About me and Teachers

I was born in the village of Otradnaya (Krasnodar Territory, Russia), on June 28, 1974. Parents Sergius Letunov and Rhais Letunova are employees of the anti-hail detachment. I spent my childhood in the village of Spokoynaya (Krasnodar Territory, Russia), where I graduated from a Music School in the Accordion class (teacher Demetrius Zhevakin).

In 1986, the family moved to the village of Otradnaya, and for 3 years I studied at the Otradnaya Children's Art School in the Accordion class (teacher Alexander Mamonov), I also received a certificate of completion. During the solfeggio lessons (teacher Rose Berezhnova) I was found to have absolute pitch.

In 1989 I entered the Stavropol Musical College in Accordion class (teacher Alexander Markov, a laureate of the All-USSR Competition for accordionists) and graduated with honors in Accordion class (teacher Valerius Kolesnikov). During my school years, my abilities to compose music are revealed. I am starting to write arrangements for accordion, ensembles, and polyphony classes (teacher Valerie Peresipkina) inspired me to compose two Toccatas and Fugues. I also enjoy attending harmony and solfeggio (teacher Helen Zharikova) and buying records with symphonies and operas in stores in order to prepare for quizzes on the history of music (teacher Eugenia Stoliarova). Communication with Theodore Alexeev, Andrew Abramov, Victor Kamishnikov, Constantine Savtsov, Valerius Mintsev, Lydia Maslova, Vladimirus Cherniavsky and many other excellent musicians of Stavropol contributed to my creative development and broadening my horizons. From the 3rd year I began to work at the school as an accompanist in the department of folk singing and in the Palace of Pioneers in the ensemble "Spring" under the guidance of my class teacher Wenceslaus Volkov. It was from him that my parents bought the accordion "Jupiter" for me, which was a tangible impetus for studying in my specialty.

In 1993 I entered the Rostov State Conservatory named after S. Rachmaninov in Accordion class (teacher Ludmilla Varavina, professor, Honored Worker of the Higher School). Highly professional and demanding teachers of the conservatory supported me in my desire to study and learn, and I was happy to fulfill their tasks! Classes in the history of music (teacher Galina Kaloshina, professor, Doctor of Arts), harmony (teacher Evelina Struchalina, professor) and conducting (teacher Oleg Zubchenko, professor) stimulated my composing endeavors, Ludmilla Varavina also welcomed my searches. From 1996 to 2001 I have been working in the ensemble "Dontsi" (headed by Alexander Kolontaev, Honored Artist of Russia) at the Rostov State Philharmonic, give concerts around the country and abroad.

In 1997, my program at the III International Competition for Folk Instrument Perfomers "North Cup" in Cherepovets (Vologda Region, Russia) included 2 own compositions: Sonata No. 1 and Paraphrase on the theme of the Russian folk song "I Was Walking up a Little Hill", where I became the winner of III degree.

After graduating from the conservatory, in 1998, I continued my postgraduate studies in the Accordion class (scientific adviser Ludmilla Varavina, professor, honored worker of the Higher School) and again entered the Rostov Conservatory, but in Composition class (teacher Anatolius Kusiakov, professor, People's Artist of Russia).

Under the Anatolius's strict guidance, my compositions for accordion with another instrument appear: Divertimento for Clarinet and Accordion, Fantasia for Bassoon and Accordion, Sonata for Viola and Accordion, etc. And this is not surprising, because Anatolius Kusiakov saw the future of the accordion in ensemble performance! Ludmilla  Varavina helped to write pieces: Waltz, Polka, Gost, etc., and in the Polyphony classes (teacher Galina Gontarenko, professor) Humoresque was appeared, written in the genre of Invention and Fugue.

In 2001, Ludmilla and me decided to publish my works and started the project "Premiere". This is a series of releases of works for accordion, written by me, edited by L. Varavina. To date, 5 collections of this series have been released. From 2002 to 2008 I give concerts for tourists on ships in various structures of the ensemble. In 2004, after graduating from the conservatory, I entered the graduate school in composition (scientific adviser Anatolius Kusiakov, professor, People's Artist of Russia). From the same year, he began working as an accompanist at the Children's Art School No. 3 named after M. Glinka in Rostov-on-Don, where I work at the moment. In 2006, at the I Moscow Open Competition for Young Composers named after G. Shishakov my works "Monastery on the Kazbek" and Sonata for Viola and Accordion took first places in the nominations "Solo Instrument" and "Ensemble".

Since 2009 I have been an accompanist of the Faculty of Solo Folk Singing of the Rostov State Conservatory named after S. Rachmaninov. In 2019, I joined the Union of Composers of Russia.