Bachanalia: Nina Beilina, Artistic Director

BACHANALIA ARTISTS:

Nina Beilina: Violin
The founder and artistic director of the Bachanalia Festival Orchestra performs extensively in the United States and Europe. She has appeared as soloist with most of the world's leading orchestras, among them the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in the United States, the Santa Cecilia Academy Orchestra in Rome, Italy, the Liverpool Philharmonic and the Jerusalem Symphony.
A student of Abraham Yampolsky, Julius Eidlin and David Oistrakh, Beilina's career began with triumphs at the Enesco, the Long-Thibaud and the Tchaikovsky International Competitions. A recipient of Italy's Vercelli Medaglia D'Oro as Musician of the Year - an honor she shares with the likes of Renata Tebaldi and Igor Stravinsky. Shortly after emigrating to the United States, she made her New York debut. The New York Times acknowledged the obvious: "Russia's loss is our gain." Beilina teaches private students and is a professor at the Mannes College of Music in New York.

Alexander Abaev: Violin
Graduated from the Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music. Winner of several International Competitions. Concertmaster and Guest Soloist of the Greater Newburgh Symphony. He is a member of The Forte String Quartet, the Kiev String Quartet, and the Kiev Chamber Orchestra.

Danilo Bonina: Violin
Earned his Diploma cum laude from the "Fausto Torrefranca" Conservatory in Vibo, Valentia (Italy) having studied with Maestro Renato Dona, and his Master of Music degree cum laude in violin performance from Mannes College of Music (New York) under the guidance of Nina Beilina. He was awarded first prize in the "Venetrico", "Pedara", and "Pizzo Calabro" internationa competitions. In 2000, was chosen after internation audition, to play in the "European Youth Orchestra". He has performed for Master Classes. Devoted to teaching, he is a member of the faculty at the Bergen Academy of Music and Arts.

Mikhail Kuchuk: Violin
Completed Master’s Degree in Performing Arts in Freiburg, Germany. First Prizes at the Ukrainian National and at the Baden-Wurtemberg Violin Competitions. Has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster in North America and Europe. . Is the Solo violinist at “Forever Tango” on Broadway.

Bruno Pena: Violin
Described by the "New York Concert Review" as a fine, serious, conscientious violinist with a solid, disciplined technique, secure intonation and good facility, Bruno Pena resides in New York, after receiving his Master's Degree from Mannes College of Music (NYC), where he was a scholarship student of Nina Beilina. Mr. Pena was a prize winner in the "Artist International Competition" 2003 in New York. In 1999 he was awarded first prize performance in the "Amics de la Musica" competition, and a year later was Finalist in the "concurso Permanente de Juventudes Musicales" in Spain.

Adrian Pintea: Violin
As a soloist has toured in Europe and the United States, performing at numerous international music festivals in Hannover, Bayreuth, Salzburg and Houston. He has appeared in chamber concerts at the Morgan Hall, the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and the Weill Recital Hall. A student of Lewis Kaplan, Mr. Pintea is currently pursuing a Professional Studies Degree at The Mannes College of Music.

Drew Ricciardi: Violin
Participated in various festivals, including The Portland String Quartet workshop, The Apple Hill Chamber Music Workshop, The Orford Arts Center String Quartet Workshop, and The Emerging Quartets Program with The Muir Quartet. He currently lives in Boston where he is a member of The Winsor Music Quartet with oboist, Peggy Pearson and studies regularly in New York City with Mela Tenenbaum. He has also studied at Mannes College of Music with Daniel Panner and McGill Unibersity with Andre Roy.

Ieva Siuksta: Violin
A native of Lithuania. Studied at the M. K Ciurlionis School of Art & Music Academy. Her Festival appearances include the Westfalen Youth Symphony Orchestra and tours with the M. K Ciurlionis School Orchestra throughout Portugal, Belgium and Spain. She holds her degree in Music from Mannes, having studied under Nina Beilina and will be done with her MS this spring.

