VIOLINISTS

 Anna Rabinova

Violinist Anna Rabinova was born in Moscow. At 13 she performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Ernst Concerto, the Paganini Concerto No. 1 and the Prokofiev Concerto No. 1. She graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow with a Master of Arts Degree and a diploma certifying her status as Soloist of the First Degree (Russia’s highest). Her teachers were Igor Bezrodnyi and Leonid Kogan. After moving to New York she studied with Joseph Fuchs at The Juilliard School. Ms. Rabinova was the winner of the Bach International Competition in Leipzig, Germany and first prize winner of the 16th International Jeunesses Musicales competition in Belgrade.

 Dmitri Berlinsky

Mr. Berlinsky arrived on the International scene as the youngest winner in the history of the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy. This victory led to his performance on Nicolo Paganini's own Guarneri del Gesú instrument, a privilege shared by only a handful of artists in history. Subsequent triumphs at the Montreal International Violin Competition (Grand Prize), the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels, led to appearances with major orchestras in Europe, Russia, the Far East, North and South America.

Mr. Berlinsky has performed in such major venues as Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Tokyo's Suntory Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Berlin Schtatspiellhaus, the Munich Herkulessaal, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Bonn Beethoven Hall, and Le Place des Arts in Montreal among others.

 Anastasia Khitruk

Grammy nominated violinist Anastasia Khitruk has appeared as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals worldwide. Her talent was immediately recognized when she made her orchestral debut at the age of eight. Ms. Khitruk's playing is characterized by passion and intense musicality and she "radiates an inner force that galvanizes the performance and mesmerizes the listener."

Anastasia has appeared in recitals in Europe at such prestigious venues as the Salle Cortot (Paris), Sala Bulgaria and the National Center for Culture (NDK) (Sofia, Bulgaria), Opéra d'Avignon (France), Theatre du Cavaillon (France), Teatro Carlo Fenice (Genoa, Italy), Salons de Musique (Geneva, Switzerland), and the Royal Palace (Stockholm), ADMF (Abu Dhabi) and numerous appearances in Moscow and St. Petersburg (Russia). In the United States, she performed at Weill Hall, Aspen Music Tent (Colorado), Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, Merkin Concert Hall (New York City), and Bargemusic (Brooklyn), as well as numerous performances in Boston and Los Angeles.

Erin Keefe

Erin Keefe earned a Master of Music Degree from the Juilliard School as a student of Ronald Copes and received her Bachelors Degree from the Curtis Institute ofMusic where she studied with Ida Kavafian and Arnold Steinhardt. Her past teachers include Philip Setzer, Philipp Naegele, Mitchell Stern and Teri Einfeldt. Ms. Keefe was the Grand Prize Winner at the 2004 Corpus Christi International String Competition, won Second Prize in the 2004 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark, and most recently won Second Prize in the 2004 Gyeongnam International Violin Competition in Korea. A dedicated chamber musician, Ms. Keefe has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, and the OK Mozart, Seattle, Aspen and Kenisel Hall Festivals. She has participated in seminars led by Isaac Stern and the Emerson String Quartet and has toured with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has collaborated with artists including Richard Goode, David Soyer, Peter Wiley, Gilbert Kalish, Ida Kavafian, William Pruecil and Samuel Rhodes.

VIOLISTS

Mark Holloway

Mark Holloway, violist, received his diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Michael Tree, and a B.M. Summa cum laude from Boston University's School of Music where he was a Presser Scholar and a student of Michelle LaCourse. Mr. Holloway was principal violist of the Haddonfield Symphony and twice principal violist and chamber musician of the NY String Orchestra under Jaime Laredo.  He received first prize in the American String Teachers' Association MA Competition and was a member and guest principal violist of both the Portland Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. He has played at Bargemusic, New York’s 92nd Street Y, on WQXR NY’s Young Artists’ Showcase, live on Boston’s WGBH, and with the Boston Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philly Pops and Metamorphosen. Currently, he substitutes with the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony, where he has appeared as Principal Violist, Orpheus, with whom he has played and toured, and Broadway’s “Les Misérables.”  Mr. Holloway was principal violist at Tanglewood and has played chamber music at the Marlboro, Angel Fire, Sarasota, Prussia Cove, Banff and Taos festivals.  With the Brandenburg Ensemble he played in Florida and at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, with the Charles String Quartet he gave concerts in Russia at the Hermitage and the Moscow Conservatory, and he has played with Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zuckerman, Cho-Liang Lin, Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson in Carnegie Hall and at the Library of Congress.

Maurycy Banaszek

Maurycy Banaszek was born in Warsaw, Poland. He has appeared in recital and as a soloist with orchestras in Europe and in USA. He received numerous violin, viola and chamber music awards.

