Ilia Melikhov

ILIA MELIKHOV is an associate professor at the Gnessins Russian Academy of Music, and he holds a position of associate timpanist and a principal percussionist of the Russian National Orchestra.

He performed with London Philharmonic Orchestra (Vladimir Jurowski), Seattle Symphony orchestra (Gerard Schwartz), Chinese National orchestra (Jose Serebrier), CIS Youth Orchestra (Vladimir Spivakov), Russian State Symphony E. Svetlanov orchestra (Alexander Lazarev), Moscow Philharmonic orchestra in UN General Assembly and Carnegie Hall in New York, the congress hall of UNESCO in Paris, Barbican center and Royal Albert hall in London, Beijing opera theater.

As an artist of RNO Ilia performed with Mstistlav Rostropovich, Kent Nagano, Charles Dutoit, Michel Plasson, Alen Altinoglu, Claus Peter Flor, Mark Elder, Martin Brabbins, Pinchas Zukerman, Ingo Metzmaher, Carlo Ponty, Vasiliy Sinaisky, Theodor Kurentzis, Nikola Luisotti, Nikolaj Znaider, Semen Bychkov, Sting, at the international festivals: BBC Proms (London, Edinburgh), Musical September (Montreux), Singapore Sun Festival, Tuscan Sun Festival, Warsaw Chopin Festival, George Enescu Festival (Buсharest), “Three Romes Festival” (Vatican), Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, Boca Raton Arts Festival, Abu Dhabi Music Festival, Russian Arts Festival (Bogota, Colombia).

He performed as a soloist and as member of percussion ensembles at 2nd festival of contemporary music “Open Space”, Grand festival of Russian National Orchestra, Moscow festival “Green Week”, “Brass Days”, Napa Valley Sun festival, USA. He has been involved in collaborations with Nebojsa Zivkovic, Keiko Abe, Evelin Glenny, Vladislav Lavrik, Alexandr Rudin. Melikhov has participated in recording more then 25 CDs with RNO with Mikhail Pletnev, Paavo Berglund, Jacob Kreizberg, Vasiliy Petrenko, Vasily Sinaisky and Paavo Jarvi (7th symphony of Shostakovich – Grammy nominated CD).
Ilia gave master-classes in: San-Francisco Conservatory, LIED Center of Performing Arts (Nebraska University, Lincoln), in EU Erasmus+ educational program in Parma Consevatory (Italy), Hoseo University of IT and Arts in Seoul (South Korea), in the Blackburn Music Academy of Festival Napa Valley, CA, University of IOWA, Chapman University in Orange, CA.

Melikhov is an artist of JGpercussion company.

He published two method books – anthologies for mallets: «Orchestral excerpts for bells and xylophone from the works of Russian composers» (ISBN 979-0-9003227-0-8) and «Excerpts and Exercises» (ISBN 979-0-9003227-1-5) which include all Russian repertoire for mallets.

His scientific activity includes several publications:

• Specifics of contemporary mallet percussion, The Gnessins science school (№ 184);
• History of xylophone, Back Beat №1;
• Metal mallet percussion, Back Beat №2;
• The percussion theatre of Nebojsa Zivkovic, Researchers of young musicologists, ISSN 2618-8392.

OrchestraGnessins Russian Academy of MusicTitleAssociate Professor, Associate Timpanist, Principal Percussionist