Igor Pikayzen – violin; Ilinka Manova – piano

Igor Pikayzen-violin

Award-winning Russian – American violinist Igor Pikayzen is confidently establishing himself as one of the most prodigious and in-demand soloists of his generation.

2022-23 sees the release of Igor Pikayzen’s recording of works by Glazunov and Tchaikovsky with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Warner Music, as well as a CD of violin-piano fantasies with longtime collaborator, Tatyana Pikayzen. Upcoming and recent appearances include debuts and re-engagements with Sinfonia Toronto, Filarmonica de Boca del Rio, Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Istanbul Symphony, Sinfonica Nacional de Chile, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony of Georgia, Izmir Symphony, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony amongst others. An avid recitalist, Mr. Pikayzen’s season includes debut recitals and return appearances at the Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago, the Gina Bachauer series in Salt Lake City and New York’s Bargemusic.

Previous solo appearances include the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony, Bucharest Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Georgia, Filharmonica di Bacau, Bialystok Philharmonic, Izmir Symphony, Tbilisi Opera Orchestra, Yokohama Sinfonietta, Kielce Philharmonic and countless others under the batons of Lior Shambadal, Łukasz Borowicz, Alexander Platt and Emil Tabakov and many more. Mr. Pikayzen has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Tchaikovsky Hall and Minor Hall in Moscow, Flagey and Le Bozar in Brussels, L’Auditori in Barcelona, Hall in London, to name just a few. Mr. Pikayzen has appeared at festivals such as Verbier, Festival Napa Valley, Night Serenades, Festival Mozaic and Semanas Musicales de Frutillar, amongst others.

Grandson of the legendary Soviet violinist Viktor Pikayzen, Igor Pikayzen was born in Moscow, Russia. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Juilliard, as well as a Master’s Degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music. Pikayzen is the 1st prize winner of the 2015 Edition of the International Violin Competition Luis Sigall in Viña del Mar, Chile as well as the Wronski International Violin Competition in Warsaw, in addition to being a silver medalist at the Szeryng and Kloster-Schöntal international violin competitions. A Violin Channel Artist, Mr. Pikayzen shares his time between New York, Denver and Westport, CT, where he launched an annual summer music festival, Edelio. In 2019 he was announced as the new Professor of Violin at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.

Ilinka Manova-piano

llinka Manova is an award-winning Macedonian American pianist. Throughout her life, she has pursued her passion for music in a comprehensive study of music. She completed her formative music years with Professor Valentina Nolcheva in Skopje and subsequently studied piano with Dr. Arbo Valdma in Cologne, Germany, and Dr. Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. She received a full scholarship to study with Professor Stephanie Brown at SUNY Purchase, earning a master’s degree and an Artist Diploma. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts under the tutelage of Dr. Angelina Gadeliya at the University of Connecticut.

Ilinka is the 1st prize winner of the 29th Artists International Competition in New York. She gave a solo recital at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 2001. She has received several awards, including the prestigious DAAD German Scholarship, Citta di Senigallia, Italy and the Yugoslav National Competition Award for Musicians in Sarajevo. Her performances have taken her to the world-famous concert stages, including National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York, the United Nations, Steinway Hall, Merkin Hall and other concert venues in the USA. Solo and chamber music concert engagements have included performances in Paris, Rome, Bonn, Cologne, Geneva, Senigallia, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Skopje, Ohrid. Ilinka has performed throughout Eastern Europe, and in major cities across the United States.

Ilinka serves as a Managing Director for ArtsAhimsa, an NPO that promotes nonviolence through the arts. A much sought-after teacher, Ilinka is a member of the piano faculty at the Browning School and The Diller-Quaile School of Music in New York City. Many of her young students have become laureates at numerous piano competitions. From 2012-2022 Ilinka co-managed Rondo Young Artist, an international concert presentation and competition, encouraging young musicians to further their talents as classical singers and instrumentalists. As an Executive Director and Co-Founder of Rondo, she organized yearly debut concerts for Rondo winners at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and the Rondo Summer Academy in Geneva-Blonay in Switzerland.

Programme:

1. Schumann: Sonata for violin and piano Op. 105 in a minor

                                Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck

                                Allegretto

                                Lebhaft

1. Pärt: “Fratres” for violin and piano

1. Ysaÿe: Caprice d’après l’etude en forme de Valse de Saint-Saëns

-Intermission-

1. Debussy: Sonata for violin and piano

                                Allegro vivo

                                Intermède: Fantasque et léger

                                Finale: Très animé

1. Ysaÿe: Violin Sonata No. 6 in E Major Op. 27

Michael Fine: “For a Friend” for violin and piano

Igor Frolov: Concert Fantasia on themes from Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess”