Musicians

THE MUSICIANS

Pavlina Dokovska: A First Prize winner of the Claude Debussy International Competition in France and Italy’s International Piano Competition of Senigallia, Bulgarian pianist, Pavlina Dokovska has gained worldwide recognition touring Europe, the Far East and the United States, and receiving rave critical acclaim. In New York she has performed at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, Frick Collection and Merkin Hall.  Important festival appearances include Spoleto Festival in Italy, Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, Mai Musical in Bordeaux, Prague’s Autumn Festival, Salzburg Festival, etc. In addition, she has collaborated in recitals and recordings with the great Bulgarian basso Nicolai Ghiaurov, soprano Stefka Evstatieva, cellist Nathaniel Rosen, violinists Robert McDuffy and Mila Georgieva.  She has recorded for GegaNew, RCA, Koch International, Naxos, Arcadia, Elan, Labor Records.  Ms. Dokovska is the Chair of the Piano Department at Mannes College of Music, Founder and Artistic Director of Mannes Annual Festivals in New York City, and Artistic Director at the Southwest Virginia Festival for the Arts.

Stefka Evstatieva: Bulgarian soprano Stefka Evstatieva is one of the world’s greatest opera singers.  In addition, her artistry ranks amongst the most significant achievements of Bulgarian musical culture.  Ms. Evstatieva has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Covent Garden, Paris Grand Opera, Vienna State Opera, Arena di Verona, as well as the opera houses of Toronto, Montreal, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Parma, Frankfurt, Torino, Hamburg, Bonn and Munich. She has worked with conductors James Levine, Colin Davis, Bernard Haitinik, Mauricio Arena, Zoltan Pesko, Edo de Waart and the singers Piero Cappuccilli, Carlo Cossutta, Renato Bruson, Shirley Verrett, Franco Bonisolli, Vladimir Atlantov, Robert Lloyd, Paul Plishka, Stefania Toczyska and Jerome Hines. A graduate of the Bulgarian National Conservatory in Sofia, she is the winner of the Fifth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Oostende Belgium Radio and Television Competition and Sixth International Competition for Young Opera Singers, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ms. Evstatieva is also the recipient of a Golden Ring and “Giovanni Zanatello” Best Performer of the Year Award at Arena di Verona, Italy. Her vast operatic performance experience incudes the operas Don Carlos, Andrea Chenier, Un Ballo in Maschera, Otello, Don Giovanni, Il Trovatore, Tosca, Adriana Lecouvreur, Eugene Onegin, Queen of Spades, Aida, Cavalleria Rusticana, La Forza del Destino, to name a few.

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Milosslav Antonov: A young Bulgarian baritone he received his education from the High School of Music “Lubomir Pipkov” in Sofia, majoring in piano.  As a pianist, he is the prizewinner of several national competitions and “Music and Earth” International Piano Competition in Sofia. He also participated in festivals – Varna Summer and March Music Days in Russe, Bulgaria, and at the International Piano Meeting at San Danielle, Italy.  At age of 19, he started singing and a year later won the First Prize and the Audience Prize at International Voice Competition “The Crown of Veliko Turnovo” in Bulgaria.  Currently, he studies at Mannes College of Music with Arthur Levy.

Clarinetist Igor Begelman made solo appearances with Houston Symphony, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestra of St. Luke’s and I Musici de Montreal. Attended Caramoor and Ravinia, Marlboro, Tanglewood and Schleswig-Holstein festivals. Recipient of Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizewinner of Geneva International, Koussevitsky, Munich International, Carl Nielsen International and Crane New Music clarinet competitions. Professor of Clarinet at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Director of the Wind Program at Bowdoin Music Festival and a graduate of The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music.

Cellist Robert Burkhart – member of American Modern Ensemble, Ensemble Pi, S.E.M. Ensemble and Argento Chamber Ensemble, was presented on WQXR’s “Young Artists Showcase”. Worked with composers Aaron Jay Kernis, Steve Mackey, Joan Tower, Chen Yi, Charles Wourinen and John Harbison. Principal cellist of New York Symphonic Ensemble, performed with American Symphony Orchestra, Berkshire Opera, Louisiana Philharmonic of New Orleans, SONYC, EOS Orchestra and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. Taught at Syracuse University and Music Conservatory of Westchester.

