March 25, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … An eclectic assortment of music, from Vivaldi to Gershwin, along with traditional Russian folk music, will be performed on Russian folk instruments by the innovative Trio Voronezh, who team up with the Oregon Symphony Pops on April 23, 24 and 25 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Heathman Hotel is the hotel sponsor for Trio Voronezh. Media support for these concerts is provided by KEX and Oregon Business Magazine.
The final Pops concert of the 2004-05 season showcases Trio Voronezh’s outstanding artistry in a wide range of music and styles that has garnered them praise both here and abroad. Germany’s Südkurier - Heilandskirche wrote of them, “ Both as soloists and in ensemble the young Russians displayed such fiery virtuosity and temperament that the audience again and again applauded and yelled ‘Bravo!’ It is hard to say what was more amazing: the dexterous fingerings of the domra and accordion, the skillful instrumentation…or the high level of ensemble playing…” Trio Voronezh’s U.S. debut in 1996 at the Oregon Bach Festival in Eugene made them an immediate hit with audiences; they have since appeared on “A Prairie Home Companion” and at concert venues across the United States.
The three musicians of Trio Voronezh, Vladimir Volochin, Valerie Petruchin and Sergei Teleshev, have been performing since they were young children. They play ethnic Russian folk instruments including the domra, a three-stringed long-necked mandolin, the triangular-shaped double-bass balalaika, the national instrument of Russia and the bajan, a button accordion.Their four CDs offer an array of musical styles, from arrangements of purely classical music to Russian folk, Argentinean tango and American music. Their newest CD, “Trio Voronezh,” (their first for a major label, Angel Records), features twelve new performances of old favorites and fresh arrangements.
Guest conductor Michael Krajewski, Principal Pops conductor for the Houston Symphony and several other orchestras, leads the Symphony in a number of well-known works, including “Lara’s Theme” from the epic film “Dr. Zhivago,” a military march from Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture, and Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette.” Trio Voronezh joins the symphony for the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto in F major for Two Mandolins and Orchestra (performed here on domra and balalaika), as well as excerpts of music by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy.”
After intermission Trio Voronezh will perform Russian music by Alexander Zigankov, as well as an arrangement of Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” and other works.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m. and Monday, April 25 at 8 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $26 to $72 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
Service fees may apply.Trio Voronezh’s astonishing virtuosity and delightful artistic innovation are destined to change the way audiences enjoy classical, folk and contemporary repertoire. Discovered playing Bach in a Frankfurt, Germany subway station, Trio Voronezh has since made several tours of the U.S., and earned audience and critical praise. “Both as soloists and in ensemble the young Russians displayed such fiery virtuosity and temperament that the audience again and again applauded and yelled ‘Bravo!’ It is hard to say what was more amazing: the dexterous fingerings of the domra and accordion, the skillful instrumentation, the memory of the musicians (the whole program was played from memory), or the high level of ensemble playing and the way they listened to one another ( Südkurier- Heilandskirche, Germany).”
The Trio’s diverse repertoire ranges from the works of Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky to Russian folk songs, gypsy dance music and popular songs by Gershwin. This ever-expanding concert material is arranged by the Trio’s members and performed with extraordinary virtuosity entirely from memory. More recently they have added works by Astor Piazzolla, Alfred Schnittke and Shostakovich.
Classically trained at the Conservatory in Voronezh, Russia, the members Valerie Petruchin, Vladimir Volochin (National Champion, All-Russian Domra Competition) and Sergei Teleshev formed the Trio in 1993 in their native working-class city of Voronezh. They play traditional Russian folk instruments: a double-bass balalaika (the three-stringed Russian national instrument, with a triangular body made of fir), a domra (a three-stringed short-necked ancestor of the mandolin) and a bajan (a chromatic-button accordion, with various registers).
The Trio made its U.S. debut at the 1996 Oregon Bach Festival (Helmuth Rilling, Artistic Director), becoming the sleeper-hit of the summer; the musicians were then immediately invited to return. The first U.S. tour of the group, in Fall 1998, began by bringing down the house at NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor. The Trio went on to perform at Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts; the cities of Ann Arbor, Chicago, Portland, and St. Louis; and the Universities of Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Nebraska, and Los Angeles; as well as Amherst, Dartmouth College, New York’s Rockefeller University and Stanford.
In 2003 the Trio made its orchestral debut with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra in a highly successful collaboration with Doc Severinsen. During the 2003-04 season, Trio Voronezh performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and in numerous recitals across the country.
As the San Francisco Classical Voice noted of their return to Stanford University in 2003, the players of Trio Voronezh have “clear and purposeful dynamics, and never faltered for an instant. Their playing shows a clear sense of ‘we’ve done this a million times but we still love it.”
Michael Krajewski is a favorite with concertgoers across the country. The much sought after pops conductor is known for his imaginative and entertaining programs and his delightfully wry sense of humor. Audiences who attend his concerts leave smiling, remembering the evening’s music and surprises.
Krajewski serves as principal pops conductor of the Houston Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, Long Beach Symphony and Jacksonville Symphony. As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra and the orchestras of St. Louis, San Francisco, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Minnesota, Oregon, North Carolina, San Jose, San Diego, San Antonio, Ottawa and many more. He has performed with Judy Collins, Roberta Flack, Doc Severinsen, Cab Calloway, Al Hirt, The Kingston Trio, The Canadian Brass and Ben E. King.
Born in Detroit, Krajewski holds degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and furthered his training with studies at the Pierre Monteux Domaine School for Conductors. He was a Dorati Fellowship Conductor with the Detroit Symphony and an artist intern with the Michigan Opera Theatre. For eleven years he served as music director of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. He has also held positions as music director of the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and resident conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra. Krajewski has twice received awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for adventuresome programming of contemporary music.
Krajewski lives in Orlando, Fla. with his wife, Darcy, and their cats, Spenser and Foster.
