Named by Entertainment Weekly as “a great magician who can truly communicate with a TV audience”, Hidden Remote as “a fan favorite with charisma and an easy rapport with an audience”, and Digital Journal as “one of magic’s best loved magicians, the one to watch”, Michael Grandinetti is not your ordinary magician.

With performances on national and international television, in stadiums, arenas, casinos, and theaters around the country, with Oscar-winning composers and symphony orchestras, for NFL and NBA halftime shows and major sporting events, in large-scale parades, for Fortune 500 companies, and even at The White House, Michael has made a name for himself around the world as a talented and innovative illusionist.

Over the past 20 years, Michael has been driven to make magic contemporary and to give it a wide, mainstream appeal.  He has had starring roles on NBC’s “The World’s Most Dangerous Magic II”, The CW’s “Masters of Illusion”, and POP’s “Don’t Blink”, and his magic has been featured on the Emmy-nominated FOX series “Bones”, “The Today Show”, “Access Hollywood”, “Entertainment Tonight”, “The Hollywood Christmas Parade”, “The Bold and the Beautiful”, “SportsCenter”, “NBA on TNT”, and “FOX & Friends”.  Michael has also appeared as a guest on radio shows across the country and in media including Parade Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, AXS.com, Hidden Remote, Starpulse, The Huffington Post, MAGIC Magazine, Young Hollywood, Pittsburgh Magazine, The Beverly Hills Times Magazine, Go! Magazine, DC Life Magazine, Tucson Living, and with multiple appearances on The Marilu Henner Radio Show.

Michael was recently featured on CNBC’s “Make It”, a series about people who have achieved success in challenging industries, as well as on the cover of TV Times magazine, released nationally in newspapers across the U.S.

Possessing a true passion for amazing live audiences, Michael has performed at a wide range of venues including Heinz Hall with Oscar-winning producer and composer Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Harrah’s Resorts in Atlantic City and San Diego, Gallo Center for the Arts and Gold Country Casino in Northern California, United Center in Chicago, Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada, Grand Central Station in New York City, the Four Seasons Resort in Lanai, Hawaii, on the red carpet of ESPN’s ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and at The White House Easter Celebration.

Michael was also honored to be the first illusionist ever invited to perform in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington DC.  During this remarkable celebration of our country, Michael levitated a girl high above one of the floats as it moved down Constitution Avenue while an audience of 250,000 people lined the streets.

In addition, Michael was recently one of the headlining performers in “Masters of Magic”, a large-scale production show which ran nightly for two months at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Presented on the world’s largest indoor stage, a full acre in size, Michael caused a 500lb motorcycle to appear in mid-air, levitated 10ft into the air under bright lights at the front of the stage, created interactive magic with everyone in the theater at the same time, and melted his body through the center of a 7ft tall wall of solid, examined steel.

Michael is also one of the stars of the hit CW television series “Masters of Illusion”, performing in five seasons of the show, which aired across the US and in over 100 countries around the world.  Hosted by Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Hit The Floor), Masters of Illusion showcases the world’s top magicians and illusionists in front of a live audience in Hollywood.  During the run of the series, Michael has performed a wide variety of grand illusions and interactive stage magic including shrinking a girl to the size of a basketball, vanishing borrowed rings and causing them to reappear baked inside a loaf of bread, bringing a painting to life, melting his body through the spinning metal blades of a 5ft wide industrial fan, levitating a lady in the center of the audience, and escaping from a platform suspended 20ft above the stage.  Special guest Ace Young, star of American Idol and Hair on Broadway, assisted Michael onstage during the show for his “Steel Passage” illusion.

To promote the series, Michael performed a daring live stunt in which he levitated in the air, for 4 hours, 15ft above the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  During the event, helicopters hovered overhead, traffic along busy Hollywood Boulevard came to a halt, and observers flocked from blocks away to wave their hands all around to try to figure it all out.  The performance was broadcast by news sources across the country and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette listed the stunt as one of the 5 things they loved during the week.

Michael also starred in the recent POP TV series “Don’t Blink”, a docu-series that took viewers inside the underground world of street magicians as they perform for the unsuspecting public and celebrity guests on-location throughout Los Angeles.  For the series, Michael filmed over 30 pieces of magic, from large-scale grand illusions to interactive sleight of hand, while surrounded by audiences at locations including Hollywood Blvd., Venice Beach, and Universal Studios.

