Andrey Nemzer was born on Septemper 26, 1982 in Moscow (Russia). In his early childhood he studied piano and clarinet. In 1989 Andrey entered the A.V. Sveshnikov Moscow Choir College and started singing in the College boys’ choir (first as a boy alto, then as a boy soprano).
In 1992 Andrey became a soloist and started touring with the Choir under the direction of People’s Artist of Russia Viktor Popov in Russia and abroad — in Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and USA. In 1994 Nemzer participated in the Russian premiere of Mozart’s Masonic Cantatas at the Moscow Conservatory’s Great Hall with pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev.
In 2000 Andrey had finished college with distinction and entered the V.S. Popov Moscow Academy of Choral Art where he studied solo singing and choral conducting 2000 -2005. In 2010 Nemzer was awarded a scholarship and the position as a teaching assistant at Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music in Pittsburgh, PA where he is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma degree in Music Performance.
Andrey had started his singing career as a spinto tenor. In 1999, he began to sing in different Moscow church choirs. Later his first operatic engagements followed: in 2002 and 2003 Andrey sang at Russian premieres of “Lulu” by A. Berg (Alwa) and “Peter The Great” by A. Grétry (Alexis) staged at the Helikon Opera Theater. In 2003-04, Nemzer studied at the Novaya Opera Theater. He also toured in China, Iceland, Great Britain and Spain.
In 2007 Andrey discovered that due to his strong and deep falsetto, he could easily sing alto parts, so he started to train himself to sing alto. Since 2008 Andrey performs as a countertenor, singing sacred and secular music of different times and styles in Russia and abroad — in USA, Czech, Serbia and Ukraine.
Nemzer had also successfully participated in international vocal competitions. In 2002 he won the 2nd prize in the vocal ensembles category at the Tenth All-Russian Vocal Student Competition “Bella voce” (Moscow, Russia) where he performed in duet with Antonina Timofeyeva. In 2009 he won the special prize “The Best Competition Soloist” at the Fifth International Choral Competition “The Singing World” (St. Petersburg, Russia) where he sang as a member of the men’s choral ensemble “Blagovest” directed by Lev Pankratov. In 2010 Andrey won at The Pittsburgh Baroque Competition. In October 2011 Andrey received the 1st prize at the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and along with the prize money, he was awarded a spot in the Resident Artist program of Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and a role in one of the operas staged by the Opera Theater of the Pittsburgh Summer Festival in June – July 2012.
After becoming a national semifinalist from the Great Lakes region in December 2011, Andrey was one of 5 Grand Prize winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finale in New York in March 2012.
Andrey frequently collaborates with many vocal and instrumental ensembles in Russia and the United States. In Russia, this includes the “The Pocket Symphony” under the direction of Nazar Kozhukhar, the “Intrada” Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Ekaterina Antonenko, Moscow’s Sacred Music Ensemble “Blagovest” under the direction of Galina Koltsova, The nen’s choral ensemble “Blagovest” under the direction of Lev Pankratov, The Grand Choir “Masters of Choral Singing” RSMC under the direction of Lev Kontorovich and the Moscow Synodal Choir of the Tretyakov Gallery under the direction of Alexey Puzakov. In the United States, Andrey works with Third Presbyterian Church choir under the direction of Lenny Young and the organist H. Preston Showman. He is also the main soloist of The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh under the direction of Betsy Burleigh and he collaborates frequently with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Manfred Honeck.
Nemzer’s repertoire spans from Renaissance and Baroque music to Avant Garde and Jazz, including Russian folk songs, romances, sacred music and opera.