Muneyoshi Takahashi: Violin
Graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo with highest honors studying with Koichiro Harada. He earned Master's degree from Eastman School of Music studying with Mikhail Kopelman. He has played with the Rochester Philharmonic, NHK Symphony and was invited as guest concertmaster to play with The Japan Philharmonic.

Dimiter Tchernookov: Violin
A native of Sofia, Bulgaria, graduated from Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris. Dimiter is pursuing a Professional Studies Diploma Program at the Mannes College of Music. He has performed in Paris, Cassalmaggiore Pablo Casals Festival and Fontainebleau American Conservatory (France), Varna International Summer Festival (Bulgaria). Concertmaster of the Mannes Orchestra for the 2005-06 season. He has also played under the direction of Pierre Boulez and Kurt Masur. Winner of the 2006 Mannes Concerto Competition, Dimiter will perform with the Mannes Orchestra in December 06.

Boris Deviatov: Viola
Winner of several competitions both as a violist and conductor, Boris Deviatov has appeared in concert halls in North and South America and in Europe. He was a member of the Leontovich String Quartet, the Lumina String Quartet and the New York Chamber Symphony. Participated in the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and is also the principal violist of the Bachanalia Festival Orchestra with world renowned violinist, Nina Beilina.

I-Ting Huang: Viola
Currently studying for her Doctor of Musical Arts in the University of Missouri in Kansas City– Conservatory under Scott Lee. Winner of all instrumental concerto competitions at Taipei National University. Appearances include the Asian Youth Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, Moscow Conservatory, Schleswig-Holstein Musik and she has appeared frequently with New World Symphony and Orion String Quartet.

Zakaria Enikeev: Viola
Having graduated from the Rostov State Rachmaninoff Conservatory in Russia, Zakaria Enikeev has performed solo with the Rostov Academic Symphony Orchestra and has won honors at the International String Competition in Togliatti, Italy. Currently, he is pursuing his Bachelor of Music degree at the Julliard School.

Amir Shiff: Viola
Born in Israel, is the former principal violist of Philharmonia Hungarica of Germany. Shiff performed as soloist with the Virginia Symphony, Philharmonia Hungarica, Daegu Symphony of South Korea, Vilnius Chamber Orchestra and the Russian Federal Orchestra at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow with conductor Vakhtang Jordania. Shiff performed in hundreds of concerts as first violinist of the Israeli Army String Quartet, in recitals, taught a class in Treviso, Italy and was on the jury of the 2008 Primrose Viola Competition.

David Himmelheber: Cello
Heard in concert throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, and a frequent soloist and chamber recitalist in New York. David was invited to perform with the International Festival Orchestra. He received his Bachelor and Masters degrees at the Mannes College of Music and his principal teachers include Dr. William Grubb, Marcy Rosen, and Timothy Eddy.

Lawrence Zoernig: Cello
Holds Degrees in Music from the Julliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music. Winner of the Artists International Competition. Has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, in Hawaii, Brazil and throughout Europe. Was a featured performer at the World‘s Fair in Seville, Spain.

Marta Bedkowska: Cello
Studied at F. Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw; Accademia Walter Stauffer in Cremona with Rocco Filippini; Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence with Natalia Gutman; and contemporary chamber music at Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milan. Won several prizes in chamber music competitions in Poland, France and Italy. Performed in Italy, Poland, France, Germany, Holland and the UK. Continues her studies at Mannes College of Music in the Professional Studies Diploma.

Matthew Goeke: Cello
Received both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Since graduation he has performed with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles, in a wide range of musical styles. He has recorded for Tzadik, Opus One, Albany Records and Koch International Classics.

Tatyana Margulis: Cello
Began her musical studies at the age of six with Alexander Fedorchenko and Valentin Berlinsky. Master of Music Degree from the Moscow State Conservatory. Winner of several competitions including National Cello Competition. Appeared as a soloist with The Russian State Orchestra, the Minsk Symphony, and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, where she held the post of principal cellist for six years. Performed at Chamber Music Festivals in Berlin, Paris, Cannes, Nice, Saint-Petersburg, and Riga. Lives in New York City with her husband and son.

