Maria TERIAEVA
Musician

Maria received a grant in partnership with the Atelier des Artistes en Exil

What is your artistic background ?
I have been involved in music for as long as I can remember. At school, I joined a guitar club, later formed my first school rock band, and then a university band. After moving from Krasnoyarsk (Siberia) to Moscow, I continued playing guitar in several Moscow-based bands, with whom I toured all over Russia. For the past nine years, my passion has been modular synthesizers—especially Buchla. I saw a great potential in these instruments for developing my voice as a solo artist. During this time, I released three solo albums, all of which were pressed on vinyl.

How do you view your profession today ?
After moving to France, I am still a musician, and it remains my main profession here today. However, I feel that I must fight for my place in the field. I released my new album Sayan - Savoie in February 2025, which was recorded between 2022 and 2024, partly during my residency in Annecy and partly in Paris. The album’s title refers to my childhood spent in Siberia (the Sayan Mountains) and the Alps, where I composed the album : https://mariateriaeva.bandcamp.com/album/sayan-savoie

How do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?
It is hard for me to make some long-term plans, so my vision of myself in 5 to 10 years is quite grounded: I am in France, and I am still a musician.

Interview conducted in 2025
Photographs taken in 2025 by Isabelle Chapuis