Cellist Ruslan Biryukov To Donate Performance Time In Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125

Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra Founder and critically acclaimed Russian Cellist, Ruslan Biryukov, will perform composer Sergei Prokofiev's "Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125" as a Guest Soloist with two different orchestras in two separate upcoming concerts to be held here in the Southland. Biryukov will waive his appearance fees and donate his time to appear in each concert during these challenging economic times. The first concert is scheduled on Sunday, May 23, 2010 with the Olympia Youth Orchestra; the second concert is scheduled for Sunday, June 6, 2010 with the West Covina Symphony.

Fung Ho, Music Director and Conductor of the Olympia Youth Orchestra said: " It is wonderful for students and I to work with such a dynamic cellist as Ruslan Biryukov, who brings so much energy into all his performances. As such, the audience will not be disappointed. The remainder of the program will give concertgoers a taste of popular melodies written by composers from different geographical areas in Europe."

Dr. Sylvia Mann, Music Director and Conductor of the West Covina Symphony said: "We are very fortunate to have such as seasoned cellist as Ruslan Biryukov appearing with our symphony in Prokofiev's ‘Sinfonia Concertante' which is a very demanding piece of music requiring a leading soloist with virtuosic abilities to play in tandem with the symphony. I know Ruslan Biryukov is up to the task."

The first performance will be with the Olympia Youth Orchestra, under the baton of Fung Ho, Music Director and Conductor, in a concert entitled, "A Musical Taste of Europe," to be held on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. in the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse; 320 S. Mission Drive; San Gabriel, CA 91776. Aside from Sergei Prokofiev's "Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125" performed by Biryukov and the orchestra, other repertoire on the program will include: Gioacchino Rossini's Overture to his early opera, "La Scala di Seta;" Giuseppe Verdi's "Prelude to Act III" from his opera, "La Traviata;" Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1;" and Bedrich Smetana's "Three Dances" from his opera "The Bartered Bride." Admission is free. Parking is available in a lot next to the venue at a cost of $5 per car. The venue is wheelchair accessible. To request and reserve tickets, and for further information, please call 323-445-6558 or visit online at www.CelloArt.com.

The second performance will be with the West Covina Symphony, under the baton of Dr. Sylvia Mann, Music Director and Conductor, in a concert entitled "Music of the Masters - IV," to be held on Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. at Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College; 1000 Foothill Boulevard; Glendora, CA 91747. Aside from Sergei Prokofiev's "Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125" performed by Biryukov and the orchestra, other repertoire on the program will include: "Capriccio Español" by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; "Piano Concerto No. 1" by Franz Liszt; and "Violin Concerto in D minor," Third Movement, by Jean Sibelius. Tickets are $20 VIP, $10 Reserved and $5 Seniors. Free parking is available at the venue. For tickets and further information, please call 323-445-6558 or visit online at www.CelloArt.com.

Sergei Prokofiev's "Symphony-Concerto in E-minor," (also referred to as "Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125"), is a large-scale work scored for cello and orchestra, which was dedicated to renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who premiered the work on February 18, 1952 under the baton of conductor Sviatoslav Richter. The 40-minute piece is composed in three movements. The first movement is an 11-minute Andante, followed by a second movement 18-minute Allegro, ending with an third movement 11-minute Andante con moto - Allegro - Allegro marcato.

About The Artists:
Ruslan Biryukov (?????? ???????) (Cello Soloist) (of Silver Lake) In a recent reviews of his performances, The Beverly Hills Outlook wrote: "Ruslan Biryukov is an astonishing young cellist," while www.reviewplays.com wrote: "To say his performance was incredible would not do it justice." Biryukov has served as the Former General Director of Concert Department of Association "Russian Performing School" (Rostropovich Foundation) in Moscow for four years from 1998 - 2002. Since the age of 11 he has performed professionally, starting in 1995 when he began playing up to 150 performances annually as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the world, including countries in the former USSR, in Europe, and in the United States. As a chamber musician he has appeared with world-renowned violinist, Midori at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, with cellist Kirill Rodin, and with members of the Ysave Quartet. He is the only cello soloist to be invited for seven years in a row to perform solo recitals at LACMA's Sunday's Live Concert Series broadcast live on the radio and online. He was the only Russian Cello Soloist invited to perform during the opening season of the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, where he performed Mozart's "Cello Concerto." He first earned international recognition by winning major awards in Azerbaijan and by having his name included in the Gold Book of Russia's international program "New Names." Biryukov has gone on to win numerous other awards worldwide, including First Prize in the 17th Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition. Biryukov is also the Founder of the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra and the Producer and Artistic Director of Positive Motions Concert Series, a chamber music concert series based in the Los Angeles area. Biryukov was most recently presented in concert by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in a Command Performance for Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Valdimirovna Romanoff, who was making her first official visit to Los Angeles as Head of the Russian Imperial Family. To read more about Ruslan Biryukov, please visit www.celloart.com or www.glendalephilharmonic.com.