Always striving to take the art of illusion in new and exciting directions, Michael has pioneered live magic in one of the most challenging environments imaginable – major-league football stadiums, baseball stadiums, and basketball arenas.  He has performed NFL halftime shows at Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers vs. defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants) and University of Phoenix Stadium (Arizona Cardinals vs. Baltimore Ravens) while live audiences of over 70,000 people watched with a 360 degree view as Michael caused people to appear, vanish, shrink in size, and levitate 10ft into the air, right on (and above) the 50 yard line.  The game at University of Phoenix Stadium was broadcast live on ESPN’s Monday Night Football and Michael was joined as the game’s entertainment by legendary rock band Journey, who performed the National Anthem.

In addition, at Citizens Bank Park, Michael made the 7ft tall, 300lb Philadelphia Phillies mascot, The Phanatic, magically appear in the center of the outfield.  For the Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game at Marlins Park in Miami, Michael had the honor of throwing out the first pitch, after first making the game ball magically appear and, at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium, Michael performed one of the largest live interactive illusions in history when he read the minds of all 45,000 people in the stadium at the same time.

Michael has also created basketball halftime shows for NBA teams including the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks, the Utah Jazz, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Golden State Warriors, and college teams including the University of Michigan, Penn State, USC, North Carolina State, and for the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship at Barclays Center in New York City.  Michael’s halftime show for the Chicago Bulls NBA playoff game at United Center in Chicago, where he levitated at the center of the court while surrounded by a sold out crowd of 22,000 people, even caused commentators Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley to comment in amazement during the live national broadcast on TNT.

This is magic on a major scale.

Michael combined the worlds of magic and music when he created special performances and appeared as a featured guest artist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, and the Augusta Symphony Orchestra, with several more symphony shows ahead.  During these shows, while the orchestras played musical selections specially themed for each illusion, Michael magically transformed a tuxedo into the orchestra’s conductor, made roses bloom on the stage, levitated into the air while surrounded by the playing orchestra, and, for a finale, caused the orchestra itself to read the minds of the audience by playing pieces of music they were only thinking of.

Michael Grandinetti has come a long way since he received his first magic set for Christmas, and performed his first show, at the age of 5.  Before graduating from college, Michael was honored to receive the City of Pittsburgh’s “All-Star Achievement Award”, given to those who have carved positive and noteworthy paths in their industry.

Michael’s personality and style were introduced to the world when he performed his original creation “The Spike Tower” on the NBC television special “The World’s Most Dangerous Magic II”.  While covered with a mixture of gasoline and kerosene and secured by chains, Michael had only sixty seconds to escape before two walls of flaming steel spikes were thrust towards him at over 50mph.  Bringing together seven illusionists from around the world, Michael was the youngest performer on the show.

In addition, Michael has created and developed custom magic presentations for Fortune 500 companies and major corporations including Mazda, Hewlett Packard, Grainger, Ernst & Young, Southwest Airlines, The American Marketing Association, Harley-Davidson, Rite Aid, and Bayer and he was one of the featured performers at the “Women of Valor Gala” in Beverly Hills, with celebrity organizers including Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

As a respected Creative Consultant, Michael is also very accomplished behind the scenes.  He has taught sleight of hand magic to the actors on the CBS daytime drama “The Bold and the Beautiful” and, for the TBS show “Conan” starring Conan O’Brien, Michael consulted on a special illusion design intended to make comedian Zac Galifianakis magically appear for his interview.  Michael was also contacted to contribute an original illusion for the Pamela Anderson show at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.  In addition, Michael has consulted on a national commercial featuring sleight of hand for the United States Treasury, provided additional techniques in the instructions for a unique piece of close-up magic marketed after its appearance on a David Blaine special, written several articles on magic published in books, magazines, and newspapers across the country, and he was a historical/magic consultant for the book “Spellbound”, detailing the life of famed illusionist Doug Henning.  Michael’s original illusion designs have been featured in productions in Atlantic City, Branson, Seoul, Korea, and on the television series “Paolo Limiti” in Italy and he was once even called about the possibility of making Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, magically appear – before it was built!

Through his work, Michael Grandinetti is making the art of magic modern, innovative, charismatic, and exciting while showing audiences around the world that nothing is impossible.

Lauded by the New York Times for his “strong appealing bass-baritone,” American Michael Dean has been hailed by the San Jose Mercury News as “the standout, his voice a penetrating wake-up call.” Recent highlights include performance Mozart’s Requiem with the Eugene Symphony, Handel’s Messiah with the Rochester Philharmonic, and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem at the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park.

