GREGORY CHERNINSKY – Chair
Former Principal Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at the famous Stolarsky Special High School of Odessa (Ukraine); founding Music Director of the Odessa Chamber Orchestra. In 1986 the First prize Winner at the National Competition of Chamber Orchestras. Guest conductor of numerous orchestras.
Gregory Cherninsky was born in Odessa, Ukraine. After graduating musical college, he studied conducting and music theory at the Conservatory of Odessa, Ukraine. Mr. Cherninsky started his professional career as Music Director and Conductor of the Odessa’s Boys Chorus. In 1977 he gathered together well-known musicians in Odessa to create the Chamber Orchestra of Odessa. He was conductor of the orchestra for 11 years. During this time the Chamber Orchestra of Odessa won first prize at the National Competition of Chambers Orchestras. As a result, it performed numerous concerts all over the former Soviet Union. In 1982 Mr. Cherninsky became conductor of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra and was appointed Principal Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra at Stolarsky Special High School. Together with the Chamber Orchestra of Odessa, Gregory Cherninsky participated in many Chamber Music Festivals, such as “White Nights,” St. Petersburg, (Russia); “Komitas,” Yerevan, (Armenia); and “White Acacia,” Odessa, (Ukraine).
In 1988 Gregory Cherninsky emigrated to the United States with his family. He now lives in Los Angeles, California. In 2001 he joined “The David Nowakowsky Foundation” and served as a Director and Conductor of “The David Nowakowsky International Music Festival.” Cherninsky still works as an editor of the David Nowakowsky archives, editing and arranging the composer’s manuscripts for publications and/or performance. In 2003, Mr. Cherninsky founded the Beverly Hills International Music Festival and Master Classes. As a Music Director and Founder of the BHIMF, he devoted all his time to this event. He is currently President of the DMG Music Association, Inc.
DIMITRY OLEVSKY began studying violin at the age of six in his hometown of Kiev, Ukraine. Since immigrating to Los Angeles in 1993, he has studied with such renowned violinists as Yuval Yaron, Grigory Kalinovsky, Linda Rose, Oleh Krysa, and Abram Shtern. While earning his Master of Music degree at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, Dimitry played for both the MSM String Quartet and the MSM Piano Trio, and served as Concertmaster of Baroque Aria.
Dimitry was invited to continue his musical advancement at UC Santa Barbara, accepting a full scholarship and stipend to attend, and graduating in 2012 with a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance. While completing his Doctoral studies, he led, as first violinist, the Young Artist String Quartet in Residence of UC Santa Barbara, and was named winner of the UCSB Concerto Competition multiple times. Also in fulfillment of his Doctoral residency, he held the Concertmaster position in the UCSB Symphony.
As an additional component of his Doctorate, Dimitry has devoted several years to studying sports psychology, a subject he addressed in his recently completed Doctoral thesis, entitled The Study of Success in Music: Applying Methods Developed by Sports Psychology towards Achieving Peak Performance.
Currently, Dimitry maintains a full-time schedule of performing and teaching. He is a member of several orchestras, including the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Opera, Redlands Symphony, Riverside Symphony, and Pacific Shores Philharmonic. Dimitry also continues to be extremely committed to performing solo and chamber recitals, which has granted him the privilege of performing throughout the United States and Canada, as well as overseas in Russia, the Middle East, and Italy.
Dimitry plays on an 1889 Riccardo Antoniazzi violin.
