Positive Motions Concert Series Presents LIMOR TOREN AND FRIENDS, 3/6

Alto Polis Music Management & Positive Motions Foundation in association with the Glendale Philharmonic Association and "Positive Motions" Concert Series, Ruslan Biryukov, Producer and Artistic Director will present "Limor Toren & Friends," A Chamber Concert Celebrating the Romantic Period With The Music of Antonin Dvo?ák, Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn featuring members of the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra, including: Violinists Limor Toren, Hovhannes Meghrikyan, Shushan Akopyan and Levon Mkrtchyan; Violists Laura Pearson and Brianna Bandy; and Cellists Maksim Velichkin and August Lee accompanied by Guest Artist Pianist Leonid Levitsky.

The concert will be presented on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Glendale; 209 N. Louise Street (at Wilson Avenue); Glendale, CA 91206.

Ruslan Biryukov, Producer and Artistic Director of the "Positive Motions" Concert Series and Founder of the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra, said: "Because of its intimate nature, chamber music was called 'the music of friends.' Goethe described it a 'rational people conversing.' Playing chamber music requires special skills, both musical and social, which are different from the skills required for playing solo or symphonic works. In this concert we will present some of the best music of the Romantic Period by composers most affiliated with it."

Repertoire will include: Terzetto in C Major, Op. 74 for Two Violins and Viola (1887) by Antonin Dvo?ák (1841-1904) a Czech composer, who incorporated folk elements of his country in his late Romantic style compositions; Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 (1864) by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), the most prominent Romantic composer of the period; and String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 (1825) by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), one of the early Romantic composers.

The concert will be performed in the First Baptist Church of Glendale, a recently restored architectural and acoustic jewel of Los Angeles, which is 104-years-old. Tickets are $15, $20, $25 and $50 for VIP Tickets. Tickets and can be purchased by calling 323-663-3601 (English/Russian); 323-463-7224 (Russian/English) and 818-640-7047 (Armenian/English) or online at www.GlendalePhilharmonic.com, www.PositiveMotions.org or www.CelloArt.com.

Parking is $5 in nearby parking lots on Louise Street and Wilson Avenue, or on the street. For further information about the concert "Limor Toren & Friends," please visit the websites, www.GlendalePhilharmonic.com, www.PositiveMotions.org or www.CelloArt.com. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the First Baptist Church of Glendale.

About The Music and The Concert:
Limor Toren, Concertmaster and Violinist for the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra, who is also overseeing the artistic content of this concert said: "As we will move back in time (1887-1864 -1825), we will expand the amount of players in each group, starting with just three string instruments, then adding a piano to the string quartet, and finally doubling the string quartet for the last piece. Each additional player will bring fuller texture to the ensemble, yet will present new challenges to the performance, as we will have to integrate more individual strands into the unanimous musical fabric.

"Each piece on the program has a curious story of creation. Dvo?ák composed his Terzetto for a friend violinist and his student who were his guests for the summer, but the music turned out to be too challenging for the student, to the extent that Dvo?ák had to write a completely new piece for them to perform.

"Brahms initially composed a string quintet for two violins, viola, and two cellos. After hearing reservations from his two best friends, Josef Joahim and Clara Schumann, he reworked it into a sonata for two pianos, to unsatisfactory reviews. Finally he recreated it as a piano quintet as we know it today, for two violins, viola, cello and piano. Mendelssohn's Octet had such success and such symphonic potential, the composer himself arranged the third movement, Scherzo, for the full orchestra, to be used as an alternative third movement of his first symphony. The famous conductor Arturo Toscanini followed in his steps and arranged the rest of the movements for a larger string orchestra."

About The Artists:
Limor Toren (Concertmaster and Violinist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Irvine, CA), also known as Limor Toren-Immerman, has won numerous regional and national competitions and has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout Russia, Israel and the United States. Her concert career has additionally taken her through France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Egypt, the Canary Islands, Japan and Canada. She has performed under the batons of Zubin Mehta, Kurt Mazur, Michael Tilson-Thomas, and Charles Dutoit; and, in support of Mstislav Rostropovich, Isaac Stern, Emanuel Ax, and Evgeny Kissin. Toren began her formal musical education in Russia, at the Moscow Gnessins College of Music. She holds Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma from Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, Israel, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. She has held Principal positions in the USC Thornton Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the Young Musicians Foundation Debút Orchestra, and the American Youth Symphony and was an USC Thornton School of Music Outstanding Graduate both for her Master and Doctoral degrees.

Leonid Levitsky (Guest Artist Pianist) (?????? ?????????) (of Aliso Viejo) has studied with some of the greatest Russian pianists of 20th century, including Lev Naumov, Boris Shatskes and Liya Mogilevsky. Levisky is a Concert Pianist known for the astonishing beauty and the tremendous appearance of style in his sound. He is a musician highly respected worldwide for his musical interpretations. His expertise has been welcomed at the Gnessin Special Music School in Moscow; University of Southern California, Los Angeles; University of California, Irvine and California State University, Long Beach. Levitsky is the Founding Artistic Director of the Pacific Virtuosi Concert Series. His collaborative achievements include honors as the Official Pianist for the Pablo Casals and Tchaikovsky International Piano Competitions. He is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory and has taught Advanced Piano for the Moscow Music School for Talented Children, among others. Many of his students have become laureates of international piano competitions.

Hovhannes Meghrikyan (Principal Second Violinist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Granada Hills) started playing violin when he was only seven-years-old. After spending seven years in the Chukadjian Music School, he applied and was successfully accepted to the Music College of Yerevan. In 1980, Hovhannes graduated from Komitas Conservatory. At age 16 he had the opportunity to play the Song Poem by Aram Khachatryan in front of the composer himself. He was given an award for his outstanding performance. Also, at age 16, Hovhannes performed the Spanish Symphony by Lalo solo with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. Hovhannes' career was built on playing for the Chamber Music and Philharmonic Orchestras of Armenia. Hovhannes traveled throughout the world and played at Carnegie Hall in New York, Boston Symphony Hall, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., and many others. He has lived in the United States since 2000 and has performed with many Orchestras throughout the States, including solo appearances at different community events.