Recent highlights include Bach’s Ein Deutsche Requiem at the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Handel’s Messiah with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozart’s Requiem with the Eugene Symphony, Haydn’s The Creation with the Florida Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with Eugene Symphony. Other recent highlights include a soloist performance in Mozart’s Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the Eugene Symphony and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and returns to the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park. He has also been a featured soloist in Messiah with the Richmond Symphony; in Faure’s Requiem and Mozart’s Requiem with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park (the latter recorded and released); Messiah with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony; and Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Naples Philharmonic.

Michael Dean made his debut with the Utah Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and with the Boulder Bach Festival as soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Michael Dean made his New York Philharmonic debut in the world premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’ Garden of Light, and returned the following season for a concert performance of Street Scene. Additional appearances on the concert stage include Handel’s Messiah with the Pacific Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and I Musici de Montréal; Mozart’s Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Modesto Symphony, and Quad City Symphony; Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Richmond Symphony; and Haydn’s Creation and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Louisiana Philharmonic.

On opera stages Mr. Dean has made frequent appearances with the legendary New York City Opera, where he performed the title role in Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, George in Of Mice and Men, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and was seen and heard as Jason McFarlane in the “Live from Lincoln Center” broadcast of Lizzie Borden. Other notable operatic performances include Gregorio in Roméo et Juliette with Los Angeles Opera; the title role in Don Giovanni and Silva in Ernani at the Landestheater in Linz, Austria; Le nozze di Figaro in Antwerp, Belgium; Of Mice and Men at Arizona Opera; and Colline in La bohème in Strasbourg and Berlin. Michael Dean has received high critical praise for his numerous recordings of baroque opera, including Agrippina, Ottone, Dido and Aeneas, Radamisto, Giustino, and Serse.

Michael Dean is currently the Chair of Vocal Studies and Professor of Voice at The University of California, Los Angeles.

A native of Rochester, N.Y., violist Charles Hogue grew up in Las Cruces, N.M. His principal teachers were Julia Hardie and Dr. Marianna Gabbi. After graduating from high school he attended Baylor University to further his studies with Dr. Hardie. He then transferred to the Mannes College of Music in New York City where his teacher was Paul Doktor. Hogue then spent two years in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training orchestra run by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where he studied with the assistant principal violist of the CSO, Li-Kuo Chang. Mr. Hogue has participated in masterclasses with such eminent teachers as Dorothy Delay, Joseph dePasquale, William Magers, Glen Dichterow, Robert Vernon and Michael Tree.

As an orchestral musician, Mr. Hogue has been a member of the Las Cruces, El Paso, Chattanooga and Tuscaloosa symphonies as well as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He is presently the principal violist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and teaches part time at UAH. Hogue has performed under the batons of Sir George Solti, Andre Previn, Leonard Slatkin, Erich Leinsdorf and Daniel Barenboim. In addition, he is the founder and director of the Hogue Sinfonietta, a local community ensemble.

• Solo performances with the Concertgebouw, Orchestre Nationale de France, National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Atlanta Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Seattle Symphony
• Festival appearances include Ravinia, Grant Park, Newport, Mainly Mozart, and the Hollywood Bowl
• Recordings on Cedille, CBS, EMI, and Naxos labels; winner, Medalla Bellas Artes, Mexico National Institute of Fine Arts

Internationally acclaimed trumpeter Chris Coletti, best known for his work with the legendary Canadian Brass (2009-2019), is a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician and new Assistant Professor at Ithaca College School of Music. Comfortable in many musical styles, he has collaborated with a broad spectrum of musicians ranging from the Metropolitan Opera Brass, New York Philharmonic Principal Brass, Pierre Boulez, Michael Tilson Thomas and Ricardo Muti to Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine. Chris also performs on the Baroque Trumpet with various early music ensembles in and around NY. Chris regularly performs with NOVUS NY, the all-star contemporary music orchestra of Trinity Church Wall Street in Manhattan.

With Canadian Brass, Chris has performed hundreds of concerts in the finest concert halls in the world, countless live TV appearances and radio broadcasts, and regularly appears in front of major symphony orchestras. Chris can be heard on 9 Canadian Brass recordings, most of which feature his original arrangements, and countless other recordings and music videos with world-class artists. Chris got his professional start in 2008 as Principal Trumpet of The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra in Alabama, a position he still holds. As an educator, Chris has taught master classes at top conservatories around the world, and his students have won positions in professional orchestras and have been accepted into top music programs including Manhattan School of Music, McGill University and Tanglewood. Chris’s articles have been featured in notable publications such as the International Trumpet Guild, International Trumpet Guild Youth Journal, SONIC – Magazin für Holz – und Blechinstrumente (Germany) and The Brass Herald (England), and have been translated into German, Spanish, and Japanese. Chris has been a featured guest on many music performance and music business podcasts, and maintains a popular blog and email newsletter for trumpeters and other musicians.

