Misha Keylin, violin
Since his New York Carnegie Hall début at age 11, violinist Misha Keylin has earned critical and popular acclaim for his exuberant musicality, keen interpretive insight, and rare tonal beauty. Noted for a wide range of repertoire, Keylin is attracting particular attention with his world-premiere complete CD series of the seven Henri Vieuxtemps violin concertos and showpieces, released by Naxos. These recordings have already sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and garnered numerous press accolades and awards (such as “Critic’s Choice” by The New York Times, Gramophone and The Strad).
In a career already spanning forty-five countries on five continents, Misha Keylin has been guest soloist with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Leipzig Chamber Orchestra, NDR Philharmonic of Hannover, Budapest Philharmonic, Israel Sinfonietta, Bologna Philharmonic, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Chile; in addition, he has performed with the National Symphony Orchestras of Ukraine, Latvia, Colombia, Costa Rica and other prestigious ensembles. United States concerto and recital appearances have brought him to the major venues across the country.
Sergey Antonov, cello
Hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergey Antonov went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation when he became one of the youngest cellists ever awarded the gold medal at the world’s premier musical Olympiad, the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Antonov’s entry into this elite stratum of sought-after classical artists has already placed him on stages at world-renowned venues from Russia’s Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory to Suntory Hall in Tokyo. His international performance tours have taken him to France, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Korea, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. He has collaborated with such conductors as Yuri Simonov, Maxim Vengerov, David Geringas, Mikhail Pletnev, Jonathon McPhee, Yuri Bashmet, Eiji Oue and Yan Pascal Tortelier.
Ilya Kazantsev, piano
Mr. Kazantsev, a fresh and exciting presence on the international music scene, has been praised by The Washington Post as “virtually flawless”. He has performed as recitalist and soloist with orchestra extensively in Russia and the United States, as well as appearing in Germany, Japan, Italy, France, Canada, Ukraine, Belarus and Slovenia. Among his many awards and honors, Ilya received the first prize at the Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition (France) as well as top prizes at the International Chopin Competition (Russia) and the World Piano Competition (USA).
Based in the United States since 2002, Mr. Kazantsev has participated in master-classes presented by leading pianists such as Earl Wild, Richard Goode, Yefim Bronfman, Philippe Entremont, Menahem Pressler and Pierre Boulez.