Performing with Fireworks

Earlier this month, I served as concertmaster with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra in our Independence Day Concert.  The concert is concluded with fireworks, to the accompaniment of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture". I look forward to it every year.

 

Sounding Good at the Recital

With regular practice, all of the beginners at my violin studio quickly learn to sound good. They progress at their own pace, which depends on a combination of effort and natural musical talent. If someone is musically gifted, learning violin is that much easier. An example is Ellie Wang, who came to my studio as a beginner in late May 2014. Here is her performance of Rieding's Violin Concerto, mvt. 1, at our last recital on November 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p-I8dwjQKU. Congratulations, Ellie, for achieving such beautiful results in less than 6 months!

Black Friday Nutcracker-Style

For some, Black Friday means shopping. For me, it means the opening night of Nutcracker... This year, I am again engaged as concertmaster with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, for their annual production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with the Ballet Arts Worcester, at the Hanover Theater in Worcester, MA.

The performances will take place on Friday, Nov. 28 at 7PM, Saturday Nov. 29 at 2PM and 7PM, and Sunday, Nov. 30 at 2PM. You and your friends are welcome to come see this magnificent Nutcracker production, listen to the beautiful music, and come visit me in the pit during the break or after the show.

Here is the link: http://thehanovertheatre.org/showinfo.php?id=70

Theme from Schindler's List with New Phil

Thank you to my fans and students who came to hear me perform with the New Philharmonia Orchestra at their Pops concert last Saturday, under the baton of Ronald Knudsen. I would like to thank Maestro Knudsen for inviting me to perform with his orchestra.

For everyone who could not make it, here is Theme from Schindler's List by John Williams from that concert, with introduction by the conductor. When I was performing this piece, I felt a powerful emotional response from the audience. As a musician, this is what makes my life worth living.

Happy New Year from Antonevich & Katz

Happy New Year to everyone! I had a delightful time celebrating the New Year on Cape Cod, where Leo Katz and I played at the Chatham First Night event. Our concert included many of the songs from our CD.

The Town of Chatham TV Station has released a video about the event, featuring our performance of Limehouse Blues. Here is a shot from the video. 

This was the first time we played at Chatham First Night, which we were told is the largest New Year festival in Massachusetts outside of the City of Boston. We truly enjoyed it. And I was so touched to receive beautiful comments from the organizers afterwards: "We thought you guys were sensational... Bravo! Looking forward to a repeat performance next year". We certainly hope to be back!

Nutcracker: an MSO Post-Thanksgiving Tradition

Thanksgiving is almost here! For me, this means another season as concertmaster in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and the Worcester Ballet Company. This project has become a tradition for the orchestra and the ballet company.

Our performances take place the weekend after Thanksgiving at the magnificent Hanover Theater in Worcester. This year, the dates are Friday, November 29 at 7PM; Saturday November 30 at 2PM and 7PM; and Sunday, December 1at 2PM.  I look forward to working with our conductor Kallin Johnson and with the whole orchestra on this project.

Beatles Music at the Majestic Hanover Theater

Last Friday, I was invited to be part of the Toronto-based band that performed Beatles music at the majestic Hanover Theater in Worcester. Today I got a photo that an audience member took, here it is. Missing from the picture frame are two more guitarists, a percussionist, and two brass players. The audience went crazy over the music, and the musicians had fun, too.

Less than a week until next Antonevich&Katz concert!

Gypsy Jazz with Antonevich & Katz Duo at Crowell Chapel on September 21
On Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 7:30 p.m., the Crowell Chapel Concert Series in Manchester by the Sea strikes off in a jazz direction with the Antonevich & Katz Duo, presenting a sizzling fusion of American Jazz and European Gypsy music, featuring Jazz favorites arranged for violin and piano in the European Gypsy-Jazz style.

What's Gypsy Jazz?
Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing or hot club jazz) is a style of jazz music that originated in Europe in the 1930s, propelled by stars like Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli. The instrumentation of violin and piano featured by the Antonevich & Katz Duo is uncommon for Gypsy Jazz, giving their music a unique sound. You can hear their Gypsy music.  Check it out at their web site www.antonevichkatz.com or at the Crowell Chapel Facebook Page.

The naturally vibrant acoustics and classic interior of the 1903 Crowell Chapel will be a great place to experience this uptempo music performed by two energetic musicians. A recent reviewer at a sold-out Boston concert said "Their music is reminiscent of Stephane Grappelli, but even better".