Young Bulgarian baritone, Miloslav Antonov received his education from the High School of Music “Lubomir Pipkov” in Sofia, majoring in piano.  As a pianist, he is the prizewinner of several national competitions and “Music and Earth” International Piano Competition in Sofia. He also participated in festivals – Varna Summer and March Music Days in Russe, Bulgaria, and at the International Piano Meeting at San Danielle, Italy.  At age of 19, he started singing and a year later won the First Prize and the Audience Prize at International Voice Competition “The Crown of Veliko Turnovo” in Bulgaria.  Currently, he studies at Mannes College of Music with Arthur Levy.

Violinist Teodora Dimitrova is prizewinner of competitions Pancho Vladigerov, North Carolina Symphony, American String Teachers Association, Aperto Chamber Music, Cornelia Bronzetti and Kocian. Recipient of The Juilliard School’s Dorothy Delay and Joseph Fuchs Scholarships, she plays on a violin loaned by the Raina Kabaivanska Foundation. Graduate of University of North Carolina School of the Arts, currently pursuing Master of Music Degree at The Juilliard School

Billy Hunter is Principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Assistant Principal trumpet of Chicago’s Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Performed with New York Philharmonic, Boston, Baltimore and Dallas Symphonies, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician and soloist he appeared with Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, American Brass Quintet and the MET Chamber Ensemble. Graduate of University of Texas at Austin and The Juilliard School, recipient of the UT Texas Exes Alumni Award for outstanding achievement.

Music teacher, vocal and piano instructor Krassimira Ivancheva conducts the Children’s Chorus at the Bulgarian Embassy in New York City and teaches at Sunset Park School of Music, A. Fantis Parochial School and Grace Nursery School. Her piano students have been accepted to LaGuardia and Murrow High Schools of Performing Arts, Mannes College and Juilliard School’s Preparatory Divisions and Brooklyn Conservatory. She has Master Degrees in Music Pedagogy and Piano Performance.

Mezzo-soprano Mariana Karpatova made her Alice Tully Hall recital debut as recipient of Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Award and appeared on “Live from Lincoln Center”. Her opera appearances include Sarasota Opera, Michigan Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Opera Tampa, Baltimore Opera, Bulgarian National Opera and Palm Beach Opera. In concert she performed with National Symphony of Mexico, Spoleto USA Festival, Connecticut Grand Orchestra, Bulgarian National Opera Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra, Coro Lirico, Hartford and Indianapolis Symphony. Currently on faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University, College at Forham in Madison, NJ.

Violist Irena Momchilova – currently a member of New York Symphonic Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, Symphony in C, and Berkshire Bach Ensemble, won MTNA Chamber Music Competition in Florida and Boca Pops Scholarship Competition. She attended Iserlohn, Weathersfield, Hot Springs, and Musicorda festivals. A graduate of the Idyllwild Arts Academy, Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton and Manhattan School of Music.

Flutist John McMurtery – currently section flutist with New York City Opera Orchestra, substitute with Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and former principal flutist of Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Dicapo Opera Company, New England Symphonic Ensemble and Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. Avid contemporary music advocate, he performed with UpTown Flutes, Vienna Chamber Ensemble and New York Symphonic Ensemble.  Former faculty at University of Nevada – Las Vegas, Westminster Conservatory and Drew University Summer Music. Holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree from The Juilliard School and a graduate of Rutgers University and Central Washington University.

Violinist Sarah Pratt – prizewinner of Jeunesses Musicales International Violin Competition, Toronto Symphony and University of Toronto Concerto competitions. Member of New York City Opera Orchestra and former concertmaster of Florida Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Canturbury Choral Society Orchestra. Made solo appearances with Toronto Symphony, Allentown Symphony, University of Toronto Symphony and Chamber orchestras. Graduate of University of Toronto and Yale University, currently teaches at Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City.