Lauded for her “exuberant and powerful expressions”, CARISSA KIM, a recent Juilliard graduate, is an American pianist who has thrilled audiences around the world with her captivating performances in venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Robert Schumann Saal, the Berlin Philharmonic’s Karajan Saal, the ECC Marsee Auditorium, the Ambassador Auditorium, and most recently Royce Hall. In 2011, Ms. Kim performed an exciting Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Korea’s Defense Military Orchestra while in 2010 she was invited to perform in a world tour including New York’s Avery Fischer Hall, four major cities of Korea, including Pusan and Seoul, three cities in Germany including Berlin, and the Netherlands. In 2007, she was invited to St. Peterburg, Russia to take part in the 7th International Festival of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. Moreover, her performances with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, the Young Musicians Foundations Debut Orchestra, the Los Angeles Festival Orchestra, the UCLA Philharmonic, and the Bellflower Symphony have been received with thunderous applause and praised for her “broad vision of colors”. In competitions, she has won 1st prize in the Mu Phi Epsilon Competition, 2nd prize for the MTNA Young Artist Audition in 2004, and third prize for the Branislaw Caper Awards sponsored by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2000, she was the first prize winner for the Spotlight Awards Competition, which was sponsored by the Music Center of Los Angeles, leading to a full scholarship at the Aspen Music Festival and she has also been awarded four scholarships from the Young Musicians Foundations Organization since 1998-2003. Other competitions include being named winner three times for the Liszt Competition, and State winner for the CAPMT (California Association of the Professional Music Teachers) Competition.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Ms. Kim graduated from her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and recently graduated with her Masters from the Juilliard School in New York City. Ms. Kim has had the opportunity to work with many prominent artists such as Yefim Bronfman, John Perry, Alvin Chow, Paul Badura-Skoda, Richard Goode, Yong-Hi Moon, Paul Schenly, Antonio Pompa-Baldii, Nikolas Sivelov, Luiz Castro, and Arie Vardi in cities throughout Colorado, Maine, Germany, Russia, France, Portugal, and Italy. She has pursued her musical education with renowned pedagogues and pianists, Professor Vitaly Margulis, Professor Jura Margulis, Professor Jerome Lowenthal, Dr. Ick-Choo Moon and Hae-Young Moon, and their influences have been significant for all of her artistic pursuits.
NICK BLAGOEV is a multiple and international award-winning musical artist, scholar, and a music professor, among other professional achievements. Featured extensively on television and in the press, he is a recipient of a long list of distinguished honors, grants and recognition for his classical and jazz trumpet performance, pedagogical accomplishment and academic achievement: a two-time Eubie Blake and Maurice André Scholar and Grant recipient for his Ph.D. music performance study at New York University; a teaching fellowship and a Master’s Degree in music education from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Fine Arts; the Open Society Educational Grant, from Open Society Institute & Soros Foundations Network, founded by billionaire and philanthropist George Soros; the honorary Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award for his groundbreaking research, now registered with the Library of Congress; and many others.A deeply expressive performing artist/composer and a highly skilled music mentor with 15 years of extensive music teaching experience on all academic and artistic levels and age groups, who is able to effortlessly convey to others complex knowledge, Mr. Blagoev is the creator of Artistic Music Performance: The Art of Self-expression©™, a groundbreaking music performance method for highly refined artistic music performance. Taught by him internationally to instrumental and vocal performing artists, privately and in a master class format, Nick’s original approach has inevitably received inspired superlatives from the artists, and produced immediate and lasting artistic results. He has advised county officials and school districts on arts program development as well as created, implemented and led music programs for numerous elite preparatory and public schools throughout Southern California.
AGASSI TOPCHIAN worked as a reporter for “Новый Взгляд” (New Outlook) Moscow-based weekly published by Evgeniy Dodolev, a well-known Russian publicist and journalist. Agassi Topchian was promoted by Mr. Dodolev to the position of Editor-in-Chief and after moving to the United Stated in 1993, he established a presence of The New Outlook International publication in Los Angeles. He represented “ALLA” magazine (published by Alla Pugacheva ); co-published and edited The West Hollywood Tribune biweekly publication. His articles and interviews were published in dozens of publications in the United States and Russia. From 2000 to 2004 Agassi Topchian served as a member of the Russian Advisory Board in the City of West Hollywood. In 2001, he became the Director of the
Russian Style annual cultural festival in West Hollywood. In 2004, Agassi Topchian was appointed as a City Commissioner (Rent Stabilization Commission) by Honorable Abbe Land, Mayor-Pro-Temp of the City of West Hollywood.
