Viktoriya Yermolyeva was born in Kiev in 1978. When her parents were told that Vika– at kindergarten age – had perfect pitch and a talent for music, there was no going back: “My parents took it seriously, and the natural consequence seemed to be continued studies at a special music school. That included competitions, exams, and concert performances requiring utmost commitment and all the other expectations that go along with that.
Viktoriya becomes VKgoeswild
Vika reacted to these tensions by listening to “the other music,” rock music in particular, and her choices became heavier and more aggressive as she continued to broaden her palette. Rock became the “soundtrack,” as she says, to her “inner reality.” Eventually, she quit her search, and as an escape created a secret channel, “vkgoeswild,” to let it all hang out, dance, sing, and improvise without publicly revealing her identify. Very soon, Vika started making full piano arrangements, and then, with her first Metallica cover, her web presence began to go viral. Now, her YouTube Channel contains several hundred videos with rock and metal covers and counts more than 380.000 subscribers.
Stages of Vika’s carreer as a classical pianist:
Vika graduated with honours from Kiev Lysenko Specialized Music High School (1996), piano class of Prof. Iryna Lipatova and National P. Tchaikovsky Music Academy of the Ukraine (2000), piano class of Prof. Igor Ryabov.
She studied in the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Weimar (D), postgraduate course with Prof. Peter Waas and simultaneously in the years 2001-2003, studied in the International Piano Academy “Incontri col Maestro” in Imola (I) with Prof. Lazar Berman.
In the years 2003-2006 Viktoriya Yermolyeva studied in the Codarts Academy of Music and Modern Dance, at Rotterdam Conservatory, the Netherlands and graduated with honours from postgraduate course with Prof. Aquiles Delle-Vigne.
She participated in many prestigous master classes and worked under Prof. Vladimir Krainev, Norma Fisher, Viktor Merzhanov, Diane Andersen, Karl-Heinz Kammerling.
Vika is an award-winning pianist with long-term experience of public appearances as Concert Performer solo and with Symphonic Orchestras, Accompanist and Artist of Chamber Ensemble and certificated piano teacher.
She took part in Musical Festivals in Kiev (Ukraine), in Sorrento, Spoleto, Novara, Vietri sul Mare (Italy), in Amsterdam (Grachtenfestival 2005), in Leipzig (EuroArts 2006).
As a soloist she has been appearing with Dninpropetrovsk Symphonic Orchestra with the conductor Blinov, Mykolaiv Symphonic Orchestra with the conductor Oleksandr Roman’ko, Chernigiv Symphonic Orchestra with the conductor Mykola Sukach, Kaunas Chamber Orchestra with the conductor Pavel Berman, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo with the conductor M o Fabiano Monica, Jena Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra with the conductor Kohei Sodeoka.
She won prizes in many piano competitions, among others:
1st Prize at “Filippo Trevisan” International for Piano Interpretation (I).
Winner of The Grachtenfestival 2005 Amsterdam
1st Prize at 35th International Competition “”Vincenzo Bellini”(I)
1st Prize at 20th International Piano Competition “Citta di Marsala” (I)
1st Prize at International Piano Competition “Citta’ Di Trani” (I).
1st Prize at 4th Sigismund Thalberg International Piano Prize (I)
Grand Prix at 9th Pierre Lantier International Music Competition in duet with V.Dmitriev (flute) (Fr).
Vika has been given recitals in concert halls of Kiev (National Philharmonic society of Ukraine), Zwickau (D) (Schumann’s Museum Hall), in Weimar’s German National-Theater, Castle Theatre Ballenstedt (D), De Doelen Rotterdam and many others.
In recognition of her achievements she obtained in 2001 Grant offered by Ruth Westen Pavese, Grant offered by Giovanni Doria, Grant offered by Inter-Cities Performing Arts Foundation. In 2002 she obtained Scholarship granted by Franz Liszt Music Institute in Weimar (D) and in 2003 – Scholarship granted by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Grant offered by Avv. Francesco Paolucci delle Roncole.