Alexei Karabanov

He was born in May 1961 in the northwestern city of Leningrad (now Saint-Petersburg). At the age of 12 he began to study the clarinet and at just 15 entered the Rimsky-Korsakov Musical College of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1976. In 1980 he graduated from the conservatory with honours and then entered the Faculty of Military Conductors of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 1985, after finishing his studies at the conservatory, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Soviet Navy and was immediately appointed to lead the Admiralty Navy Band of the Leningrad Naval Base, nicknamed the Russian Naval Admiralty Band.

In 1991, Alexei Karabanov received his first invitation to perform at international concerts with the band, with his first tour outside of Russia taking place in Northern France at the Fifth International Festival of Military Music in Lille. Since that time, the band, under Karabanov's leadership, has regularly appeared in festivals and concerts and musical classes in the West, such as his October 1993 visit to Brigham Young University in Utah, where he gave classroom lectures and directed the BYU Bands, including the Cougar Marching Band. It was there where the previously "unknown" original Russian band music by V. Barsegian and Vladimir Malgin was introduced. Nine years later, at HMS Nelson, HMNB Portsmouth, the Royal Marines Band performed a Russian music program under the baton of Commander Karabanov. In 2007, in recognition of his service and talent, the Ministry of Defense promoted Karabanov to the post of Artistic Director and commanding officer of the Central Navy Band of Russia, which is the highest musical position in the Russian Navy. At the same time, he was also promoted to the senior naval rank of Naval Captain.[1][2][3]