Award-winning cellist Andrey Tchekmazov to premiere "Byzantine Chants" by Margarita Zelenaia

On Saturday, February 7th, at 7pm, at Inwood’s Our Saviour’s Atonement Lutheran Church award-winning cellist Andrey Tchekmazov will give the world-premiere of “Byzantine Chants”, sacred concerto by Russian composer Margarita Zelenaia.
By: Margarita Zelenaia
 
Jan. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- AWARD-WINNING CELLIST ANDREY TCHEKMAZOV TO FEATURE A WORLD-PREMIERE OF “BYZANTINE CHANTS”  BY RUSSIAN COMPOSER MARGARITA  ZELENAIA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7th.

On Saturday, February 7th, at 7pm, award-winning cellist Andrey Tchekmazov will give the world-premiere of “Byzantine Chants”, sacred concerto by Russian composer Margarita Zelenaia. The performance, sponsored by RACH-C, The “Russian American Cultural Heritage Center,” was made possible by the generous support of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA), JP Morgan Chase Foundation, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ).

Scored for a Solo Cello, Byzantine Chants was written on a commission for Andrey Tchekmazov. Sacred concerto in eight movements, Byzantine Chants is based on ancient Russian musical art forms. The concerto transfers an ancient a cappella vocal tradition into a solo performance, combined with polyphonic processing.

Also featured on the program is music by Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Debussy, and Dvorak.  The complete program is as follows:

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Pezzo Capriccioso, op.62
Margarita Zelenaia: Byzantine Chants (World Premiere)
Robert Schumann: Three Fantasy Pieces, op.73
Claude Debussy: Sonata for cello and piano
Antonin Dvorak: Forest Quietude (Klid)

Andrey Tchekmazov, cello
Svetlana Gorokhovich, piano

(OSA) Our Savior’s Atonement Lutheran Church is located at 178 Street near West 193rd Street. Suggested donation is $10.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
About Margarita Zelenaia

The music of Russian-born composer Margarita Zelenaia received its Lincoln Center premiere in 1997 and its Carnegie Hall premiere in 2001.  In 2008 Ms. Zelenaia was awarded the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) grant. In 2007 she was a recipient of the “Encore” program grant from the American Composers Forum, and a year later her works were being performed at the Kaplan Penthouse Chamber Music Series at Lincoln Center by musicians of the New York Philharmonic.  Retaining a close relationship with the famed New York orchestra, her string quartet, “August. Sunset Bloom,” was given its world-premiere on the Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin Concert Hall series, receiving both critical and audience acclaim.  

Versatile in genre, the music of Margarita Zelenaia defies stylistic boundaries and ranges from operatic and chamber works, to musical theater and art songs.  Without prejudices and stereotypes in her writing, Zelenaia posses a rare ability to infuse her music with humor and lyrical tenderness, while also producing works of tremendous depth and seriousness.  Casting aside the stereotypical mold of a “contemporary” composer, Zelenaia is a strong believer in melody and direct audience communication.  
 
Margarita Zelenaia has been commissioned by the musicians of the New York Philharmonic, the Ministry of Culture of the former USSR, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Concert Philharmonic Society and the Russian Chamber Orchestra – “The Seasons,” among many others. Her recent works are in the performing repertoire of musicians from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Philharmonic, etc., as well as other renowned artists such as concert pianist Ana Maria Bottazzi, Russian cellist Christophor Miroshnikov, Italian concert pianist Paolo Vergari, Albanian baritone Kreshnik Zhabjaku, soprano Melanie Mitrano, mezzo-soprano Leslie Middlebrook, concert violinist Nina Beilina, One World Symphony Singers & Ensemble, and chamber orchestra “Bachanalia.”  

Her two-act comic opera for children Winnie the Pooh Once Again, commissioned by the Moscow State Academic Children’s Musical Theatre, has been performed in over 400 major venues in Russia, Japan, South Korea, Israel and Czechoslovakia, becoming a part of Children’s Musical Theater’s standard repertoire for over 15 years. Excerpts from Zelenaia’s musical Alice in Wonderland have sold more than 450,000 copies to date and over 40 performances of her miscellaneous works, including incidental works for TV and movies, have been broadcast in Russia, Israel and the United States. Her vocal cycles, art songs, works for chamber ensembles and piano compositions for children have subsequently been performed at the Moscow Autumn Festival, the Young Peoples’ Arts Festival, the Moscow Spring Festival, the Tutti New Music Festival in Ohio, the New Music North (Canada), and the American Composers Alliance Festival (New York), to name a few.

Zelenaia began her compositions studies at an early age and by the age of 12 hosted her own musical TV program that was broadcast internationally.  Recipient of the prestigious Lenin Scholarship, her mentors included Professor Genrich Litinskyi, the former teacher of Aram Khachaturyan. In 2007, the biography of Margarita Zelenaia was included in the 61st Edition of the Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who Among America Women that feature the career histories and credentials of the country’s most accomplished and influential individuals.

She is currently living in New York, where she is an active composer and a sought-after educator.  

About Andrey Tchekmazov

Hailed by critics as an “extraordinary musician” (Washington Post), cellist Andrey Tchekmazov is known for his versatility as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician.

The Grand Prize winner of Vittorio Gui International Chamber Music Competition and the Premio Trio di Trieste, Mr. Tchekmazov has performed extensively throughout North and South America, Europe, Russia and Asia, appearing at the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Osaka Symphony Hall in Japan, New York’s Alice Tully Hall, and Brazil’s Sala Cecilia Mereles with orchestras such as Sao Paolo Symphony, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic and Teatro Alfa Symphony.  Among his other prizes and awards are the Koussevitsky Cello Competition in New York, Stadt, Artist International, Premio della Critica in Trieste, and Russian National Competition in Moscow.

Since his critically acclaimed debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Mr. Tchekmazov has enjoyed an active career as recitalist and chamber musician, performing at such renowned venues as Barge Music, Jupiter Chamber Players in New York Phillips Collection, Washigton D.C, Rhode Island Chamber Music Series, Bar Harbor Festival, Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, and Hampden Sydney where he was invited to perform by the members of the Emerson String Quartet.

Mr. Tchekmazov’s performances have been featured on WQXR, WGBH, NPR,
and other TV and radio stations across Eastern and Western Europe and South
America.  Mr. Tchekmazov has made recordings for the NAXOS label with
the Russian National Philharmonic, as well as the Delos label.

About Svetlana Gorokhovich

Pianist Svetlana Gorokhovich has toured extensively in the United States, Japan, the Caribbean, Italy and Iceland and has recently appeared at Caramoor, Interharmony Music Festivals in Germany and Holland, the Summit Music Festival and Steinway Hall. At her Weill Hall Recital Hall debut, the “New York Concert Review” described her performing as an “…outstanding performance that perfectly balanced the lyrical and dynamic resources of the piano… …Gorokhovich is a profound and almost self-effacing interpreter...”.  She has won Grand Prizes at the International Piano Competition Bartok-Kabalevsky (USA) and the IBLA Grand Prize Competition (Italy) and in 2001 she became a winner of the New York YWCA Studio Club.  Ms. Gorokhovich received her Ph.D. degree from the St. Petersburg Conservatory and now lives in Westchester where she is on the faculty of Music Conservatory of Westchester.

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Award-winning cellist andrey tchekmazov to feature a world-premiere of “byzantine chants” by russian composer margarita zelenaia, saturday, february 7th.
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