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Alexey KolomiytsevUkrainian composer and theater director, actor, singer, musician
Date of Birth: 16.04.1972
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Born in Ukraine, Alexei Kolomiytsev's passion for music began at an early age. After completing his general and musical education, he enrolled in the Glinka Dnipropetrovsk Musical College in 1989, specializing in guitar.
During his mandatory service in the Soviet Army (1990-1992), Kolomiytsev performed in the orchestra of the 6th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, playing wind instruments, percussion, guitar, and singing. Upon returning from the army, he resumed his studies at the musical college, graduating in guitar and vocals in 1995.
Kolomiytsev's talent was evident, and he became a soloist in the Dnipropetrovsk theatrical ensemble "Kozaki-Zaporozhtsy," touring Ukraine and Russia. In 1994, he won the international jazz festival "Horizons of Jazz" in Kryvyi Rih as part of the vocal ensemble "Gamma."
Seeking higher education, Kolomiytsev enrolled in the Kharkiv State University of Arts in 1995, studying vocal performance. Initially studying with renowned pedagogue Nina Manoylo, he later switched to Vladimir Podsadny, who helped him overcome his vocal challenges. Kolomiytsev completed his vocal studies with distinction in 2000.
Theatrical Career
Simultaneously, Kolomiytsev began his theatrical career, working at the Kharkiv State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, the Kharkiv Theater of Musical Comedy, and the opera studio of the Kharkiv Conservatory. In 2002, he was appointed chief director of the Kharkiv Theater of Musical Comedy.
His talent was recognized internationally when he reached the finals of the RING AWARD international competition for opera directors and set designers in 2003. He also won the "Start" National Competition for Young Masters of Arts for his production of Jacques Offenbach's one-act operettas.
From 2003 to 2006, Kolomiytsev participated in over 20 European theater festivals with the Kharkiv Ukrainian Academic Drama Theater. In 2005, he launched the musical side project "Esthetic Empire," which blended neoclassical crossover and art-rock.
Directorial Prowess
Kolomiytsev's directorial work pushed the boundaries of Ukrainian theater, earning him the unofficial titles "Theater Rebel" and "Ukraine's Most Scandalous Director." He established the "Theater of the Rejected" in 2006, a musical-theatrical project featuring actors with disabilities.
He also composed and arranged music for the computer game company "Graviteam" (2006) and taught at the Kharkiv National University of Arts (2008-2009). Kolomiytsev's directorial credits include over 20 productions at prestigious theaters across Ukraine and Russia.
A New Era in Theater
In 2012, Kolomiytsev became the artistic director of the Poltava Academic Ukrainian Musical-Drama Theater. From 2014 to 2015, he led the Lviv Drama Theater.
Following a series of controversies, Kolomiytsev announced in 2015 that he would no longer direct in Ukrainian state theaters. With his wife, Daria Melkina, he founded the independent "Oleksii Kolomiytsev Theater" in Odessa, known as "Teatrok."
