Violinist Tatiana Chulochnikova and pianist Martin Labazevitch perform rare works by Polish composers including Karol Lipinski, Karol Szymanowski, and Chopin’s first music teacher Josef Elsner.
Praised for her “fine performances” (The Washington Post), “dark plush romantic violin sound’ (New York Concert Review) and ‘thrilling technique and bravura style” (San Francisco Classical Voice) violinist Tatiana Chulochnikova is pursuing an active career as a soloist, orchestra leader and chamber musician with performances spanning throughout United States.
Tatiana frequently appears as a guest soloist and concertmaster with leading early music ensembles in the US including Washington Bach Consort (Washington, DC); Bach Collegium (New York City) and American Bach Soloists (San Francisco,CA). As the winner of the 2016 Jeffrey Thomas Award which is given annually to one musician of unusual promise and precocious achievement, Ms. Chulochnikova appeared as a concerto soloist with American Bach Soloists’. Reviews described Tatiana’s playing as ‘finely articulated and assertive’ with ‘impressive brilliance’ (Sonoma Classical).
Chulochnikova’s debut CD was released worldwide in July 2016 on Toccata Classics recording label (London, UK). A world premiere of violin music by composer Theodore Akimenko (1876, Kharkiv, Ukraine-1945, Paris, France) the album earned several very enthusiastic reviews including Fanfare Magazine (US) which called it “a fascinating release” and Classica Magazine (France) which discribed the interpretation as demonstrating a “total commmitment and a free lyricism that goes straight to the heart”. Chulochnikova’s second solo album was recorded at the Steppenwolf Studio in November 2018 in the Netherlands and will be released worldwide in the Spring 2019.
Bio courtesy of the artist’s website.
Praised by critics in Europe and the United States for his lyricism, virtuosity and an intensity of performance, pianist Martin Labazevitch appeared in many concert halls and festivals in Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Israel, Japan, South Korea and the United States. He is a recipient of many awards and recognitions in piano competitions in the U.S., Spain and Japan as well as recipient of the Honorary Ambassador Award in Stalowa Wola, Poland, Rina Menashe Award in Israel, Kosciuszko Foundation Award in New York as well as the Harold Bauer Award for the most promising pianist at the Manhattan School of Music.
Born in Poland, Mr. Labazevitch studied at the Odessa Conservatory in Ukraine, with Anatoly Kardashev, before immigrating to the United States, and obtaining scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music with Mme Nina Svetlanova and later with Cuban-American virtuoso Horacio Gutierrez – whom he considers his greatest inspiration. Currently, he is pursuing his doctoral studies with Jose Ramos Santana in Washington DC. He has worked with such renowned artists as Dmitri Bashkirov, Lazar Berman, Isidore Cohen, Bella Davidovich, Philippe Entremont, Stephen Hough, Ruth Laredo, Nikolai Petrov, and Earl Wild. He has also collaborated with contemporary composers such as Richard Danielpour, Jan Radzynski, Haskel Small, and Lukas Foss.
His performances have been broadcast on radio stations throughout the U.S. such as WQXR, WWFM, and WFMT in New York, WFMT in Chicago as well as classical radio stations in Poland and Lithuania. Mr. Labazevitch has been a soloist with leading orchestras in Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Japan, and the United States. As a chamber musician, he is a founding member of the Paderewski Trio, an all-Polish ensemble, which for the entirety of its existence had been coached by the late Isidore Cohen – member of the Juilliard String Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio. Paderewski Trio’s debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall was praised by Strad Magazine as “…exuberant, multi-faceted, …gripping from first note to last.”
Highlights of the most recent seasons include performances with the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Rzeszow Philharmonic and Lutoslawski Chamber Orchestra in Poland, performances at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall and with the Vilnius String Quartet in Lithuania, recital tour in Spain with his duo partner, cellist Rafal Jezierski, performance at the Tedmed conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, performances at the Weill Recital Hall in New York as the winner of the La Gesse Foundation auditions, and recital at the Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago.
In 2015, Mr. Labazevitch released his first commercial recording on Delos Music label, to very enthusiastic reviews in Poland, France, Germany and the United States. Fanfare Magazine wrote: “His way with Chopin is fluid and convincing. He plays with a superb control of rubato and has the most beautiful way of melting a phrase.” The American Record Guide wrote: “Pianist Labazevitch injects more fire into the two concerto works, rushing the tempos in some passagework to build excitement; orchestra and conductor gamely, calmly follow his lead. Labazevitch is excellent.” ConcertoNet wrote, “…he pleasantly refrains from overtaxing Chopin’s conclusive Allegro vivace with shimmering grandeur and eloquent precision that could even rival that of Arthur Rubinstein.”
Mr Labazevitch is the co-artistic director of the Puerto Rico International Piano Festival in San Juan, serves on the board of directors of the Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition in New York City and is the founder and artistic director of the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition in Washington DC.
Enthusiastic educator, Mr. Labazevitch shares passion for teaching with his students at the Levine School of Music in Washington DC.
Bio courtesy of the artist’s website.
