A few of the returning
artists to the
Festival each year are.....
K
Knoxville
Symphony Orchestra
Formally
established in 1935, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra began a period of
significant growth in 1947 when David Van Vactor assumed dual
roles as Chairman of the University of Tennessee's Department of Fine Arts
and the KSO's Music Director.
For the next 26 years, Van Vactor attracted many
outstanding musicians to the community and nurtured the Orchestra's
burgeoning reputation for excellence. Today the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is recognized as one of the
finest regional orchestras in the United States. |
|
Yuri Vodovoz, Violinist
 Violinist,
Yuri Vodovoz, native of Odessa has concertized extensively throughout the
United States, Europe, Israel and South America. His debuts at the Kennedy
Center in Washington and at the Merkin Hall in New York were met with
critical acclaim. His playing has been described as "breathtaking" (the
Washington Post), "finespun lyricism" and "high-powered technique" (The New
York Times). Mr. Vodovoz appeared as soloist with the Baltimore Chamber
Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Chamber Orchestra, the St. Cecilia Orchestra, the
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the American Chamber Symphony, the Bogota
Symphony Orchestra, the Odessa Philharmonic, and the Illinois Symphony, as
well as in chamber music concerts and festivals such as Waterloo, Bargemusic,
Manchester Festival (USA), Ljubljana Music Festival (Slovenia), Emilia
Romagna, (Italy), Ameropa Festival (Czech Republic). Mr. Vodovoz’s radio
performances include "The Listening Room with Robert Sherman" (WQXR) and
WFMT (Chicago). He has recorded for Musicmasters. Mr. Vodovoz is on the
faculty of Mannes College of Music and Ameropa Summer Festival in Prague. He
has performed with Alaria since 1993. |
|
Vladimir Valjarevic, piano
Born in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, pianist Vladimir Valjarevic came to New York City on a
scholarship
 from
the Mannes College of Music, where he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
as a recipient of the Marian Marcus Wahl Performance Award. His principal
teachers were Pavlina Dokovska and Vladimir Feltsman. He has participated in
festivals such as IMS Prussia Cove in England; American Conservatory in
Fontainebleau, France; International Festival-Institute at Round Top in
Texas; International Keyboard Institute in New York; Kneisel Hall in Maine;
and European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) in Rovigno, Croatia. As a
soloist and a chamber musician, Vladimir Valjarevic has won numerous prizes
at National Competitions in former Yugoslavia as well as at the "Citta di
Stresa" and "Citta di Marsala" International Competitions in Italy. He has
recorded for Yugoslav Radio and Television and the Voice of America. His
latest CD, Tribute to Fauré, is recorded for Labor Records.
Vladimir Valjarevic has
performed in the United States and Europe. He teaches piano at Mannes
Preparatory and Extension divisions. Currently, he is a Doctoral Candidate
at Rutgers University where he receives Saldarini and Frazier-Durham Awards
and studies with Susan Starr. |
|
Rob Taylor, Violinist
Violinist Rob Taylor holds degrees
in both music and literature from the Royal
 Conservatory
of Music in the Hague, the University of Bonn, Union College, and Princeton
University.
At age fourteen he began his
studies with Yehudi Menuhin while attending the Congress of Strings
program at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Concertmaster of
the American Virtuosi, and Camerata New York, Rob resides in New
York, where he performs with the Orchestra of St Lukes, Philharmonia
Virtuosi, and the New York Chamber Soloists. Rob is currently
concertmaster of the first national tour of Disney’s Lion King.
|
|
Stefka Evstatieva, soprano
Bulgarian soprano Stefka Evstatieva
is one of the most acclaimed lirico-spintos in the world today and
has appeared in the world’s leading theaters including the
Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala, the Vienna
State Opera, San Francisco Opera, Paris Opera, Theatro Colon in
Buenos Aires and the Rome Opera. She has been praised for her
portrayals of roles of the Italian repertoire which have included
Desdemona in Otello, Leonora in La Forza del Destino, Elisabetta in
Don Carlos, Maddalena di Coigny in Andrea Chenier, and many others
as well as for several heroines of Slavic Opera such as Lisa in The
Queen of Spades and Yaroslavna in Prince Igor. She has been hailed
in both Europe and South America for Santuzza in Cavalleria
Rusticana, Adriana Lecouvreur and for the title role in Tosca.
Recently Ms. Evstatieva has debuted several new roles of a more
dramatic character to her repertoire.
Ms. Evstatieva has been awarded her
country’s highest title, "Honored Artist of the Bulgarian Republic."
She has made several recordings including
a recently released recital of Verdi arias as well as complete
recordings of Mefistofele and Don Carlo.
|
|
Kenji Bunch, viola
 A
native of Portland, Oregon, Kenji Bunch studied at The Juilliard
School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in viola as a student of
Toby Appel, and was awarded a Master’s Degree in composition and
viola, studying with Robert Beaser. He has also studied composition
with Eric Ewazen and Stanley Wolfe. Mr. Bunch’s honors include the
prestigious William Schuman Prize for Outstanding Leadership in
Music and the Lillian Fuchs Prize for Viola and from The Juilliard
School, grants from ASCAP (1999 and 2000), Meet The Composer (1999
and 2000), and the Leonard Bernstein Composers’ Fund (2000). Mr.
Bunch performs regularly as a violist, and plays fiddle in the
bluegrass band Citigrass NYC. He is currently a faculty member at
the Juilliard Pre-College program, where he teaches composition and
viola.
|
|
Diliana Momtchilova, cello
 Diliana
Momtchilova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria into a family of musicians.
She made her debut at the age of nine as a soloist with the Sofia
Chamber Orchestra, and later attended the State Academy of Music in
Sofia, where she graduated with honors. She has performed with the
Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic,
Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the
State Academy of Music in Sofia, among many other ensembles. She was
the winner of the 1998 Cello Concerto Competition at the Juilliard
School and performed as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra. Ms.
Momtchilova has had numerous solo, chamber, and recital performances
in a number of countries including Austria, Poland, Germany, Russia,
Holland, Yugoslavia, Czechia, Slovakia, and the United States.
|
|
 |
|
|
