Jury of Vancouver International Festival of Russian Music - 2010

Eugene Skovorodnikov - Piano. Web site: www.encoreconcerts.org

Eugene Skovorodnikov took his post-graduate course at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia) where he remained teaching until 1990 when he left the country. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Musical Arts by Kharkov State University of Arts, Ukraine, for his achievements in performance and teaching. Since 1991, Eugene Skovorodnikov has been teaching at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. He is a prize winner of Nikolai Lisenko National Piano Competition (Ukraine).

Eugene Skovorodnikov is the President and Artistic Director of “Music Encore Concert Society”, which presents concert seasons of solo recitals and chamber music performances in Vancouver, Canada.

Boris Konovalov - Piano.

Education: 1979-1982 Doctorate of Musical Arts. 1979-1983 Postgraduate studies, Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, USSR (Under Prof. Vera Gornostaeva) 1969-1973 Specialized Musical School for Gifted Children

Adjudicator Experience: 1999 Canadian Music Competition (in 9 Canadian cities) 1999,2000 North Shore Festival, Vancouver, Canada

Piano Competitions: 1992 Second Prize, National Piano Competition, Israel 1977 First Prize, National Piano Competition, USSR 1967 First Prize, Competition for Young Pianists, Novosibirsk, USSR 1992 Second Prize, National Piano Competition, Israel

Adjudicator Experience: 1999 Canadian Music Competition (in 9 Canadian cities) 1999, 2000 North Shore Festival, Vancouver, Canada

Jury of Russian Music Festival, Vancouver 2009 - Violin/Viola

Robert Rozek - Violin.

Robert Rozek is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music where he studied the violin with Ivan Galamian and Dorothy Delay. He continued his studies at the Academia Chigiana of Siena, Italy. There he studied violin with Franco Gulli and conducting with Sergiu Celibidache. Later he studied the violin with Nathan Milstein in New York, London and Zurich, Switzerland.

Mr. Rozek's teaching career began in New York. He held positions at the Barlow School, Columbia University, the State University of New York, Hamilton College and Colgate University. In the 1990's until 2003 Mr. Rozek was professor of violin at the University of Miami School of Music. At this time he conducted the chamber orchestra, taught string pedagogy and headed the Summer String program in Europe.

Presently Rozek is the Head of the Violin Department at the Vancouver Music Academy in Canada. He is also a conducting teacher and conductor of the chamber orchestra.

Jury of Russian Music Festival, Vancouver 2009 - Piano

Marina Navrotsky - Piano.

Marina Navrotski, originally from Russia, comes from a family of piano teachers. She began her music studies at the age of 5 and debuted as a soloist with the Crimea Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at 10.

She pursued her love for piano at the Gnessin Musical and Pedagogical Academy in Moscow under the guidance of professor Evgeny Liberman.

After graduating with a Masters degree in Pedagogy and Piano Performance, she has been passing her devotion to music to her students, continuing the pedagogical tradition established in the middle of the 20th century by the legendary teacher and pianist Heinrich Neuhaus.

Marina's teaching career began in Moscow and continued in musical colleges in Russia and Ukraine, as well as in South Korea where she served as a quest professor of music.

Jury of Russian Music Festival, Vancouver 2009 – Voice

Boris Poludo – Voice

Boris Poludo studied voice with professor Nina Meshko at Russian Music Academy in the name of Gnessin in Moscow and Italian soprano Maria Pellegrini of Ottawa Opera Lyra company

Mr.Poludo took part in several Ottawa Opera Lyra productions such as Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor and L'elisir d'amore, Verdi Traviatta, Puccini Tosca and others.

Boris Poludo also has been a substantial addition to Moscow State Chorus in the name of Pyatnitsky as well as Drezden Academic song and dance military ensemble.

Since coming to Canada, Boris has been performing in many concerts and recitals around Canada and USA

Jury of Russian Music Festival, Vancouver 2009 - Strings

Sergei Silin –Strings www.siliny.com

He started his music career and education in Estonia.

There Sergei Silin majored in Classical Saxophone under the guidance of Alexander Rjabov, renown Estonian musician.
After moving to Canada Sergei Silin started studying at Capilano University with Stan Karp where hi completed the Jazz Music Program in 2007.

Russian Music Vestival-Vancouver 2008 - Piano

Victor Shevtsov & Tanya Shevtsov - Piano. Web site: www.youngstars.ca

Victor and Tanya Shevtsov were born in Russia. They studied music in Moscow and graduated with Doctor's degrees in Piano Performance and Teaching.

Mrs. and Mr. Shevtsov taught piano in Music Schools in Moscow, Musical-Pedagogical Institute in Rostov and later in the Academy of Music in the University of Tel-Aviv (Israel). They were also active as a Piano Duo Performers giving concerts in Russia, Israel, Switzerland and other countries.

After coming to Canada Mrs. and Mr. Shevtsov run their private Piano Studio in Richmond B.C.

Victor's and Tanya's outstanding professional skills and commitment are an earnest of the success of their students, who are doing extremely well in all kinds of festivals, competitions and RCM exams.

Jury of Russian Music Festival, Vancouver 2008 - Piano

Marina Vinnitsky - Piano.

Marina Vinnitsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine.She began studying piano at the age of 5.She graduated with honours from Kiev State College of Music. She continued her education and received her Masters Degree in Teaching and Performance from the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music.

Since coming to Canada in 1989, she has been performing in many concerts and recitals around Vancouver as pianist, accompanist and chamber musician on stages like Vancouver Playhouse, Christ Church Cathedral, Tom Lee Music Hall and Centre.

Currently Marina is an active teacher of piano in Vancouver.

Jury of Russian Music Festival, Vancouver 2008 - Violin/Viola

Yuri Zaidenberg - Violin. Web site: www.yurizaidenberg.com

Yuri Zaidenberg, born in Kiev, Ukraine, began playing violin at the age of seven. After post-graduate studies at the Moscow Conservatory with professor Valery Klimov, a disciple of David Oistrakh, he appeared in many concerts and on radio and television throughout the former Soviet Union.

Since coming to Toronto, Canada in 1991, he is much in demand as a concert soloist, also performing in various chamber music groups and as a member of several orchestras.

This year Yuri will join the faculty of prestigious Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany and welcomes string players to his class (www.interharmony.com/hiimf/faculty).

Mr. Zaidenberg presented the Canadian premiere of the complete works for violin and piano by the contemporary Russian composer Alfred Schnittke. He was a founder, artistic director and performer of the "Russian Musical Heritage Series" concerts, representing a variety of Russian classical and contemporary music.

His students participate in different music festivals and competitions in Canada and have won more than 140 awards and scholarships.