Yakov Kazyansky

A graduate of the Gnesin Academy of Music, Yakov Kazyansky composed music for over 20 shows for Yaroslavl Young People’s Theatre, as well as The Yaroslavl Puppet Theatre, where he works as the Music Director. He is also the author of the music for the television movie New Year’s Adventures (2001) and the television series Poroda (2002). 

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In 1987, he started working on the musical version of the Andrew Lloyd Weber’s famous rock-opera Jesus Christ Superstar which premiered in 1989 in Rybinsk. In April 1990, the performance was staged at the Yaroslavl Young People’s Theatre, where it ran for five seasons with much acclaim.  

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In 1994, Yakov Kazyansky composed a one-act opera The Cat’s House based on a poem by S. Marshak for the Yaroslavl Young People’s Theatre. The same year he was named Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.

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Yakov arranged many of jazz compositions and Jewish songs for the vocal duet of his daughters, as well as for some other music groups, including The Moscow Male Jewish Capella. Yakov has successfully performed at many jazz festivals as a jazz pianist. At present, he regularly performs in Chicago, IL and Columbus, OH, playing with different musicians.