Shushan Akopyan (Violinist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Glendale) began studying music at a very young age. After graduating from the Tchaikovsky Music School, she was immediately accepted into the Armenian State Conservatory. Soon after graduation she began performing with the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra in the greatest concert halls in over 20 countries. She has worked with world famous conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Spivakov and David Khangian. In the United States she plays with the Redland's Symphony Orchestra, Torrance Symphony Orchestra and Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra. She also performs extensively in various chamber orchestra projects.

Levon Mkrtchyan (Violinist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Sun Valley) was born in Yerevan, Armenia. He started taking violin lessons when he was eight-years-old, at which time he became a student of the Spendiaryan School of Music, studying with Elfa Mamikonyan and Margik Tsaturyan. Mkrtchyan went on to study with Willy Mokatsyan at Tchaikovsky School of Music for Gifted Children, and continued with him at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, earning his Master of Music degree. After that, he pursued a Post-Graduate degree in String Quartet studies. In 2005, he participated in a Master Class with the Chilingaryan String Quartet (England). In 1989, Mkrtchyan won the first prize and got the highest honors in the Armenian State Violin Competition. He won the Assistant Principal position in the Armenian National Chamber Orchestra in 1995, and as such toured Europe, Asia, the USA, Canada, Russia, France, Germany, England, Switzerland, Cyprus, Greece and Lebanon. In September of 2009, Mkrtchyan immigrated to the United States.

Laura Pearson (Principal Violist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Whittier) has toured and performed as a chamber musician, orchestral player and soloist. She received her Bachelor's degree in Viola Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a scholarship student, and recently completed her Master's of Music degree at the University of Southern California as a full scholarship recipient. Last year, Pearson was appointed Principal Violist and soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay. Pearson performs with the Long Beach Symphony, Santa Cecilia Orchestra and The New West Symphony among others. She is a substitute musician for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has played as Principal of the USC Symphony Orchestra, the Golden State Pops Orchestra and was Principal Violist of both the American Youth Symphony and formerly of the YMF Debut Orchestra. As a scholarship recipient she has played at the Sarasota Music Festival, the Banff Festival, Colorado College Music Festival, Oberlin in Italy, Killington Music Festival and Centrum Music Festival. She was chosen to be in a trio and quartet with the violinist Midori and has been a studio musician in Los Angeles, performing in movies and on soundtracks for films such as The Soloist with Jamie Foxx. She has toured with Andrea Bocelli and other top artists.

Brianna Bandy (Violist) (of Reseda) is an active orchestral and studio musician in the Los Angeles area. She holds Bachelors degrees in Music and Anthropology from the University of Arizona, as well as a Master of Music degree from Yale University. She is currently on the faculty of Mount St. Mary's College. Bandy currently performs with most of the major orchestras in the Southern California area, including: The New West Symphony, Long Beach Symphony and Santa Barbara Opera. She also records regularly for motion picture soundtracks and record labels. Bandy has performed, recorded and/or toured with such well-known artists as Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli, Brian McKnight, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Josh Grobin, Rod Stewart, Art Garfunkle and Whitney Houston.

Maksim Velichkin (Principal Cellist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Koreatown) enjoys a broad musical life of a cellist, collaborative pianist, and harpsichordist both locally and throughout the world. He is the Artistic Director of the Classical Underground Concert Series in Los Angeles. He has appeared as a soloist with Uzbekistan National Symphony, Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble, Verbier Festival Symphony Orchestra, AYS, Torrance, Westchester, Southeast and Bellflower Symphony Orchestras. Velichkin has extensively toured Europe, Asia, both Americas and Australia with the prestigious Verbier Chamber and Symphony Orchestras as a Principal Cellist. Velichkin has collaborated with a number of prominent conductors and instrumentalists, including: James Levine, Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, Yuri Temirkanov, Wolfgang Sawallish, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Neemi and Paavo Yarvi, Sarah Chang, Maxim Vengerov (EMI recording project), Yuri Bashmet, Joshua Bell and others. Velichkin's concert credits include performances with singer Bobby Mc Ferrin in Switzerland, pianist Gabriela Montero in Mexico, performances in Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh and appearances on the prestigious Miyazaki Music Festival in Japan. In addition, he has been active in the popular music scene performing and recording with Bitter:Sweet, Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, John Legend, Red Elvises, Bernadette Peters and many others.

August Lee (Assistant Principal Cellist, Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra) (of Beverly Hills) (???? ?) was born into a family of prominent Korean musicians. For over 100 years, his ancestors played a major role in influencing the music of South Korea. His great-grandfather Sun Yu Lee (???), the legendary singer, was the Founder of the Eastern Style of Traditional Korean Singing; his grandfather Jae Ho Lee (???) was a celebrated folk music composer, and his father Beom Seung (???) is a successful Vienna educated conductor and composer. Lee began studying with the Principal cellist of Kyung Sang Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Noh Sunhee, at the PENIEL School of the Arts. At the same time, he was taking lessons with the prominent Polish cellist Professor Kazimierz Michalik of the Warsaw Chopin Conservatory. At the age of 18, Lee played for Kirill Rodin, the International Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medal winner, and received an invitation to continue his education at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. Lee graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 2008 and received a Master of Music degree with the qualification as cello soloist and teacher. Lee currently studies Cello with Ruslan Biryukov and serves as Assistant Principal Cellist of the Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra.

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