Born 20 July 1967, Arkhangelsk.
Early musical education began in 1974. Studied 1982-1986 in the Yaroslavl Special School for Music, and 1986-1992 at the Glinka Conservatory in Gorkii (Nizhnyi Novgorod) under Prof. Margarita A. Samorukova. In 1992 served as assistant to Prof. Israel. B. Gusman in the Conservatory's internship program.
As a student of Prof. Samorukova, assisted for three years with the symphony orchestra of the Dzherzhinski Special School for Music. With that orchestra led several symphonic concerts on the Conservatory's stage. In 1990 won third place in the Russian national competition for student choral directors, which took place in Novosibirsk with the conservatory and chamber choirs.
From 1991 to the present, artistic director of the Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra, which received professional status in 1991 and became a state institution in 1993. It is with this orchestra that Vladimir Onufriev has achieved his most fundamental successes as a director.
As the leader of a chamber-sized ensemble, V. Onufriev sees his orchestra as a "high-tech laboratory", performing in particular small-ensemble works of the Vienna School. But by the nature of this talent, education and experience, his wide-ranging grasp of forms and the music's "soul", V. Onufriev is a musician whose merits are well-displayed also in larger forms and with bigger orchestras: it is delightful that noble reserve, precision of gesture, and an absence of affectation are characteristic of the director's manner. V. Onufriev transmits his "nerve" to the orchestra, achieving a harmonious ensemble, a unity both strict and emotional. - G. Snitovskaya (Moscow), "Pravda Severa," 1993.
The Chamber Orchestra performs a repertoire of top-notch work for chamber orchestra, including symphonic compositions, for which it is augmented by wind players from the capitals. Soloists of the highest rank, invited to perform with the Chamber Orchestra, always note the ensemble's high quality and skill in accompaniment.
Vladimir Onufriev has performed concerts with the Arkhangelsk State Chamber Orchestra in Germany, Holland, Sweden, Norway and Finland; and appeared on the stages of the Moscow Conservatory's Malyi Zal, the hall of the Russian Academy of Music, and the Bolshoi Zal of the D. D. Shostakovich Philharmonic of St. Petersburg.
V. Onufriev's structured, well thought-out interpretations possess a seeming originality that is in fact wholly based on the authentic texts; his distinctive approach "unloads" the weight of tradition surrounding a work and attempts to penetrate to the depths of the composer's intentions as seen in the score and annotations.
As a conductor, V. Onufriev excels at the art of accompanying soloists: "he likes to play as an ensemble, unlike many. His painstaking, penetrating rehearsal process creates a unified organism, where the soloist and conductor make music as equals." (from an interview with the pianist Ruvim Ostrovskii, Jan. 2004)
V. Onufriev's merit is first of all that he combines the traits of a very gifted, brilliant, non-standard creative personality with an honest relationship to the music, and an absolute mastery of interpretation and ensemble performance. Also notable are his constant musical development and ever greater perfection of the work.
Performances as visiting conductor: Nizhnyi Novgorod Academic Symphony Orchestra, 1993, 2004, 2007. Among the works performed: Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5; Dvorak, New World Symphony. Volgograd Academic Symphony Orchestra, 2001-2004. Among the works: G. Kancheli, 4th Symphony; A. Schnittke, First Symphony; P. Tchaikovsky, "Manfred" Symphony; S. Rachmaninov, Symphonic Dances. Krasnoyarsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, 2001, 2004, 2006. A. Bruckner, Sixth Symphony; E. Chausson, Symphony. Symphonic Orchestra of the Karelian State Philharmonic, 2006. F. Schubert, "Great" Symphony in C Major. Kazan State Chamber Orchestra "La Primavera", 2006, 2007. F. Schubert, C Major Quintet, op. 163; J. Brahms, G Major Quintet, op. 111 (orchestral transcriptions) "Soloists of Nizhnyi Novgorod" Chamber Orchestra, 2009 Symphony Orchestra of the Tomsk State Philharmonic, 2006 Symphonic Orchestra of the Belgorod State Philharmonic, 2005 Udmurtia State Symphonic Orchestra, Izhevsk, 2004, 2006 Symphony Orchestra of the Irkutsk State Philharmonic, 1999
Concerts in the USA, 2004, and in Italy, 2005.