“It’s necessary to present classical music to as wide an audience as possible since many do not know what it is,” says the musician Yekaterina Vasilyeva.

Yekaterina Vasilyeva came to Armenia to participate in the “Rebirth” international competition-festival. She made it to the top list of medal winners.

While the young guitarist is from Russia, she has lived in Sweden for the past three years and represented that country in the competition. She originally went to pursue her studies and wound up staying.

Her medal won in Armenia is her first major achievement, even though she has participated in competitions in Russia and Sweden.

When I asked her what she found interesting about the competition in Armenia, Yekaterina responded, “Armenia, the country”.

“I’ve always found it interesting to travel to old places, especially to old cities (she refers to Gyumri). In addition, every musician must constantly perfect their craft, by going to other countries and entering various competitions,” she says.

Outside the festival, through which she’s made new friends, she was taken by the warmth of Armenians and the mountains of Armenia, which she describes as “transferring great energy”.

In Sweden, the guitarist performs solo and in two bands; one plays Latin American tunes and the other is a trio consisting of guitar, balalaika and flute that performs Russian folk music.

Yekaterina says Swedish audiences truly appreciate Russian folk music, even to the point of singing along when the group performs the much-loved tune Kalinka and others.

The guitarist confesses that she feels more unrestricted when playing in Latin American style, but that she finds classical music much more serious.

“My favourite is Bach. Playing any of his works is a science in itself,” she says.

At the same time, Yekaterina believes that classical music, especially performed on guitar, is gradually diminishing in popularity. She argues that this is a result of the impact of TV, which mainly broadcasts pop music.

Yekaterina says that classical music is being pushed aside even though many aren’t familiar with it. She chalks this up to a lack of proper promotion and argues that classical music must simply be presented much more frequently to the masses.