FIRANGIZ RAGIMBEKOVA was born in Baku – the most international city of of the former USSR. She was raised in a musical family where the oldest sister played the piano; her older brother played the guitar and little Firangiz was the soloist. Her parents loved music and always supported Firangiz’s passion and desire for becoming a professional singer. At the first competition for the best national vocalist for the Republic of Azerbaijan, the youthful 15 year-old Firangiz won first place and was recognized by the legendary Rashid Beybutov who led her to the path of professionalism. Firangiz went on to work in the Azerbaijan Philharmonic and AzConcert, while continuing to attend school at the Institute of the Performing Arts of M. Aliyev. In 1983 Firangoz received an award after participating in a All Union competition in Moscow. She performed in the most prestigious forums across the world and in the republic of the former USSR.
Her band, Ashugi and Polad Bul-Bul Ogli played a big role in her artistic career. Those were years of intense education in art, music and professionalism. In 1986, Firangiz represented her native country in the first international competition in Yurmala, Latvia, where she received a prize for an outstanding performance of a national folk song in its contemporary interpretation.
From 1988 to 1993, Firangiz was a soloist in the Big Band Orchestra of Azerbaijan Television and Radio under the management of Rafik Babayev. During these years, Firangiz toured across the former USSR, shot countless music videos and television shows. In 1992 Firangiz once again represented her native country as a guest star at the International Festival Voice of Asia. In the same year she debuted in a feature film the Engagement Ring directed by Ramiz Azizbeyli where she played an outstanding main role of Seda.
In 1993 Firangiz immigrated to U.S. with her daughter Raisa, and continues her successful career in Los Angeles. In 1999 she joined her destiny with that of a talented actor, artist and architect Raymond Antoni who supports his wife in all her recent projects. In 2003, Firangiz released her latest album, Beautiful and dedicated it to her mother land and her fans living in Azerbaijan and across the world.
EDWARD KHOROVSKY, lyrical baritone. Was born in Ukraine. He started his career as a professional singer in the Chorus of Kharkov’s Philharmonic, shortly after he became lead soloist of the Men’s Vocal Ensemble. As a soloist Edward had extensively toured Russia with a band as a member of a Philharmony. Edward had recorded many times on national radio and TV, participated in many very prestigious competitions, won the Ukrainian National Competition (Gold Medal), also was the winner of International Festival of Youth and Students in Bulgaria. Edward with his family emigrated in United States in 1979. He continues to pursue his passion. His beautiful lyrical baritone has never failed to charm his listeners eighth tenderness. Over the last 10 years Edward worked closely with the pianist Alla Konviser to produce several programs about popular Russian retro music. The shows was dedicated to a such prominent Russian stars as A. Vertinsky, V.Kozin, P.Leschenko and M.Bernes. Most recently Edward has performed in Show program “Tango around the World”.
ULIANA ILIEVA-CLARK is one of Orpheus Music’s premiere professors. She is a mezzo-soprano vocalist and accomplished pianist. Uliana began her studies in piano at the age of five and graduated from the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance as a piano and voice major. She earned a Master of Music degree in Opera at the New Bulgarian University in Sofia. She was privileged to study at the Dresden Opera Studio. Uliana was Assistant Professor of Opera at the New Bulgarian University in Sofia from 1996 to 1998. She has appeared as soloist with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, the Plovdiv Chamber Choir, and the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra. As a singer in recital, opera, and oratorio, she has toured Russia, France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Germany, Turkey and USA. In 1995, she sang with the chorale at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. She has made opera recordings with the National Radio Symphony Orchestra and with the GEGA Record House. Uliana recently graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi, where she was a graduate assistant teaching voice at the USM School of Music. While at USM, she appeared as a soloist in the Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the USM Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, and also sang Rosina in the USM production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In 2003 she appeared in the Boston Lyric Opera’s productions. Her endeavors in Massachusetts before joining the music faculty at Orpheus Music in Boston include; a voice teacher at the Community Music School in Springfield and currently teaches at Atlantic Union College in Lancaster. Her students love her ability to make learning music fun and enjoy her easy manner and professional approach.
VASILE MOROSANU is a producer of many international youth musical competitions and festivals in different countries, popular singer and Head of Department of Culture of Anenii Noi District, Moldova.