Victoria Borisova-Ollas
Victoria Borisova-Ollas is a Russian-Swedish composer who first received international recognition for her symphonic poem Wings of the Wind which won second prize in the 1998 Masterprize International Composition Competition in the UK.
She was born in Vladivostok, and studied with Nikolai Korndorf at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and continued her studies in composition at the Academy of Music in Stockholm and Malmö Music College. In 1997, she studied composition with Jeremy Dale Roberts at the Royal College of Music in London.
She has composed two symphonies, Symphony No. 1 "The Triumph of Heaven" and Symphony No. 2 "Labyrinths of Time".
Her opera The Ground Beneath Her Feet, with a libretto written by Edward Kemp, is an adaptation of the novel of that name by Salman Rushdie. The premiere at Bridgewater Hall during the 2007 Manchester International Festival was narrated by Alan Rickman, conducted by Mark Elder, and featured a film component by Mike Figgis.
Since 2008 she has been a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
Prizes and awards
- 1997 - Royal Swedish Academy of Music scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London
- 1998 - Second place in the Masterprize International Composing Competition for Wings of the Wind
- 2000 - The Society of Swedish Composers scholarship
- 2005 - The Christ Johnson Prize minor award for Symphony No. 1 The Triumph of Heaven
- 2006 - TCO Culture Award
- 2008 - Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award
- 2008 - Music Publishers Award for The Ground Beneath Her Feet
- 2009 - The Rosenberg Prize
- 2010 - Music Publishers Award for Golden Dances of the Pharaohs
- 2011 - Christ Johnson Award Grand Prize of the Golden Dances of the Pharaohs
- 2016 - The Stockholm Music Association Choir-composer Scholarship
- 2017 - Expressen's Spelmannen Award for 2016
- STIM's Scholarship - 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003
Selected works
Orchestral
Image – Reflection for 2 violins and orchestraA Shadow of the Night for orchestraOctagon for piano and orchestraSchreitende Alléen for orchestraWings of the Wind for orchestra- Symphony No.1 The Triumph of Heaven for orchestraColours of Autumn for orchestraThe Kingdom of Silence for orchestraBefore the Mountains Were Born for woodwind and orchestraOpen Ground for orchestraAngelus for orchestraGolden Dances of the Pharaohs for clarinet and orchestraTräumerei, transcription for symphony orchestra of a piano piece by Robert SchumannWunderbare Leiden fantasy on themes by Robert and Clara Schumann for two pianos and symphony orchestra
Large ensemble
Keter for 12 saxophonesCreation of the Hymn for string orchestraChamber and small ensemble
Rainbow Hunt for flute, saxophone, guitar, percussion and tapeCreation of the Hymn for string quartetBehind the Shadows for viola, cello, contrabass and percussion...im Klosterhofe for cello, piano and tape...ein schöner Winterabend in Sachsen for violin and pianoRoosters in Love for saxophone quartetCe n'est pas le geste qui dure... for flute, guitar, viola and celloIn a World Unspoken for saxophone quartet and organSeven Singing Butterflies for clarinet and string quartetChoral
- Psalm 42: Wie der Hirsch schreit for orchestra, two soloists, mixed choir and organVinden som ingenting minns for choir and orchestra