His early influences included Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, as well as rock music. Koshkin's best-known guitar work is Usher-Waltz (1984), a piece inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story The Fall of the House of Usher, written for the guitarist Vladislav Blaha.
Born in Moscow in 1956, Koshkin recalls liking the music of Shostakovich and Stravinsky at age 4. His parents planned a diplomatic career for young Nikita, however, and until he was 14, rock was his only musical interest. That year, his grandfather gave him a guitar and a recording by Segovia, and his life was changed.
Composing for and playing the guitar became his double passion, and he went on to study guitar with George Emanov at the Moscow College of Music, and with Alexander Frauchi at the Gnesin Institute (Russian Academy of Music), where he also studied composition with Victor Egorov.
Over 25,000 active members can't be wrong. Take your playing to the next level with exclusive instructions from the world's best musicians — get started today!
