Alexandr Kislitsyn, violin

Alexandr Kislitsyn was born into a musical family with a long tradition in the arts. From a young age, his parents - both highly-trained and accomplished musicians - sought to encourage him to carry on in the family tradition, an endeavor mitigated by Alexandr's determination. Ungratified by kindergarten's monotony, he willfully launched his informal musical training by trailing his mother to her rehearsals with the Omsk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. His formal training began shortly after that, and he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance from Novosibirsk State Conservatory and a Master's degree in Violin Performance from Temple University.

 

Alexandr made his debut as a concert violinist with the symphony orchestra at the tender age of 6. Since then, he has gone on to concertize throughout Russia, Europe, Asia, and North and South America, teaching masterclasses, giving solo recitals, and performing with symphony orchestras as well as chamber ensembles in such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kimmel Center, Thailand Cultural Centre Hall, etc. Winner of numerous national and international competitions and recipient of multiple prestigious musical awards, his extensive repertoire includes significant works from solo and chamber literature.

 

As an experienced orchestral musician, Alexandr has performed with orchestras for diverse and distinguished audiences worldwide. He was a soloist and member of the Omsk Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (2006-2008); principal of the Novosibirsk Conservatory Symphony Orchestra (2008-2012); guest artist of the Novosibirsk Academic Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; member of the string ensemble, "Bright Bows" (2008-2013); guest artist in the Symphony Orchestra of the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (2009); assistant principal of the International Symphony Orchestra, performing for heads of state attending the ASEAN Financial Summit (2010); artistic director and principal violin for the Novosibirsk Drama Theatre's rendition of "Red Torch" (2011-2013); member of the International Symphony Orchestra of the 14th International Festival of Opera and Ballet in Thailand, where the orchestra presented a global project of the BBC's "Planet Earth" under the patronage of the Thai Royal Family (2012); member of the iPalpiti International Festival (2013-2017); principal of Temple University Symphony Orchestra (2015-2016); member of the Philadelphia International Festival (2016), member of Symphony in C Orchestra (2016 - current); substitute member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (2018 - current); substitute member of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra (2018 - current); substitute member of the Philly POPS (2020 - current); substitute member of the Academy of Vocal Arts (2020 - current); the violinist at the 49 Burning Condors (2019 – 2020); As a chamber musician, Alexandr has participated in a plethora of musical projects and appeared on multiple concert stages around the globe. Currently, he is an artist at the Parma Recordings and a member of the Trio Casals.  Besides classical music, Alexandr is developing a career as an electronic music producer while writing for other artists in various genres.

 

Offstage, he has served as a youth violin teacher with Temple University Music Preparatory (2014-2016), Nelly Berman School of Music (2016 - 2017), The Baldwin School (2017-2018), Symphony in C Youth Orchestra (2017 - current), Symphony in C Summer Camp (2018 and 2019), the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra (2020 - current) training the next generation of inspired musicians.

 

 

 

Ovidiu Marinescu, cello

Ovidiu Marinescu, a musician of exceptional artistry, is internationally recognized as a conductor, cellist, composer, and educator. He is active as a cellist, conductor, composer, and educator.  He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Merkin Hall (New York), the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Holywell Room in Oxford, Oriental Art Center in Shanghai, and many other prestigious places.  A frequent soloist, he has appeared with the New York Chamber Symphony, the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Helena and Newark Symphonies, Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Philharmonic, Limeira Symphony in Brazil, Orquesta de Extremadura in Spain, and most of the orchestras in Romania.  Recent performances include appearances with the Helena, Great Falls, Portsmouth and Immaculata Symphonies, Craiova and Bacau Philharmonic in Romania, Millersville Orchestra, Vanderbilt Orchestra, Independence Sinfonia, a 2-week tour of China and yearly recitals at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall.  In 2019 Marinescu was a member of the jury and guest professor for the 1st edition of the “Greenhouse Foundation Awards and Festival” in Seoul, Korea and composer-in-residence for the International Chamber Music Festival in Guatemala City.

 

In 2020 Marinescu’s online concerts for New Music America, to benefit the “The New Music Solidarity Fund” for musicians affected by Covid-19, have attracted thousands of views and critical acclaim. Entitled Moto Virtuo, this is an extension of Marinescu’s ongoing MOTO series, developed with Parma Recordings, which has been praised as “bold and expressive” (Gramophone Magazine) and “tight, musical, technically virtuosic” (The Whole Note).  Since its launch in 2012, the MOTO series has premiered works by nearly three dozen composers in both recordings and performance at Carnegie Hall.

 

Marinescu has more than 17 album releases for Parma Recordings and Cambria as a cellist, conductor, composer, or chamber musician, and several recordings released independently. His first recording - "Fiesta Latina" - was followed by a recording of the complete Miaskovsky cello works with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Kenneth Boulton released by Cambria.  His recording of the Bach Cello Suites, released by Navona Records, has received international critical acclaim.  The recording of the Arthur Gottschalk Sonata for Cello and Piano has received the Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards for 2014 and the recording of “The Sea Knows” by Michael Kurek made its debut as no. 1 on the Classical Billboard list in July 2017.  Upcoming projects include the recording for 8 new cello concerti with London Symphony.