Who are Antonevich & Katz ?
The duo’s members, virtuoso violinist Stanislav Antonevich and improvisational jazz pianist Leo Loginov Katz, are professional musicians of Eastern European origin, with superb credentials, unusual backgrounds, and complementary talents. Stanislav Antonevich (violin) is known for his passionate delivery and offers a unique combination of award-winning classical musicianship and dazzling Jazz sensibility. Leo (piano) is particularly known for his spontaneous compositions on themes requested by the audience, and he plans to repeat this feat as a special feature of this concert.

The duo’s performances are known for their deep emotional sense, exquisite taste, and refreshing humor. Their last four shows in Massachusetts, held in Brighton, Brookline and Somerville, have all been sold out. Be prepared for a world-class musical treat! More information about the duo, including clips of their music, can be found at www.antonevichkatz.com.

Where to buy tickets
Tickets–$20 general and $15 for students and children under 12–are available through the web site of Crowell Chapel, www.thecrowellchapel.com

Thank You to ANTONEVICH & KATZ Fans

Thank you from Leo and myself to all our fans for your support, for coming to our show last Saturday (some of you for the second or third time), for another sell-out concert, and for the standing ovation afterwards! Here are two photos from the concert, with the stunning space of the Museum of Modern Renaissance for the backdrop.

Also, I just learned today that our NEXT SHOW will be on SEPTEMBER 21 at 7:30, at the beautiful Crowell Chapel in Manchester-by-the-Sea, a hidden gem of a town on the North Shore. This performance is part of the Crowell Chapel Concert Series; we thank the organizers of this series for inviting us. I will share further details about it when I know them.

Gypsy Jazz at the Museum of Modern Renaissance

Less than a week to go till my next concert with Leo Katz! The ANTONEVICH & KATZ Gypsy Jazz Duo will be performing on Saturday 8/3 at the Museum of Modern Renaissance in Somerville MA!

I love this quote by one of our fans on the Facebook event page, and I hope we'll live up to it: "I anticipate sparks to be flying at this concert. It will be like having fireworks in August at Museum of Modern Renaissance and the pyrotechnics will be generated by Leo and Stan!!!"

Concert website, with video clips and tickets:
http://www.newtonviolin.com/august3

Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/672830382733695

Last Concert of MSO's 2013 Summer Season

Next Saturday, July 20, is the last concert of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra's summer season, at Worcester's Institute Park, with Myron Romanul conducting. We will play music by Wagner, Verdi, Strauß, Copland and others; I'll be assistant concertmaster. It's FREE and it starts at 7PM but come early, bring stuff for a picnic. If it rains, the concert will be on Sunday the 21st.

ANTONEVICH & KATZ Going "Viral"

This morning, the viewer count for one of the YouTube videos of my Gypsy Jazz duet ANTONEVICH & KATZ has reached 1000 viewers.  This video was posted less than 3 months ago, so this is practically viral!

The song on the video, "Minor Swing" will also be performed at our upcoming concert, this Thursday May 16 at Cafe Vernissage in Brookline Massachusetts. This is an encore performance, after a sold-out event there on April 11. Here is the Facebook event page for this concert, we hope to see you there!

RJCF Gala 2013

Yesterday evening, I had the honor to perform at the annual Gala of the Russian Jewish Community Federation, with pianist Sergey Khanukaev.  It was a wonderful event that raises money for all the great causes that RJCF is involved with.  I would like to thank the organizers of the Gala for inviting me to perform there.  Here is a beautiful painting by artist Misha Lenn, that served as the logo for the event.

Gypsy Jazz at the Vernissage and Beyond

In a week, on Thursday April 11, our Gypsy Jazz duo with Leo Katz will be performing at the Vernissage Restaurant (1627 Beacon Street, Brookline).  Our music is described as a "sizzling fusion of American Jazz and European Gypsy music, featuring Jazz favorites arranged for violin and piano in the European Gypsy-Jazz style." It should be great fun!

I feel lucky to be collaborating with Leo. We really enjoy working together, and I hope that the ANTONEVICH & KATZ DUO has a long future ahead. In fact, I can already tell you about one future event. We have been invited to participate in the New Year's Eve festival in Chatham, on the Cape. Look for our all-Grappelli concert there at 2PM on December 31, 2013!

Needham Concert Society's String Festival

Last weekend, my younger students participated in Needham Concert Society's String Festival. The pieces they played ranged from Boccherini's Menuet to Massenet's Meditation from Thais. They all played beautifully! It was a wonderful experience that has inspired them to keep growing as musicians, and made them look forward to performing more challenging pieces next year.