Jerome Butler: Bass
The principal double bassist with the North Port Symphony Orchestra in Florida, Jerome Butler also teaches bass in the Tampa Bay area. In the view of his teacher, the world-renowned solo bassist Gary Karr, Butler is "the next generation in solo double bass playing.
After his debut performance with the Bachanalia Festival Orchestra in Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Jerome Butler was hailed by the New York Times as "…the superb double bass soloist [who] climbed fearlessly into his extreme treble register, even breaking into a smile as his fingers danced dangerously close to the bow."

Tomoya Aomori: Bass
New member of Bachanalia. Currently studies double bass with Homer Mensch and percussion with Daniel Druckman at The Julliard School. Recipient of numerous honors. Won the Berklee College of Music Outstanding Musicanship Awards. Was a finalist of the 2001 New York Philharmonic Young Artists Competition and the first prize winner in the International Society of Bassists (ISB) Young Bassist Competition in 2003. Made his recital debut in 2002 in Japan. Performed Paul Creston's Concertino for Marimba and Orchestra as a featured soloist of the COS Schotland Tour in August 2006.

John-Paul Norpoth: Bass
Orchestral performances include Allentown, Albany, Utica, and Manhattan Symphonies as well as the Binghamton, Westchester, Brooklyn and Long Island Philharmonic; Chamber music performances with Eriko Sato, Michael Finkel and David Oei, the Amagansett Chamber Music Festival and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Lecture series at Baruch College.

Anthony Morris: Bass
Holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard School. Has toured internationally with The New York Philharmonic under the batons of Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel. He finds time to play in such noted ensembles as The Riverside Festival Orchestra, New York Virtuosi, Princeton Pro Musica as well as with Paul Ellison and Bruce Bransby.

Raphael Fusco: Piano
M.M. B.M. in composition at Mannes College of Music. Piano and composition faculty, The Dwight School. Numerous Awards in Composition. Composer-in-Residence, Bachanalia. Piano Studies in Vienna with Laszlo Gereb, in Torino with Rita Peiretti, in New York with Ubaldo Diaz-Acosta. In high demand as a composer, pianist, and harpsichordist in the US and Europe, has performed with Grammy nominated English Hornist Tom Stacy, violinists Danilo Bonina and Nancy Wilson and conductors such as Mark Shapiro and Andrew Megill.

Jakov Jakoulov: Piano
Composer of four ballets, five instrumental concertos, five string quartets, music for over 20 theatrical, TV and cinema productions and numerous symphonic, chamber and choral works. In recent years Jakoulov's music has been presented by Boston Symphony Tanglewood Contemporary Music Festival, New England String Ensemble, Bachanalia Festival Orchestra, London's New European Strings Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Boston Symphony Chamber Concerts, BBC Scotland Symphony Orchestra, Armenian National Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Yelena Prizant: Piano
With a broad range of classical repertory, Yelena Prizant has appeared in numerous music festivals in Europe and throughout New England in the United States. She was trained at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and the Estonian State Conservatory, where she received her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Piano Performance. She has collaborated with the Bachanalia Festival Orchestra since 2003.

Igor Tkachenko: Piano
An award-winning composer working in a wide array of musical genres, including orchestral, chamber , vocal, film, multimedia and electronic music. His awards include First Prize at the Aspen Music Festival and Best Music at FIFI (France). As improvisational pianist Tkachenko has toured widely throughout Europe and the US, including appearances at Carnegie Hall, Berlin Schauspielhaus, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Helsinki National Opera, Bank of Boston Celebrity Series, and numerous major venues and festivals throughout Europe and the US. Mr. Tkachenko's discography includes over a dozen CDs as featured artist and many collaborative projects with musicians from around the world.