Fung Ho (Music Director and Conductor, Olympia Youth Orchestra) Mr. Fung Ho has served as Concertmaster for the West Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra from 1992-2001 and was Concertmaster for the Burbank Chamber Orchestra from 1992-97. He now serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Olympia Philharmonic and Olympia Youth Orchestras in the Greater Los Angeles area. He moved to Los Angeles in 1984 from New York City where he served as Concertmaster for both the Brooklyn Chamber and Queens Philharmonic Orchestras. He has made appearances as guest conductor for performances at USC and CSULA. He has given solo and chamber music recitals in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Minnesota. Besides performing, Ho also maintains a studio of young and violin and viola students. He has served as President of the Los Angeles Section of the American String Teachers Association and also served as President of the West San Gabriel Valley Branch of the Music Teachers Association of California. Ho holds a Masters Degree of Music in Violin Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he studied with the late Carroll Glenn after receiving degrees from St. John's University in Minnesota, and Long Island University in New York. Later on, in Los Angeles, he pursued research on pedagogy and repertoire with the late Noumi Fischer. Currently, Ho is on the violin faculty of Cal State Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where he serves as Conductor for the String Orchestra and as a Chamber Music Coach. He has also served on the faculty of the International Institute for Young Musicians for eight summers. In the summer of 2001, he was invited by the Music Office of the Hong Kong Government to be the guest conductor at the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp. At that time, a well-received concert with the Hong Kong Youth String Orchestra was presented at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on July 29, 2001. Ho has also given violin Master Classes in the United States as well as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Many of his prize-winning students have gone on to further their musical studies in music conservatories all over the country.

Olympia Youth Orchestra is based in the San Gabriel Valley area where it began its first season in the year 2000 under the leadership of Music Director and Conductor Fung Ho. Annual performances are given at the Historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. Students of all ethnicities from all over, age 12 and above gain acceptance to the orchestra annually through our open competitive auditions. Since its inception, the orchestra has had the opportunity to work with many well-known soloists and coaches, including members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Although the emphasis is on performing original compositions of the non-pop repertoire, the orchestra takes pride in premiering new works by contemporary composers. The World Premiere Performance of the "Concerto pour violoncelle et orchestre a cordes" by Masatoshi Mitsumoto was given in the 2006-07 season. "Kingdom in Memory" by Hong Diep received its World Premiere Performance on March 8, 2009 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Partnership Program. "Singing Together," an orchestral piece by Dr. Daniel Kessner, Professor Emeritus of Composition at CSUN, also received its World Premiere at a January 10, 2010 concert. Plans are in place to premiere a work by Dr. John Kennedy, Composition Professor at CSULA in the next season. The soloists for this season are world famous violinist Chuanyun Li and cellist Ruslan Biryukov. The Olympia Youth Orchestra is under the management of the Olympia Philharmonic Society, a California 501c3 non-profit organization. The goal is to promote musical talents to the public in the form of classical orchestral, chamber and solo concerts. The orchestra aims to provide a more professional approach to the musical training of students outside of their regular school activities. The Olympia Youth Orchestra is proud to be one of the Emeritus Youth Orchestra Partners of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as they continue making music during their 10th Anniversary Season.

Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann (Music Director and Conductor, West Covina Symphony) Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann is a composer, conductor and performer who has appeared with many orchestras in the Southern California area. In addition to her positions as Music Director and Conductor of The West Covina Symphony Orchestra and San Gabriel Valley Symphony Orchestra, she is the String Pedagogy, String Ensemble and Upper Strings Professor at California State University Dominguez Hills campus, the Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, CA and Assistant Conductor of the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra. She is a performer with The Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, The Rio Hondo, La Mirada, Peninsula and Southeast Symphony Orchestras, and is Principal Violist of the Culver City Symphony & Beach Cities Symphony Orchestras. Her musical studies began at age four. She completed her undergraduate studies at Chapman College, and pursued her graduate studies at the University of Southern California and London University. Dr. Mann is currently composing, conducting and recording music for an upcoming independent feature film. She has recently composed incidental music for a number of short festival films and theatre productions in the Los Angeles area, as well as multiple chamber music works and symphonic pieces for film, symphony orchestras, chamber music ensembles and choral groups across the nation. Her original recorded music is now available at iTunes, Napster, Real Rhapsody, CDBaby and a number of other digital music services. She also is a signed artist for DMX, Spafax and Face music - which program music for major cable television shows and music channels, as well as for major airline music selection channels.

West Covina Symphony In the late 1960's and 70's, Sylvia Lee Mann began to perform with the symphony. She was still a student in the West Covina Public Schools. Upon finishing her schooling, Mann went on to become a professional conductor, composer and violist, performing all over the world. When Mann returned to West Covina to live, she found that the symphony was gone, and she decided to do something about that. Many community organizations have now joined in the work of helping to rebuild the symphony, including: the City of West Covina, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society, Women's Club, Greater West Covina Business Association, Regional Chamber of Commerce, and churches and community clubs. Under the baton and leadership of Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann, the West Covina Symphony Orchestra began its first season of operation in 2008/9, presenting a full season of four full orchestra concerts, an additional full orchestra Summer Pops Concert, as well as performing at several community functions. Since that time the symphony has more than tripled their concert attendance. The orchestra consists of over 60 musicians at every concert. Musicians range in age from 14 - 81, and come from all over Southern California to perform with our orchestra. Some even tell stories of rediscovering their passion for life through playing in the symphony, of finding healing through their music. The symphony's educational outreach program is underway, offering free concerts for local area schools, a music academy offering music lessons and Master Classes, and a solo competition for music students, featuring the winners at an annual concert with the orchestra.

WHERE: San Gabriel Mission Playhouse; 320 S. Mission Drive; San Gabriel, CA 91776.

WHEN: Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 3:00 p.m.

HOW: Admission is free. Parking is available in a lot next to the venue at a cost of $5 per car. The venue is wheelchair accessible. To request and reserve tickets, and for further information, please call 323-445-6558 or visit online at www.CelloArt.com.

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