Like Teacher, Like Student

I enjoy serving as concertmaster (most recently a month ago with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra), and so do my students. It gives them a chance to be recognized for their musical talent and leadership, without the stress that a soloist has.

Here is my student Yiqing Rose Chen, serving as concertmaster of Tufts Youth Philharmonic in May 2015, with conductor John Page. Looking great, Rose!

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.

 

In Memory of Ronald Knudsen

I have learned that Ronald Knudsen, former BSO violinist and Newton resident, has passed away on March 29 at age 83. Maestro Knudsen was also the music director of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, which is how I met him. I had the privilege of soloing with New Phil last spring under his baton (here is the photo from that performance). From my experience, he was a wonderful person with a great sense of humor, who appreciated and mentored musical talent. I truly enjoyed working with him, and he will be deeply missed.

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

2014 Fall Recital at my Studio

On November 15, my violin studio is having our fall recital. More students will be performing than ever before, ranging from beginners who just started in September, to advanced students who are applying to undergraduate programs in music for next year. It is always a privilege to have my students perform in public, and it's a great opportunity for the students to show off their achievements in their violin studies. As always, this recital is open to the public and is followed by refreshments, giving our families and guests a chance to meet each other and socialize.

Audition Workshop Season

We are back to fall season, which is the time of auditions. I encourage my students to participate in ensembles, and I am happy to help them get ready for their auditions. This fall, several students took audition workshops at my violin studio, and the results are now in! One of them is now concertmaster of her college orchestra at BU, another is concertmaster of her middle school orchestra in Weston, and one more was admitted to the chamber music program at the Rivers Conservatory and placed in a good group. Congratulations to all my students on their successes, I am proud of them all!

Member of Needham's Honors Ensemble after a Year

Congratulations to my student Luke Zhang, a third grader from Needham! After studying violin for just one year, he has been accepted into the Needham Elementary String Orchestra (NESO)! NESO is a town-wide Honors ensemble for talented young musicians in grades four and five, by audition only. Luke is looking forward to playing with NESO next year.

Here is a photo of Luke performing at my studio's recital earlier this month. I am so proud of him!

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.

Valentine's Day at My Students' Recital

Tomorrow, on Valentine's Day, I am going to a violin recital by my student Subaiou Zhang. Subaiou is currently studying in the Masters' of Music Program at BU on High Merit Scholarship.

WHEN: Friday, February 14 at 8:30pm (FREE)
WHERE: Concert Hall of BU College of Fine Arts, 855 Comm. Ave., Boston
PROGRAM: J.S. Bach, Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G minor; César Franck, Violin Sonata in A major; Saint-Saens, Introduction and Rondo Cappriccioso

It's a very beautiful and challenging program. I hope she is not as nervous as I am for her.  Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

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!

Our CD is Finally Here

Great news in time for the holiday season -- our CD has finally been published! It's a professionally made live recording from our August 2013 concert in Manchester, MA, containing ten of our favorite pieces.  Here is what the front and back covers look like:

To order the CD, please go to www.antonevichkatz.com and click on the CD link on top.