TWO WORLD RENOWNED MUSICIANS PERFORM TOGETHER IN A CHAMBER CONCERT


On Sunday, Dec.14, 2008 two classical music greats shared the stage at St. Paul’s Church in Brookline. Brought together by the Chamber Music Foundation of New England (CMFoNE), international award winning cellist, Leslie Parnas and noted performer and professor of music, violinist, Yuri Mazurkevich, join together with pianist, Tanya Kodinsky in a performance of Beethoven’s Trio in B flat Major,“Archduke.” 

Click here for the concert program.

Moscow Conservatory trained violinist, Yuri Mazurkevich, considered a musical teaching legend, was himself a student of one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, David Oistrakh. Mazurkevich has concertized in more than 35 countries throughout Russia, Europe, Asia, and North and South America and he is a past winner of the Helsinki, Munich, and Montreal International Competitions. In 1969, he was named “Outstanding Artist of the Ukraine.”

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Leslie Parnas, who counts among his teachers and mentors, legendary cellists, Gregor Piatigorsky and Pablo Casals, has enjoyed a worldwide reputation as a winner of some of the most prestigious classical music events, including the Geneva; Munich, and Tchaikovsky competitions. Considered a highly respected performer for his skill and artistry, Casals referred to Parnas as, “One of the outstanding and accomplished cellists of our time, “and his reputation as a superb soloist has placed him with such symphonies as: the Boston; Philadelphia; Moscow and the New York Philharmonic, and performances for two United States Presidents: Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

Another highlight of the evening was the performance of Robert Schumann’s “Lieder” by mezzo soprano Olga Bykhovsky and pianist Tanya Kodinsky.

 

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Olga Bykhovsky has received her extensive musical education first in Moscow at the Gnessin School of Music, then at the Myaskovsky Music School for piano, voice, and organ and later at Moscow Conservatory. After coming to the United States, Olga continued her music studies at the New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music. She has performed at the Roman Music Festival in both concert and opera and she sang Mignon in Thomas’s “Mignon” and the role of Orfeo in Gluck’s “Orfeo et Euridice” at the New England Conservatory.  In 2006, Olga began recitals around Boston in collaboration with Boston Symphony Orchestra violist, Michael Zaretsky and pianist–composer Yakov Yakoulov. In April 2007, at Ventfort Hall, Olga sang the premiere of Yakoulov’s composition of Hildegard Von Bingen’s chants, which he dedicated to her, and has since been performing them at various stages in New England. In 2008, under the sponsorship of the Boston Archdiocese, Boston College, and Ventfort Hall Museum in Lenox, MA, Olga performed a series of duet concerts with Vatican soloist Carla Paryla.

Violist Amanda Wang, a First Prize Winner of the 2008 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition performed Zoltan Kodaly's Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12 together with CMFoNE staff musician, Lilia Muchnik and a guest musician Anna Korsunsky.

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Both a violist and a violinist, Amanda Wang, began her musical studies when she was 12. She studied violin at Peabody Preparatory School, in Baltimore, Maryland. Amanda has gotten her Bachelor and Master degrees in Electrical Engineering from MIT, where she also continued her violin studies with LynnChang. Amanda continued her violin studies at Boston Conservatory where she got her Master Degree in violin performance in 2007. Amanda now is in her doctoral program for violin performance at Boston University, where she studies with Lynn Chang and Bayla Keyes.

 

CMFoNE guest musician, Anna Korsunsky has studied violin at Gnesin Institute of Music in Moscow, Russia. After coming to US she continued her studies under a Special Director Award Program at Boston University, where she received her Master in Music degree. Anna has appeared as a soloist and as a chamber musician in Russia, Germany, Italy, USA and Japan. She has participated in the Musicorda, Spoleto and Pacific Music Festivals. Anna is a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and plays with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. She is on St. Mark’s School faculty.