My gratitude to the Needham Concert Society, and especially to Ron Lowry, for organizing this event.  Here is a photo of my student Abigail Chang; it was her very first recital! Abigail's older sister Caroline and brother Emmanuel also performed in the recital.

Bringing Music Back to Life

This is about "Serenade" by Victor Pergament, a very special piece from my last concert. The score used in that performance was published in pre-revolutionary Russia. It was given to me by Maria Seletskaya. Maria's father, violinist Myron Seletsky, was known for his exquisite rendition of this piece before being executed by Stalin in 1937. Here is a photo of Myron Seletsky, circa 1936.

This piece is now on YouTube, and the description there says:
Maria was only 8 years old when she lost her parents to Stalin's terror, and she did not get to hear her father play it. She has asked Stanislav to bring back the beauty of her father's music. This is arguably the Serenade's first concert performance in the USA; it is dedicated to all musicians who were victims of Stalin's terror. Let their music come back to life!

I have just heard from Boris Rivchun, a pianist/composer who lives in Moscow. His grandfather, David Geigner, was a close colleague of Myron Seletsky; he too was executed by Stalin. Boris had a chance to hear this piece, and he wrote:

Great music, performed with such artistry and skill! How wonderful that you were able to give a "new beautiful life" to this work, this is the best possible tribute to Myron Seletsky! My mom and I were hugely delighted, thank you! 

With pleasure and gratitude,
Boris Rivchun, Moscow

I am grateful to Maria for giving me the opportunity to bring this beautiful piece back to life, and I am happy that my work brings pleasure to others whose relatives had shared Myron Seletsky's tragic fate.

Antonevich & Katz: YouTube Videos and Photos

YouTube now has five videos from the jazz half of my last concert, with jazz pianist Leo Loginov Katz. You can find them all by searching on YouTube for "Antonevich & Katz". My personal favorites are Nuages and Minor Swing, I hope you like them too! 

I am posting here a couple of photos where we are jazzing it up with Leo; this website has many photos of me in a tuxedo and bowtie, so here is something different for a change. It is a true pleasure to work with Leo. In these photos, we look like we were having a lot of fun working together, and we really were!!  I can't wait till the two of us perform together again.

Thank You to my Fans & Supporters

My January 26 concert "FROM EUROPE WITH PASSION" went better than anyone expected! It was standing room only and the energy was amazing! My pianists Sergey Khanukaev and Leo Loginov Katz were fantastic. The recording engineer (who is also President of the New England Professional Videographers Association) said afterwards that in his 30 year career, this was the best violin music he ever heard; you can find his words on the TESIMONIALS page of my website.

To all my fans and supporters -- thank you so much for your spirit, the concert would not have been the same without it!

Less than a Week to Go

Less than a week to go until my concert "From Europe with Passion".  It promises to be an unforgettable experience! For curious minds, yes there will be amplification (electric violin) for the Jazz half of the show.

Also, I just heard from the organizers of the Anglo-Polish Society in Bristol, England, where I gave a recital last June.  They let me know that their newsletter write-up about my recital is now available online here.  By interesting coincidence, the encore that's mentioned in this write-up is the same piece that will be used to open my upcoming concert!

Here is a photo of me with the Society's President Halina, Countess of Munster, taken after the recital. She came down from London to Bristol especially for this event, and I am grateful to have had this opportunity to play for her and for other members of the Society.

1/26: From Europe with Passion

Happy New Year to everyone!

On 1/26 I will be peforming the US premiere of new violin works by Polish composer Bartosz Jazdzewski, whose world premiere took place last June at my concert in London. There are also some rarely performed Eastern European gems from early 1900's, where I am very lucky to have copies of the scores. It will be at the Makor Concert Hall in Brighton, and I will be accompanied by Sergey Khanukaev.

Sergey and I have already appeared at Makor earlier this year, as a conductor-concertmaster team for Boston Vocal Arts Studio's production of Tchaikovsky's opera "Iolanta".  After that performance, the Boston Musical Intelligencer specifically praised our team for creating "lush-sounding" music. Let's hope they like our work as a violinist-pianist team even more!

For the second half of the concert, I have the privilege of jamming with a great jazz pianist Leo Loginov Katz, in a program of European Gypsy Jazz.  I've performed this music before, but in a much smaller venue. By request, I am bringing it to Makor as part of this concert.  This will be an evening not be missed!