Bass player Troy Rinker performs with Argento Chamber Ensemble, Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, SONOS Chamber Orchestra, EOS Chamber Orchestra, SEM Ensemble, New York Pops, American Composer’s Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Stamford Symphony. As a soloist, chamber and orchestra musician, appears at New York’s Avery Fisher, Alice Tully, 92nd Street Y and Carnegie halls. Attended OK Mozart, Tanglewood, Spoleto, Naumburg Bandshell concerts, Kilkenny Arts, and Caramoor festivals and is heard on labels Sony Classical, Telarc, and North/South.

Weston Sprott – second trombone of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, studied at Indiana University and the Curtis Institute of Music. While a student at Curtis, he was Principal Trombone in the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Currently on the faculty at Purchase College Conservatory of Music and Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, former faculty of The New School University as well as an artist/clinician for the Edwards Instrument Company and Music In Reach.

Percussionist Svet Stoyanov won 2003 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and premiered Phillip Glass’ Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall. Performed as soloist with Chicago, Seattle, American and Annapolis symphony orchestras, worked with conductors Pierre Boulez, Oliver Knussen, James Conlon, John Adams, Gerard Schwarz, Leon Fleisher, Gustav Meier, Bra Lubman, Jose-Luis Novo and Skitch Henderson. Appeared at festivals Ravinia, Emilia Romagna, Made in America, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and River to River. Chair of Percussion Department at University of Miami and released debut CD “Percussive Counterpoint”.

Conductor Guerguan Tsenov performed with NYU Symphony Orchestra, AACA Orchestra at Aspen, Detroit Civic Orchestra, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Juilliard Conductors Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra in the US and Sofia State Philharmonic, New Symphony Orchestra and Classic FM Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria. Graduate from The Juilliard School and National Music Academy in Sofia, studied with James DePreist and Vassil Kazandjiev. Also worked with Kurt Masur, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Zinman and George Manahan. Recipient of Bruno Walter Foundation Scholarship at Juilliard.

Violinist Georgy Valtchev won Ducrest International Competition in Lafayette, LA,  and received Special Prize of the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Switzerland. Appeared as a soloist with orchestras in New York, Boston, Bangor, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Bulgaria. Performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 92 Street ‘Y’, Roerich Museum and Donnell Library in New York. Released a CD of Bartók Sonatas and Rhapsodies for Violin and Piano with Gega New Label and recorded for the Bulgarian National Radio and Television. Graduate of The Juilliard School.

Cellist James Wilson appeared at Hong Kong Arts, City of London, Deutches Mozartfest, Mostly Mozart and Aspen music festivals. He performed with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music from Copland House, Music of the Spheres Society, and Dodd Quartet. He collaborated with violinist Joshua Bell, flutist Eugenia Zukerman, guitarist Eliot Fisk, actress Claire Bloom, Tokyo String Quartet and Mark Morris Dance Group. Currently Artistic Director of Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, cello and chamber music teacher at Columbia University.

Adriana Velinova.  Bulgarian soprano Adriana Velinova studies at Mannes College of Music with Beth Roberts and Ruth Falcon.  Adriana is a first-prize winner of the 2008 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition, Las Vegas Chapter. Ms. Velinova is also a distinguished piano performer.  In 2009, she graduated with a degree in Piano Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), under the instruction of Dr. Mykola Suk. Adriana is a graduate of the prestigious National High School of Music “Lyubomir Pipkov” in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Dilyana Zlatinova. A prize winner of the international competitions Young Musical Talents and Music and Earth, violinist Dilyana Zlatinova made her Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall Stage debut in 2006. Since then she has frequently performed in the most prestigious halls in New York City – Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium, Zankel Hall, Avery Fischer Hall and Symphony Space. Dilyana Zlatinova has collaborated with musicians such as Kurt Masur, Pinchas Zukerman and Glenn Dicterow among others. An avid chamber musician, Dilyana Zlatinova has been a member of Montclair String Quartet since 2002. Dilyana Zlatinova holds a Master’s degree in violin performance from Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Prof. Maria Radicheva.