Zhanna Bichevskaya

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Zhanna Bichevskaya

At a concert in 2006

Zhanna Vladimirovna Bichevskaya (or Jeanne Bichevskaya; Russian: Жанна Владимировна Бичевская, born June 17, 1944), is a prominent Russian bard and folk musician.

She was born in Zagorsk (Sergiev Posad) and in 1971 she graduated from the Moscow Circus and Performing Arts School. In the 1970s, Zhanna started to perform Russian folk songs and romances. At that time she was deeply influenced by Bulat Okudzhava, and she quickly gained popularity in Russia and abroad with some critics dubbing her the Russian Joan Baez. Her unique style of music is often described as Russian country-folk. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Zhanna Bichevskaya's songs started to have more political and spiritual themes. She performed a series of White Guard officer's songs, as well as a series of religious songs. The lyrics to the latter were composed by Father Roman, a priest of the Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery. In 1999, Zhanna also became the host of her own show on Voice of Russia radio station.