Mikhail Rimsky-Korsakov

Здравствуйте! Sincere greetings to all Music- and Bear-loving partners on Earth. I was born in Moscow in 1966. My mother was a World-class Ballerina as member of the "Большой театр" (Big/Large Theatre) and performed on International Stages. I am forbidden to discuss my father, but he was the reason I was exiled to South Africa a few months after Alexander Rimsky-Korsakov adopted me, age 5, living in an orphanage close to Red Square. Don't ask!

Anyway, after high school with two music subjects and formal training in harmony, counterpoint, orchestration (including wrestling through my Great-great Grandpa "Niki" (the family called Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov "Niki") 'Book on Orchestration', I basically walked the same musical path as Niki! I joined the Navy Band, then got some less excitement at Police Band so two years later I transferred to the SA Army Chamber Orchestra. There I studied and worked my way up as SA's youngest "Director of Music" - the highest qualification in Military Bands at age of 25. I then went full circle and transferred back to the Navy Band never being blessed with the Director's position…well…these Directors (ONE per Military Band must either resign, go on pension or die for a post to open up for me to fill it. Da! I had to rebuke my Soviet mind to controll the Bear in me not to help one of many lame-minded conductors out of their chairs! ;-) ) So, like Niki I, I was blessed to be the official Music Publisher and Orchestrated/Arranged and Composed music for the Navy Band and countless school bands, ensembles, Vocalist Soloists at Universities, etc. music composer/arranger of the South African Navy Band. I have written thousands of scores, some of them performed on 5 continents. I believe a Texas Wind Ensemble won the John Williams prize performing my Star Wars medley (sheetmusicplus.com).

I must confess that I did enjoy more than enough pleasure of conducting the Navy Band…well…the Director had LOTS of Admin to do so "someone" had to get the Band to sound like "Royal Marines" for our annual "Chief of Navy Gala Concerts" every October performing 5-6 of my works every concert.

Now…how can I give Hans Zimmer and other Western Music Counterparts a go, by striking a contract to compose a Film Score!?

I use Dorico, Sibelius, Finale (if I have to)…and Cubase 10.5 ;-)

С уважением, Mikhail Rimsky-Korsakov (Hans Nel is my pen name as those Apartheid era Boers hated Communist/Soviets and Greeks)