Viktoriya "Vika" Yermolyeva ( uk, Вікторія Єрмольєва, born 2 November 1978, also known as vkgoeswild) is a Ukrainian-German pianist. In her early career she studied and played classical music, winning several awards. Later, she became known for piano covers of famous

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and heavy metal songs.

Career

Yermolyeva started playing piano at the age of 4. After studying at the Tchaikovsky Music Academy in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

(2000), she completed her graduate studies at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

, and the International Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro" in

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical re ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, with the famous pianist

Lazar Berman Lazar Naumovich Berman (russian: Ла́зарь Нау́мович Бе́рман, ''Lazarʹ Naumovič Berman''; February 26, 1930February 6, 2005) was a Soviet Russian classical pianist, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1988). He was hailed for a h ...

. Further studies took her to the Codarts Academy of Music and Modern Dance, at Rotterdam Conservatory,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In the early classical phase of her career, she won a variety of piano competitions, such as 1st Prize at "Filippo Trevisan" competition for Piano Interpretation in

, winner of The Grachtenfestival 2005

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, 1st Prize at 35th International Competition "Vincenzo Bellini" in

, 1st Prize at 20th International Piano Competition "Citta di Marsala", 1st Prize at International Piano Competition “Citta' Di Trani”, 1st Prize at 4th Sigismund Thalberg International Competition, and the Grand Prix at 9th Pierre Lantier International Music Competition in duet with V. Dmitriev (flute) in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 2003, Yermolyeva explored jazz music and studied with Leonid Chizhik. Since 2008, she has focused her career on playing rock music, concentrating on heavy metal covers by many famous metal bands. Her web videos have over 80 million views. On 29 January 2011 she performed her first live rock concert in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

(VIGGIE & VIKA: Live in Iceland) collaborating with drummer

Brian Viglione Brian Viglione (born May 16, 1979, in Greenville, New Hampshire) is an American drummer best known for his work with The Dresden Dolls and Violent Femmes. He was also a prominent member of New York City's cabaret punk orchestra The World/Inferno F ...

. In 2016, Yermolyeva released an album that was a mix of covers and original compositions. It was funded via the crowdfunding platform

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

, and was entitled "Fan's Edition". In 2020, Yermolyeva released the album '' Happiness is not the Point'' consisting of original compositions. On the album she plays the piano as well as providing singing and spoken word.

Personal life

Yermolyeva currently resides in

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

with her pet dogs. She enjoys

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

and

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

. Yermolyeva speaks Russian, English, and German. Her husband Anselm Huber passed away in 2019.

Awards

* 2004 – Sigismund Thalberg International Piano Prize, Naples, 4th Edition (First prize) * 2005 – Grachtenfestival, Codarts, Rotterdam (winner of the Jury Prize)Grachtenfestival
Grachtenfestival.nl. Retrieved on 3 February 2018.

References

External links

*
Viktoriya Yermolyeva
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Living people Ukrainian pianists Ukrainian women pianists 1978 births Musicians from Kyiv Ukrainian YouTubers 21st-century pianists 21st-century women pianists {{Ukraine-musician-stub