 

Marinescu has commissioned and performed many new works for cello solo.  Penn Presents featured Marinescu in a multi-media program at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia featuring works for solo cello, film and electronics by Andrea Clearfield, Richard Belcastro, David Ludwig, Paul Geissinger, teamed with four local filmmakers. In 2000, Marinescu premiered with the Newark Symphony "Anecdote" for cello and orchestra by Hilary Tann, followed by the first performance of "Ostinato" by Liviu Marinescu with "Orchestra 2001" in Philadelphia.  In January of 2015 he performed the premiere of a new work for cello and orchestra by Kile Smith, commissioned for him by Helena Symphony.

 

Equally successful as a conductor, Marinescu has worked with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra in Moscow, the Chamber Orchestra of the Romanian Radio, “New Russia” State Orchestra, the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, the Bacau, Craiova, Ploiesti, Botosani, Targu Mures, and Brasov Philharmonics in Romania, Filarmonica de Gaia in Portugal, Orquesta de Extremadura in Spain, the Helena, Newark, and Southeastern PA Symphony Orchestras, as well as Vidin Sinfonietta in Bulgaria. He served as the Music Director of the WCU Symphony Orchestra, Immaculata Symphony and Manalapan Orchestra, as well as conductor for the Wilmington Orchestra and Goppisberg Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.

Marinescu’s composition for solo cello, chamber music and orchestra have been performed in Romania, China, Brazil, Bulgaria, Russia, Guatemala, Montenegro, and across the United States. Parma Recordings included “I’m All Ears” for solo cello on the album Moto Celeste and “Rorrim no. 1. A Short Essay” on the album Through Glass.  He is currently working on a Concerto for 2 Cellos and Orchestra commissioned by 7 different orchestras in the US and Brazil.

 

Marinescu is cello professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania as well as founder and Artistic Director of the International Musicians Academy, an intensive program for aspiring artists to collaborate with Vidin Sinfonietta, a professional orchestra in Bulgaria, and to perform in masterclasses held by internationally recognized faculty.

 

More information can be found at www.marinescu.com

 

 

 

 

Anna Kislitsyna, piano

Born into a family of musicians and trained in the Russian tradition, pianist and harpsichordist Anna Kislitsyna made her solo debut at age 10 with the Omsk Symphony Orchestra. She remains in high demand as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and educator. Recent season highlights include performing Shostakovich Concerto with Helena Symphony, returning to the Omsk Philharmonic as a soloist to give the inaugural performance on the new harpsichord, a CD release concert in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and a tour of China with Trio Casals. Additionally, Dr. Kislitsyna has performed at The Kimmel Center, The Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Rachmaninov Hall of Moscow Conservatory, and Alfred Cortot Hall of Paris Conservatory.

 

As a recording artist, she has completed eight CDs of contemporary chamber music as the pianist of Trio Casals and currently working on her solo CD of modern music on the Parma Label. She has won prizes in multiple international competitions including Global Music Awards 2020, the Lautard-Chetchenko Competition in France, International Chamber Music Competition in Finland, the Los Angeles International List Competition, and Chopin International Piano Competition in Connecticut. From 2002-2012 she served as a soloist in residence with the Omsk Symphony Orchestra.

 

As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Kislitsyna has performed recitals with principal players of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has worked with Delaware University, Haverford College, West Chester University, Temple University, the Primavera Fund, Harmony for Peace Foundation, and PMAY Artists Initiative. She is the official collaborative pianist of Ictus International Music Competition.

 

As a teacher, Dr. Kislitsyna has served on the piano faculty at the Novosibirsk Conservatory, one of the top conservatories in Russia. She is currently on the faculty at Haverford College, the Nelly Berman School of Music and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. Among her students’ achievements are performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra as young as age 12 and giving a solo recital at the White House. Additionally, her students have won awards in multiple international competitions including From the Top, the London International Competition, Rachmaninov International Piano Competition, Gershwin International Competition, Greenfield Competition, The Boulder Bach Festival, and more. She frequently serves as a jury member at international piano competitions and has given masterclasses in China, Russia, and the U.S.

 

As a researcher, Dr. Kislitsyna has published a dissertation on Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings, as well as articles on the music of Olivier Messiaen, Sergei Prokofiev, Domenico Scarlatti, and Rodion Shchedrin.

 

In 2018 she completed her DMA at Temple University (PA). She is from the studio of Dr. Charles Abramovic on Piano, Dr. Joyce Lindorff on Harpsichord, and Pr. Lambert Orkis on chamber music. Prior to her studies at Temple U, Anna completed her Postgraduate Course-work in Piano Performance at the Novosibirsk State Conservatory in Russia with the dissertation on Olivier Messiaen’s “Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus,” where she also earned a Master Degree and Bachelor Degree with her primary teachers being Pr. Larisa Smeshko and Pr. Mary Lebenzon. Additionally, she holds a Master Degree from West Chester University where she studied with Dr. Igor Resnianski.

More about Anna at www.kislitsyna.com

 

 

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