1 July

One of Russia’s most gifted conductors, ARKADY LEYTUSH has directed orchestras in Europe and the United States to great acclaim. Critics have described him as a conductor in the Grand Russian Tradition and his dynamic interpretations have made him an audience favourite. Leytush’s artistry is known throughout the former Soviet Union and in the United States when he, on a week’s notice, made a stunning debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, replacing Yuri Temirkanov. Since 1980 Leytush has worked with a wide variety of Orchestras including Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (Russia), New World Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmonic De Buenos Aires, Orquestra Nacional Do Porto, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra, Plovdiv Philharmonic, Kremlin Orchestra. Mr. Leytush is conductor of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of National Orchestra of Ukraine, Music Director of Interfaith Committee of Remembrance (NY) and Music Director of Nathan Rakhlin International Festival in Yalta (Ukraine).

The Ukrainian-American violinist OLEH KRYSA, long esteemed in the former USSR as a distinguished soloist, chamber musician and teacher. A prominent student of David Oistrakh, Oleh Krysa won major prizes in such international competitions as the Paganini, Wieniawski, Tchaikovsky and Montreal. Oleh Krysa began his teaching career as chairman of the Violin Department at the Kiev Conservatory. In 1973 he returned to the Moscow Conservatory as Professor in violin, where he stayed until 1988. Currently he is Professor in violin at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Oleh Krysa has performed in major music centres throughout the world, with leading orchestras and conductors and ensembles. He has also appeared at prestigious festivals in Europe, North America, Far East and Australia. In addition to his solo career, Mr. Krysa was leader of the celebrated Beethoven String Quartet 1977-87. Mr. Krysa has recorded on the Melodiya, BIS, Triton, Olympia, Amadis, Polskie nagranie, TNC and Russian disc labels. He has premiered a number of works by A. Schnittke, S. Gubaydulina, E. Denisov, K. Penderecki and other contemporary composers.

KALIN IVANOV is a prominent soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and recording artist. The press called him: recognized master of the cello (Music Life, Moscow). He performs with: dramatic urgency and expressive tone (The Strad, New York). A winner of the C.W. Post Chamber Music Festival Concerto Competition, he has performed in Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Russia, and the USA. His recordings include broadcasts for Radio WNYC (New York), Voice of America, Voice of Russia, Radio Free Europe, WNYE (NY), WWFM Classical (NJ), CKWR (CANADA) and the Televisions - CUNY TV and WNYE TV in New York, Eurocom TV, Bulgarian National Radio and TV. Mr. Ivanov performs regularly as a soloist and member of The Forte String Quartet and New York EMPIRE Trio. Currently he teaches cello and chamber music at Adelphi University, Long Island Conservatory, SUNY, Brooklyn College Conservatory, CUNY, and leads master classes in the USA and Europe. He has recorded three CDs.

HAMPSON SISLER (b. 1932 in New York) showed unusual affinity for music and composing from a very early age. He started to play the pipe organ in churches professionally at the age of 11 years. Being apprenticed to nine expert musical theorists during his teen years, Sisler published his first composition, a sacred choral motet, at the age of nineteen. Sisler has some one-hundred compositions to his credit, including choral, instrumental, and vocal works, published and performed in Buenos Aires, Honolulu, Moscow, St. Petersberg, Prague, Porto, Plovdiv, Kiev, Yalta, Kharkov City, and New York. Reporting on a recent CD, critic Arsenio Orteza says, Under the direction of Arkady Leytush, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine brings the apocalyptic awe of Sisler’s compositions to thrilling and, at times, terrifying life. All Sisler’s orchestral works are orchestrated and first performed by Arkady Leytush.