Saturdays with Classics presents:
"michigan piazzolla project"
with pianists Kazimierz Brzozowski, Yuki Mack, Cliff Monear, Yuta Sugano, Linda Permut, Lauren Smith, Jennifer Ginther & Carol Sipsock; violinist Svetlana Tsivinskaya & accordianist Pam McGowan
Saturday, may 11, 2024
2:00 PM
General Admission - $20
Steinway Society Members - $15
Ages 18 & Under - $10
No Reservations Necessary.
Cash or check, payable at the door
Lana (Svetlana) Tsivinskaya is a concert violinist and a recording artist with her CD "Schumann's Enigma," released under the Blue Griffin label. Lana graduated from Michigan State University with a Doctorate in Violin Performance. At about the same time she recorded a CD Demo of a contemporary Violin Concerto by American composer Lee Actor. In pursuit of performing a violin concerto by Lee Actor, Lana was featured as a soloist for another romantic violin concerto by a 19th century composer. Lana performed with the Livonia Symphony Orchestra where she served as a concertmaster under Maestro Schesuik's baton for four years. Versatility of performing jobs in orchestras of Metro Detroit and solo recitals along with strong personal artistic ideas shaped Lana into becoming a producer with her own projects: duos and trios and solo programs. Diversity of genres is a passion of Lana which resulted in collaborating with Cliff Monear in Jazz fusion concerts. Lana's collaborators are Tomoko and Yuki Mack, Dr. Natalia Bezuglova, Dr. Natalia Tokar and many others.
Japanese born pianist, Yuki Mack, has dazzled audiences on three continents. After winning strong recognition as a soloist, Yuki partnered with her sister Tomoko Mack to form the award-winning piano duo, ‘The Mack Sisters’. From Bach to Piazzolla, their diverse repertoire includes a broad range of four-hands piano music and orchestral works. Together, they’ve won prizes in several international and national competitions, including the 'Dranoff International Two-Piano Competition' in Florida, and the 'Ellis Two-Piano National Competition' in South Carolina. They’ve also received both the first and 'Kodama' prizes at the 'International Piano Duo Competition' in Tokyo. Most notably, in 2006 they were selected as Steinway Artists - joining an impressive roster of world renown pianists. Additionally, the Mack Sisters have been featured in the 'Gilmore International Keyboard Festival' in Michigan, the 'Symposium for Two-Pianos' in Florida, and the keyboard festival at the 'Quebec International Two-Piano Festival’. Beyond the main-stage, they’ve performed live on the radio in Sweden, Italy, Poland and the United States. In Chicago, Yuki and Tomoko performed on multiple WFMT radio programs, such as the 'Dame Myra Hess Series' and 'Live From Studio One’. They were also featured as guest artists on PBS in Michigan and Florida.
Kazimierz Brzozowski has garnered international acclaim for his captivating performances at the piano, in particular the music of Chopin. He frequently appears in concerts in the United States, Japan, Italy and Poland and has performed as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Orchestra, Lublin Philharmonic and other orchestras in the U.S.A. and Poland. Kazimierz Brzozowski has won the top prize at the Polish Piano Festival and received awards from the Chopin Society in Warsaw, Ann Arbor Musical Society in Michigan, University of Michigan, Kosciuszko Foundation in New York and others. Critics praise him for “truly exceptional interpretation of Chopin’s Mazurkas and Ballades” (Czas Polski) and “crystal clarity…and bravura” of his performances. (Ruch Muzyczny)
Pam McGowan began studying the accordion at the age of 5 under the late Lana Gore and Tony Dannon at Modern Accordion Studio and later at The Music Centre. She competed at the state, regional, national and international levels, holding titles to such awards as the Michigan Cup, the Mid-West Cup, the International Grand Prix and the United States AAA Championship. She placed 5th in the World Coupe Mondiale, held in Folkestone, England in 1984. In 1985, Pam toured Italy, Switzerland and Germany as Concertmistress of the Dearborn Accordion Orchestra. She taught accordion at The Music Centre from 1979 to 1990 and has served as an adjudicator for numerous American Guild of Music competitions. Pam studied timpani and percussion at Wayne State University under Salvatore Rabbio and Sam Tundo, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Pam is an active percussionist/timpanist performing with symphony orchestras across Southeastern Michigan, including the Flint Symphony, Warren Symphony, Dearborn Symphony and others. She has played accordion with the Ann Arbor Symphony, Dearborn Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Toledo Symphony. She has also played accordion in pit orchestras for musical productions such as She Loves Me, Once Upon a Mattress, Fiddler on the Roof and Cabaret, to name a few. Every summer, she attends the Peter Soave Music Academy in Sauris, Italy, where she joyfully remembers why she fell in love with the accordion.