Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra and Positive Motions Announce Fifth Anniversary Season
By: Sally Henry Fuller Dec. 21, 2014
323-663-3601. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.GlendalePhilharmonic.com. Network with us at www.facebook.com/RuslanBiryukov, on Twitter @RuslanBiryukov. Free Anniversay Cake will be provided to concertgoers, courtesy of Billy's Deli, during intermission at the concert.
Ruslan Biryukov is the Founder of the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director and Producer of the Positive Motions Concert Series and Los Angeles Cello Quartet, as well as Professional Cellist and Educator. Biryukov is the only cellist ever invited to perform for 10 consecutive years solo recitals at the Sundays Live Concert Series in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the longest running live radio broadcasted concert series in the United States on KUSC 91.5 FM. Biryukov was also the only Russian cellist invited to solo with an orchestra during the inaugural season of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County. Recent appearances in the Los Angeles area include appearances with the Redlands Bowl Symphony in Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto, with the Marina Del Rey Symphony (Summer Series), with the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra in the World Premiere of Bestemming: Concerto for Cello, Orchestra and Narration written by composer Sharon Farber, with the San Bernardino Symphony, and with the CalStateLA Symphony Orchestra and Olympia Youth Orchestra in the World Premiere of composer Masatoshi Mitsumoto's 2nd Cello Concerto. He has performed with world-renowned violinist Midori at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles, with cellist Kirill Rodin at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, and with members of the Ysaye Quartet. Biryukov has been a master teacher in music festivals in Europe and Russia. He has held teaching positions at the Ippolitov-Ivanov State Institute of Music in Moscow, Russia; the Music Academy in Lovran, Croatia; and the California Institute of Music in the United States. His creative artistic ideas are based upon the traditions he learned from esteemed artists Kirill Rodin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, Natalia Gutman, Janos Starker, Steven Isserlis, and Eleonore Schoenfeld. Within the last decade of his teaching career his students won over 200 prizes at various competitions worldwide including the 8th International Youth Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (Nathan Le, 3rd Prize), American Protégé International Competition in New York (Meagan Wu and Stephen Yang, 1st Prizes), American Fine Arts International Festival (Zoe Lavoie-Gagne, Stephen Yang, 1st Prizes). Ruslan Biryukov was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and received his formal music education at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in Russia (Master of Music, M.A.), and the USC Thornton School of Music in United States (Artist Diploma and Graduate Certificate). He first earned international recognition by winning major awards in Azerbaijan and through the inclusion of his name in the Golden Book of Russia's international program "New Names." Biryukov has gone on to win numerous other awards worldwide, including the Grand Prize at the 17th Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition. Biryukov has resided in Los Angeles since 2002. He was awarded permanent residency from the U.S. government as an "Artist with Extraordinary Ability." The title signifies that he has "sustained national or international acclaim and his achievements have been recognized" in his field, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Biryukov also is the only professional musician in the world granted a U.S. Commercial Pilot license and is a Certified Flight Instructor single/multi-engine instrument license (SEL, MEL, CFII, MEI). To learn more about Ruslan Biryukov please visit www.CelloArt.com or www.GlendalePhilarmonic.com. Maestro Frank Fetta currently serves as Conductor and Music Director of the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been the Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival since 1985. He is also the Music Director/Conductor for the Culver City Symphony and the Torrance Symphony. In addition, he holds the same position with the Marina Del Rey Summer Symphony, which is sponsored by the County of Los Angeles and Supervisor Don Knabe, County of Los Angeles, Fourth District. Fetta is also the Principal Conductor of the Nevada Opera Theatre. In June of last year, Fetta conducted the Culver City Symphony in the world premiere of Sinfonia Concertante by Damian Montano, featuring the Calico Winds. Last summer, he conducted another world premiere, Pacific West, by Sir John Dankworth, when Sir John and Dame Cleo Lane appeared with Fetta's Marina Del Rey Summer Symphony. Maestro Fetta also continues in his position as the conductor for the prestigious Zachary Foundation International Vocal Competition. As a conductor, Fetta has collaborated with the Riverside Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, Sinfonia Mexicana, Inland Dance Theatre; Fresno Ballet, Symphony and Opera; the Pasadena Symphony, the Honolulu Symphony, Opera A la Carte, the Toledo Opera, and the San Diego Symphony. Among the fine artists he has conducted are Julian Lloyd Webber, Judy Collins, Louis Lebherz, Suzanna Guzman, Eugene Fodor, Leila Josefowicz, Diane Schuur, Daniel Rodriguez, Lorna Luft, Vicki Carr, and Eduardo Villa. Growing up in New Jersey, Fetta's early passion for music led him to the piano and organ. He still coaches, accompanies, and guides the careers of vocalists and instrumentalists, and serves as organist at Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades. Recently he has happily achieved the new title of "grandpa." Maestro Fetta lives in Los Angeles with his artist/inventor wife, Susan. Their son, Raphael, is an actor living in New York City. Maestro Frank Fetta was appointed Artistic Director of Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra for 2014/2015 Season. Rich Capparela will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra's January 10, 2015 concert. In 1972 an employment counselor asked Rich Capparela, "If you could be anything in the world, what would you be?" Without hesitation he replied, "A classical music radio announcer!" Today Capparela is one of the best-known classical music radio personalities in the United States. He currently hosts weekday afternoons (4-7 pm) and Sunday afternoons (1-4 pm) at KUSC-FM in Los Angeles. His recording company, Cardiff Studios, produces commercials and programming for U.S. arts organizations, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony. Capparela has appeared as narrator at Carnegie Hall in music by Benjamin Britten and has performed in Southern California with the Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart, narrating The Night Before Christmas. In 2009 he began an association with the Metropolitan Opera when he hosted the Met's prestigious Western Regional Finals competition. Since 1995 Capparela has hosted live radio broadcast concerts by the Pacific Symphony. In December of 2001 as part of Los Angeles Music Week, Capparela was honored in chamber by the Los Angeles City Council for his for his contributions to the city's music community. In 2002 Capparela provided program notes for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's Grammy Award nominated album LAGW: Latin. Capparela hosted the Grammyâ Salute to Classical Music honoring Placído Domingo. He is active as a lead singer and guitarist with a four-piece cover rock bank, Otherwise Normal.
Rich Capparela and his wife Marcia, a private school administrator, live in Santa Monica, CA.
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