On May 24th the Head of the SUSU’s Jazz Band Georgy Petrovich Anokhin will celebrate his 70th Anniversary. A flute player, instrumental music soloist and composer made special contribution into the history of South Ural State University. It was him who composed music for the SUSU’s hymn, which is being played in the university for almost twenty years. He was also the author of the hymn of SUSU Spring International Festival, and the song for the university’s graduates Diplomniki (Diploma Awardees).
Georgy Anokhin is the author of music for The Golden Cockerel jazz ballet, The Suite of Fleeting Time ballet, as well as of many music plays and programs. His musical works reflect the plots of the world’s literature classics: A.S. Pushkin, F.M. Dostoevsky, F. Schiller. The Anokhin’s creativity focuses on modern composer instrumental music. In this very genre a CD Peace Zone (2000) was recorded, which became a phenomenon in cultural life of Chelyabinsk.
Georgy Anokhin was born in Rovno in 1948. When he was still a child, his parents returned to Miass, where his mother’s relatives lived. There he mastered his skills of playing accordion, and later entered Kurgan Music School, where he first acquaintance with flute occurred. While still a student, Georgy Anokhin organized a small jazz ensemble. Later he decided to continue his studies in Chelyabinsk Music School named after P.I. Tchaikovsky.
Over the years Georgy Anokhin happened to work in O.V. Tergalinsky popular music orchestra, and in 1976 started touring as a jazz musician: he performed in Tbilisi, Samara, in Saint Petersburg Capella. In 1985 he created a chamber jazz music ensemble at Chelyabinsk Philarmonic Hall.
With direct participation of Georgy Petrovich 2 international jazz festivals were organized and held in Chelyabinsk in 1995, and Baby Jazz children festival is being held every year since 2001. In the recent years the musician has been managing L-Band jazz project, teaching music at Chelyabinsk Gymnasium No.26, and heading the SUSU’s Jazz Band.
SUSU became part of the jazzman’s life in 2002, when Georgy Petrovich was invited to the university by its President German Vyatkin. The first task set for the jazzman was to write a hymn. Georgy Anokhin had his doubts about this proposition — he had never composed hymns before. However, the music that he composed received approval of the Academic Council. Later Georgy Petrovich organized a jazz band, which he is currently heading.
Among classical universities South Ural State University is the only one featuring a jazz band, apart from a professional Jazz Academia Big Band of Stanislav Berezhnov. The SUSU band’s peculiarity is that it is happy to accept anyone who plays a musical instrument, even if a musician does not have professional musical training. In a university which does not offer musical training programs, Georgy Anokhin managed to gather a good band, who become laureates of regional, all-Russian and international jazz festivals. As an important achievement the musician sees the recent big victory of his band — Grand Prix at Live Sound 2018, the 2nd All-Russian Contest Festival of Popular Music- and Jazz Bands in Yekaterinburg.
Among the participants of the anniversary concert on the occasion of the musician’s 70’s birthday will be Baby Jazz children jazz studio, L-Band ensemble, and SUSU’s Jazz Band conducted by Georgy Anokhin. The event will be held at Sergey Prokofyev Concert Hall this Sunday, May 27th at 18:00.