kitty- you will always be unsure whether you’re right or wrong, but with that knowledge of music theory, you know exactly how music works”.
He also couldn’t have been more complimentary about the high level of education he received, adding, “it was fascinating- the level of education was mind-blowing because the professors were devoted to what they were doing completely, and their passion was clear”.
After graduating at age twenty-seven, Nikita began working as a professional musician and conductor, before moving to the UK just over a year ago on a Global Talent Visa. When asked why he chose to move to the UK, Nikita said that as a teenager, he “listened mostly to English rock bands”, loved English literature (especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien), and watched a wealth of English films, so he thought “you’ve got to be in that
country, you’ve got to live there for some time”.
Since moving to London, Nikita has engaged in multiple musical projects, including playing piano at Arlington restaurant in Mayfair, and playing violin at the Royal Opera House. Most recently, he has been travelling around the UK and Germany with a touring ballet company, conducting the music for two of the most beautiful classic ballets, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.
Despite only living in the UK for a year, Nikita has quickly realised that Britain is definitely where he’s meant to be: “It’s not been a very long time but somehow, I feel like this is my new home. I like many aspects of Britain very much. I literally started a new life here”. That being said, there is something which keeps Nikita from feeling fully settled here, and that is remembering his family back home. He is father to two boys and two girls- aged twelve, ten, four and one- and while he dreams of one day being able to bring them to live in the UK with him, the reality of living costs makes such a task incredibly difficult. About his children, he said, “they’re so cute and lovely… but life is expensive here. You need to work very hard to be able to rent”.
All in all, Nikita’s natural talent is a rare find, his continuous dedication to his craft is admirable, and both his kindness and humour are apparent. Having spent over thirty years honing his skills, he embodies qualities which in the modern day are often overlooked in favour of a quick result: diligence and determination.
picture by ash hussain
