Right from its inception, Oleg Kogan wanted to find a building for the Razumovsky Academy. He finally identified an empty high street unit near their home in Kensal Green: a scruffy two-story failed local shop – ground floor retail, first floor additional accommodation and a yard at the rear.
Over a period of three years, Oleg transformed this most basic of buildings into a distinctive, atmospheric and flexible space for music. Its design and ingenuity is breath-taking, with fascinating touches – such as the discreet wall lamps fashioned from copper piping with tiny, invisibly placed halogen lights; the raw brick walls as well as reclaimed wood – all contributing to unique acoustics.
Since 2017 activities of the Razumovsky Academy moved to these premises with practice rooms and the Recital Hall which, with its Steinway Model D grand piano, is wired for recording and filming, and together with all other facilities is available for musicians making their way in the highly competitive world of the cultural arts. In this space lessons, masterclasses, concerts, recordings, filming and streaming take place, offering and facilitating a presence and profile gateway into the public domain.
This unique facility is offered by the Razumovsky Academy together with The Razumovsky Trust. The Trust is raising funds to empower, facilitate and ensure that this offer will be sustainable onwards into the future.