As a founding member of The Elsner String Quartet Mr. Banaszek  has played in such prestigious venues as the Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, among others. In August 1998 he was invited by the members of the legendary Amadeus String Quartet to perform at the Amadeus Quartet 50th Anniversary Gala Concert in London. Mr. Banaszek has performed at the Marlboro, Seattle, Santa Fe, Aldeburgh, Moritzburg, Mozart, Kingston, Martha's Vineyard, Warsaw Autumn festivals. He regularly tours with the Musicians from Marlboro and appears at the Barge Music in New York. Mr. Banaszek was recently invited to be the soloist with the New Jersey Lyric Orchestra at their Carnegie Hall debut performance and with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra in Jordan Hall, Boston. He was also chosen by Gidon Kremer to participate in Chamber Music Connects the World Festival in Kronberg, Germany where he performed with the Guarneri String Quartet. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music in New York where he studied with Michael Tree.

Katherine Greene

Katherine Greene, violist, is a native New Yorker and holds a Masters Degree in performance from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Mr. William Lincer (former Principal Violist of the New York Philharmonic). Over the years Ms. Greene has held various positions, including that of Assistant Principal Violist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra until 1990, at which time she became a member of the New York Philharmonic

CELLISTS

Qiang Tu

After making his solo debut at age 13 in Beijing, Mr. Tu began a two-year engagement as soloist with one of China’s major symphony orchestras. At age 17, he was awarded England’s Menuhin Prize as a member of the China Youth String Quartet, and was later selected by the Chinese government to study in the Sydney Conservatory. In that capacity, he toured the country giving chamber-music and solo recitals, including a concert broadcast live from the Sydney Opera House. The culmination of his Australian tenure came when he won Sydney’s Parlings Award for Music. Returning to Beijing, he was appointed, at age 20, Associate Professor of Cello at the Central Conservatory. Concurrently, he became Principal Cellist of the China Youth Symphony and concertized with the orchestra in Switzerland, West Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Great Britain. His solo album, Meditation, was distributed by the China Record Company

Natalia Khoma

Since winning the All-Ukrainian Competition in 1981, cellist Natalia Khoma has won top prizes at the Budapest Pablo Casals Competition (1985), Markneukirchen (Germany, 1987) and the Tchaikovsky (Moscow, 1990) international competitions, as well as first prize at the 1990 Belgrade International Cello Competition. A native of Lviv, Ukraine, Ms. Khoma studied at the Lviv Central Music School and the Lviv Conservatory, and from 1982 until 1990, at the Moscow Conservatory with professor Natalia Shakhovskaya. She has since distinguished herself as a recitalist and soloist with orchestras throughout the former USSR, as well as the United States, Canada, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Israel and Yugoslavia. Natalia Khoma has performed as a soloist with such leading ensembles as the Berlin Radio Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra
 
Andrey Tchekmazov

A Grand Prize winner of the Vittorio Gui International Chamber Music Competition in Florence and Premio Trio de Trieste in Triest, as well as Premio della Critica in Italy , Mr. Tchekmazov has performed throughout the North and South America, Europe, Russia, and Asia. As a frequent performer with the Jupiter Chamber Players and Lyric Chamber Music Society in New York, and at the Phillips Collection in Washington , Andrey Tchekmazov has "impressed his audiences with big, warm tone and ... Russian brand of virtuosity" - Strad, London -New York.

Adrian Daurov

Adrian Daurov, cellist, was born in St.Petersburg, Russia, studied at the St.Petersburg Conservatory with Anatoly Nikitin. From the early age Adrian appeared as a soloist and chamber musician on the main concert stages of St.Petersburg, Moscow, as well as in Europe and the U.S. He made his debut with the orchestra in 1997 with the St.Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. Adrian was awarded with 1st prizes at the international music competitions in Dobrich, Bulgaria (1996), Peter De Grote, Groningen, The Netherlands (2001) and the LISMA Foundation Competition in NY (2006). In 2004 he toured Germany as a soloist with the St.Petersburg Chamber Orchestra and was appointed the Principal Cellist of the Bayreuth Festival Youth Orchestra under conductor Peter Gulke. He currently studies with David Soyer at Juilliard School of Music. In June 2007, Mr. Daurov was appointed the Principal Cellist of The Chamber Orchestra of New York under conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio. He recently performed the World Premiere of Behzad Ranjbaran’s “Fountains Of Fin” at Bargemusic in New York. In June 2008 Adrian was featured in Gala Concert In Celebration Of Russia’s Independence Day at Carnegie Hall among the world-famous soprano Elena Obraztsova and tenor Vladimir Galuzin. Adrian recently performed the World Premiere of  “The Epistle” for Cello Solo and Choir by a Siberian Composer Yuri Yukechev with The Russian Chamber Chorus Of New York.

