Deniz Kyrdzhy

Deniz Kyrdzhy is a classically trained lyric singer and choral conductor, originally from Russia. A 2025–2026 Pax Musica laureate, he brings a vision of music as a space of freedom, intercultural dialogue, and collective creation.

Trained at the prestigious Gnessine College and subsequently at the Moscow Conservatory — two leading institutions in classical music education — he built a strong foundation in singing and choral conducting. In 2022, he left Russia in disagreement with the ruling power and in response to the war waged against Ukraine. Now based in France, he is pursuing studies in Baroque singing and choral conducting at the Conservatoire d'Aubervilliers, while actively developing an artistic career spanning choral direction and ensemble singing. As a member of aa-e (an association supporting artists in exile), he is part of a network dedicated to helping musicians rebuild their artistic lives far from their home country.

In Paris, he already conducts a choir in an Orthodox church — a first concrete expression of his ambition: to create a chamber choir open to both professional and semi-professional singers, a space where music becomes a refuge, a shared learning experience, and an act of unity. Through the mentorship and support of Pax Musica, he is developing his project management skills and building a sustainable artistic path in France, alongside his growth as a singer within professional ensembles.

As part of the Les Gardiennes de la Mer artistic residency at Résidences Rocabella, Deniz Kyrdzhy explores the sea as a metaphor for passage, exile, and rebuilding. For an artist who has lived through a profound geographical and political rupture, the coastline carries deep meaning — a border between two shores, between what has been left behind and what is yet to be built.

This residency provides him with a space for creative retreat and artistic maturation, allowing him to develop the foundations of his future chamber choir. Moved by the sound of wind, waves, and the silences of the Mediterranean, Deniz Kyrdzhy reflects on what the collective voice can carry as a message of unity and humanity, in a world marked by fractures and forced exiles. Choral music — a language without borders — finds its full resonance here.