A top prize winner at the Stradivarius International Violin Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2016, violinist Joshua Brown demonstrates a virtuosity well beyond his years. He has performed on WFMT’s Introductions and NPR’s From the Top. Today he joins us along with pianist Milana Pavchinskaya for a performance under the Tiffany glass dome at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Joshua Brown received glowing reviews for his debut performance with the Cleveland Orchestra at the age of fifteen. “Had he played from behind a curtain, you wouldn’t have believed that Joshua Brown…was only 15,” wrote Clevelandclassical.com. “His interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich’s first violin concerto was so maturely wrought that it might have come from a seasoned professional. Brilliantly played and expertly paced, Brown’s performance checked into every emotional corner of [the] work … Brown was spellbinding throughout his entire time on stage.”
Joshua went on to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Symphony Center in Chicago, and Arnold Katz State Concert Hall in Novosibirsk, Russia, and he has made solo appearances on NPR’s nationally syndicated program From the Top and on WFMT’s Introductions. Joshua has played with dozens of orchestras, for which he has garnered continued praise from critics.
In addition to winning First Prize in dozens of regional and national competitions, Joshua has been a top prize winner in many international competitions, including the Cooper International Violin Competition, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, the Stradivarius International Violin Competition, and the ENKOR International Music Competition. Joshua was also named the 2016/2017 American Prize Winner for Instrumental Performance, and he was a National YoungArts Winner in both 2016 and 2017.
Thanks to the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago, Joshua plays on a 1679 Pietro Guarneri violin from Cremona. He studies violin with Almita and Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago’s (MIC) Academy, an elite training program for advanced pre-college musicians, and has been the scholarship recipient of the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Fellowship for the past three years. Other scholarships include the North Shore Chamber Music Festival’s Haag/Galvin Young Artist and Arkady Fomin Scholarship, the American Opera Society of Chicago’s Eleanor Pearce Sherwin Scholarship, the Highland Park Music Club Scholarship, and the Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago Scholarship. More information can be found at joshuabrownviolinist.com.
Milana Pavchinskaya is a well-known concert pianist, teacher, and experienced vocal and instrumental accompanist. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine, where she graduated from the famous Special Music School of Stolarsky. She continued her music education in Moscow, Russia, in the Gnessin Institute of Music with her teacher Maria Gambarian, where she got her degree in piano performance, chamber music, and accompaniment. When Milana Pavchinskaya moved to Chicago, she got her masters of music in pedagogy and performance from Northwestern University, where she was the recipient of the Hoverson Piano Award in honor of Pauline Lindsly because of her musical and academic excellence.
Since then, you can hear Mrs. Pavchinskaya often in various venues. She especially enjoys collaborating with other musicians and participated in many chamber music festivals, such as the Jewel Box Series at Northeastern University, Chamber Music Series at North Park University, Winter Chamber Music Festival at Northwestern University, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Music in the Loft, and many others. Milana Pavchinskaya can be heard at local venues, including WFMT, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Chicago Art Institute, as well as an appearance on the Oprah Show with a student, and is a frequent collaborator with members of the CSO. Currently, she is on the faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago, where she teaches piano and coaches advanced string players.
Biographies provided by the International Music Foundation.