PIANISTS

Tatiana Goncharova

A dazzling soloist and an ensemble partner of great sensitivity, Russian-born pianist Tatiana Goncharova has been praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer for her "exceptional musicianship"  and described by  the Washington Post as a "a musician on the threshold of a brilliant career." Appearing on many of the world's leading stages such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, LG Arts Center in Korea, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, etc., Ms. Goncharova performed extensively throughout the continents of the Americas, Europe and Asia. Ms. Goncharova's artistry has taken her to such renowned venues as the Aspen Music Festival, Japan’s Miyazaki Music Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, National Hall in Taipei, Singapore Sun Festival, the Great Composers Festival in Canada ,  Caramoor and Ravinia music festivals, and Montpellier Music Festival in France, to name a few.  Her many collaborations with artists of international stature include the celebrated violinist Pinchas Zuckerman with whom she has performed extensively, including a special duo recital in May of 2003 in Tokyo for the Empress of Japan, a concert  in  Mumbai as part of Mehli Mehta Centenary concerts as well as a performance on Svyatoslav Richter's December Nights festival in Moscow.  

Highlights of Ms. Goncharova’s recent seasons include solo performances with the Orchestre de Chambre Francais, duo recitals with Pinchas Zukerman in Taiwan, India, Japan, Russia, Korea and Singapore, as well as recital tours of Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Spain and, notably, the American premiere performance of Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in E minor with the Lyric Chamber Ensemble and return engagements at the Long Island Mozart Festival. A resident artist of the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York, Ms. Goncharova is a founding member of the acclaimed TAGI ensemble that has been proclaimed by London's Music Web as "second to none". Her recent recording for Centaur Records of Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata and 24 Preludes with violinist Grigory Kalinovksy was released to great acclaim, having been praised by the International Record Review for its “emotional intensity” and “overwhelming mastery”. As a soloist she also recorded David Winkler's Concerto Green for violin and piano under the direction of Daniel Boico, assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, which is scheduled to be released on the Naxos label.

Ms. Goncharova is currently on the faculty of the National Arts Center Young Artists Program in Canada, the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, as well as the conservatory’s pre-college division.  Winner of the Olga Koussevitzky Piano Competition, Byelorussian National Competition and Moscow Conservatory Concerto Competition, Ms. Goncharova holds degrees from the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Moscow Conservatory, and has studied with such renowned artists as Leon Fleisher, Yoheved Kaplinsky and Eugene Malinin.

Volodymyr Vynnytsky

Volodymyr Vynnytsky has a reputation of a brilliant chamber music performer, appearing with such noted ensembles as the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra "Perpetuum Mobile," the Leontovych String Quartet, the St. Petersburg String Quartet, and Zapolsky String Quartet from Denmark. He has also performed at numerous musical festivals, including Connecticut's Music Mountain, the Mohonk Festival of the Arts, the Windham Chamber Music Festival, Lake San Marcos Chamber Music Society in California, and the Music and Art Center of Greene County, where he has served as artistic advisor and resident pianist since 1996. Vynnytsky has performed with the leading orchestras of Ukraine, as well as with Poland's Poznan Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Radio and Television Orchestra, the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, the Livonia Symphony Orchestra, and many others

Mirian Conti

The Argentine pianist Mirian Conti enjoys a growing reputation as a musician whose performances combine technical brilliance with striking originality and artistic insight. Stylistically assured in a wide range of repertoire, Ms. Conti is considered a leading exponent of Spanish music; and her rare ability to communicate passion and excitement when playing contemporary scores has won the admiration of leading American and Argentine composers such as Bowles, Broeders, Cohn, Diamond, Gould, Lees, Persichetti, Ramey, White, Zyman, etc. She premiered Lalo Schifrin's Piano Concerto No.2 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in Los Angeles. She was invited by the French Cultural Center in Tangier, Morocco to perform a concert in homage to Paul Bowles. She has made solo, orchestral and chamber appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (debut in 1987 as a winner of Artists International Auditions) in New York , and has performed at numerous concert halls throughout the world, including the Teatro Colón in her native Argentina.

Konstantin Soukhovetski

Konstantin Soukhovetski is rapidly earning a reputation as a “young pianist who captivates” with his “distinctive lyricism”, “immaculate technique” and “vigor…refinement… and drama”. Mr. Soukhovetski won the First Prize and Audience Prize at 2007 New Orleans International Piano Competition and can be heard this season with The Louisiana Philharmonic, LA; Kennett Symphony, PA; Baton Rouge Symphony, LA; Acadiana Symphony, LA and Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, PA as well as solo recitals at  Tri-C Series in Cleveland, OH;  “Evelyn Miller” Series in Knoxville, TN; Gala for Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Auburn, CA; Apollo Arts, Oregon House, CA; Manchester Music Festival, VT; Elmira College, NY; Emory-Oxford College, GA; Forum Series in Banner Elk, NC; 21-Century Club, Cleveland, OH; The Prizery, South Boston, VA; Haywood Arts Council Piano Series, Waynesville, NC; Goddard Riverside concert series in New York, NY and at Loyola University’s Roussel Hall presented by the Music Society of New Orleans. Mr. Soukhovetski will also appear at The Kennedy Center with Biava Quartet this season.