NATALIA DOBROVOLSKAYA
16.06.1972 — 15.03.2019
Founder of Piano Bridges International Competition for Amateur Pianists
Natalia Dobrovolskaya was a person whose talent and energy transformed the music life of her home town, St. Petersburg. She lived a short but bright life and founded the Piano Bridges International Competition, the first amateur pianist community not only in St. Petersburg but also in Russia.
The Piano Bridges Project began its life in 2011. It was the first competition in Russia where not only amateur pianists could take part, but also those who were trained as professional musicians in the past, but, for various reasons, chose a different occupation. Since then the competition has become a real year-round international festival with many concerts held in St Petersburg and Moscow. The nucleus of the project is the competition which to this day continues to draw more and more amateur pianists from around the world – from Mexico to Japan.
The Piano Bridges Project began its life in 2011. It was the first competition in Russia where not only amateur pianists could take part, but also those who were trained as professional musicians in the past, but, for various reasons, chose a different occupation. Since then the competition has become a real year-round international festival with many concerts held in St Petersburg and Moscow. The nucleus of the project is the competition which to this day continues to draw more and more amateur pianists from around the world – from Mexico to Japan.
Natalia Dobrovolskaya was born in Leningrad into a family of engineers. She finished a children’s music school but did not succeed in continuing her music education. She chose to study medicine. But her interest in music did not grow less while she was studying at the medical school. Upon graduation, she worked as a nurse for a few years. Then she entered the St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts and graduated it as a culturologist and historian of music culture. Soon after graduation she learnt of her terrible disease. When she told her teacher, Galina Efimovna Minsker, about it, the latter advised her to leave all trivial matters behind and immerse herself fully in music. It was then that Natalia discovered a new form of music life – piano amateur competitions.
Natalia decided to take part in the Paris Competition for Outstanding Amateurs. And on returning home, she set out to organize the first competition for amateur pianists in Russia. She was working on this daring task with enthusiasm and passion at the same time working as a nurse. She called it Piano Bridges. Nobody – not her relatives, nor friends or colleagues – believed that could be done without anyone’s help, especially financial help. But Natalia did not listen to anyone. Soon the organizing committee and the sophisticated jury were formed. Only Natalia’s father, poet Laert Dobrovolsky, supported and helped her from the very start.
In 2011, the first competition took place. Then the others followed. The organization was very professional. Everything was done at the highest level – the best concert halls, booklets, substantial cash prizes, press and television coverage. Originally, the main financing source was Natalia’s and her family’s income. Later sponsors joined in. Natalia kept working without a moment’s rest. The geography of the competition gradually encompassed all continents – from Australia to the Americas. The number of the participants rose to be over 350.
But soon, the competition alone was not enough any more. She started the year-round concert series in many libraries in St. Petersburg including the National Russian Library of Russia. A few years later, there were as many as 10 concerts held a month. Thanks to Natalia’s enthusiasm and inexhaustible organizational energy, the libraries became centres of St. Petersburg’s music life.
In 2011, the first competition took place. Then the others followed. The organization was very professional. Everything was done at the highest level – the best concert halls, booklets, substantial cash prizes, press and television coverage. Originally, the main financing source was Natalia’s and her family’s income. Later sponsors joined in. Natalia kept working without a moment’s rest. The geography of the competition gradually encompassed all continents – from Australia to the Americas. The number of the participants rose to be over 350.
But soon, the competition alone was not enough any more. She started the year-round concert series in many libraries in St. Petersburg including the National Russian Library of Russia. A few years later, there were as many as 10 concerts held a month. Thanks to Natalia’s enthusiasm and inexhaustible organizational energy, the libraries became centres of St. Petersburg’s music life.
Besides, Natalia organized a series of concerts in the Russian Museum (including the piano marathon as part of the Russian Imperial Gardens Festival), and the festival together with Les Amateurs Virtuoses! (France). As a pianist, she took part in the Doctors Playing for Doctors concert held in the Capella. Many of the winners and finalists get involved in active concert activity and introduce new public to music. Some of those from the public later decide to take part in the competition auditions. There are also those who started to learn to play the piano professionally as adults.
The project has played a priceless educational role, as it took the amateur (home) piano playing to a new level.
The project has played a priceless educational role, as it took the amateur (home) piano playing to a new level.
The disease gave Natalia only 11 years to live, during which she, dealing with a lot of difficulties, daily performed the feat of serving music and people of art.
In 2018, the eighth competition took place, which was the last for Natalia. The disease got the upper hand, and in March 2019 she passed away. However, her noble work was continued by her friends and the big family of amateur pianists. The Piano Bridges were named after Natalia Dobrovolskaya and kept on living. All the concert venues where the amateur pianists perform hold concerts dedicated to this wonderful woman, a true music devotee and an infinitely kind person – Natalia Dobrovolskaya. For many, she will always be an example of self-denial, sincerity, great courage, selfless love of music and love for people. The bridges she built have connected cities and continents, amateur pianists and lovers of classical music, people of different occupations, ages and destinies.
In 2018, the eighth competition took place, which was the last for Natalia. The disease got the upper hand, and in March 2019 she passed away. However, her noble work was continued by her friends and the big family of amateur pianists. The Piano Bridges were named after Natalia Dobrovolskaya and kept on living. All the concert venues where the amateur pianists perform hold concerts dedicated to this wonderful woman, a true music devotee and an infinitely kind person – Natalia Dobrovolskaya. For many, she will always be an example of self-denial, sincerity, great courage, selfless love of music and love for people. The bridges she built have connected cities and continents, amateur pianists and lovers of classical music, people of different occupations, ages and destinies.
On 27 May 2019, Natalia Dobrovolskaya was posthumously awarded the Princess Yekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova Prize established by the Library Association of St. Petersburg
This prize was awarded for the concert series held from 2011 to 2019 in the libraries of St. Petersburg, Vyborg, Kronstadt and Moscow. Among the main reasons for awarding the prize were the educational nature of the project, its commitment to familiarizing the audience with the world of classical music, bringing performers and the public together, developing the cultural environment of libraries, providing library visitors with an opportunity to listen to classical music performed by musicians with different national cultural backgrounds.