Chris received his Masters Degree from The Juilliard School and his Bachelors Degree from Manhattan School of Music. Throughout his education Chris received multiple awards and scholarships, and won a number of competitions including the Music Academy of the West Chamber Concerto Competition, Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition, LaGuardia Arts Concerto Competition, Staten Island Symphony Concerto Competition, The Tanglewood Music Center Charles E. Culpeper Foundation Fellowship and Susan B. Kaplan Fellowship, The Juilliard School Frieda and Harry Aronson Scholarship, and The Manhattan School of Music President Scholarship. Among his numerous accolades, Chris also has perfect pitch, is a professional whistler, and has the unique ability to sing an operatic high C.

Described as “superb” by The New York Times, violinist Tai Murray has established herself a musical voice of a generation.“Technically flawless… vivacious and scintillating… It is without doubt that Murray’s style of playing is more mature than that of many seasoned players… “
(Muso Magazine)

Appreciated for her elegance and effortless ability, Murray creates a special bond with listeners through her personal phrasing and subtle sweetness. Her programming reveals musical intelligence. Her sound, sophisticated bowing and choice of vibrato, remind us of her musical background and influences, principally, Yuval Yaron (a student of Gingold & Heifetz) and Franco Gulli. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2004, Tai Murray was named a BBC New Generation Artist (2008 through 2010). As a chamber musician, she was a member of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society II (2004-2006).

She has performed as guest soloist on the main stages world-wide, performing with leading ensembles such as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra, and all of the BBC Symphony Orchestras. She is also a dedicated advocate of contemporary works (written for the violin). Among others, she performed the world premiere of Malcolm Hayes’ violin concerto at the BBC PROMS, in the Royal Albert Hall.

As a recitalist Tai Murray has visited many of the world’s capitals having appeared in Berlin, Chicago, Hamburg, London, Madrid, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Paris and Washington D.C., among many others.

Tai Murray’s critically acclaimed debut recording for harmonia mundi of Ysaye’s six sonatas for solo violin was released in February 2012. Her second recording with works by American Composers of the 20th Century was released by the Berlin-based label eaSonus and her third disc with the Bernstein Serenade on the French label mirare.

Tai Murray plays a violin by Tomaso Balestrieri fecit Mantua ca. 1765, on generous loan from a private collection.

József Balog is one of the most talented pianists of his generation. This exceptionally gifted performer was surrounded by the astonishing heritage of the internationally well-known Hungarian piano tradition established by Franz Liszt, Ernst von Dohnányi and Béla Bartók. He is praised and compared to Horowitz and Earl Wild by critics and acknowledged by the audience for his brilliant technic and very deep, sensitive musicianship. Along with the standard piano repertoire, he plays jazz-influenced classical compositions, contemporary music, and works written by rarely played composers as well. He has also earned fame for premiering a large number of contemporary pieces and he regularly holds master courses at various prominent musical institutions.

For the last 20 years, he has given more than 1000 concerts as a soloist and chamber musician in more than 25 countries accross Europe, America and Asia. He performed in well-known concert halls such as the Koch Theater (Lincoln Center) in New York, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Chan Centre in Vancouver, the Philharmonic Hall in Saint Petersburg, the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Hall in Lodz, the Lisinski Hall in Zagreb, the Musikhuset in Aarhus, the Vredenburg Music Center in Utrecht, the Kensington Palace in London, Konzerthaus in Wien, Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest, the Macedonian National Philharmonic Hall in Skopje, the Brussels’s Théatre Royal de la Monnaie, the Equinoxe in Chateauroux, the Karsiyaka Opera House in Izmir, the CRR-Concert Hall in Istanbul, the TRT Radio Hall in Ankara, the Philharmonic Hall in Kiev and Opera House in Nizza. He also achieved great success at the following festivals: Shanghai China International Arts Festival, Bellagio and Lago Maggiore Festival, Chopin Festival in Mallorca, Tansman Festival, Lisztomanias in Chateauroux, Schubertiade in Roskilde, Beethoven Festival in Zutphen, Spring Festival in Russia, Liszt Festival in Sopron and Ankara, Budapest Spring Festival and, on more than one occasion the Festival Academy, Kaposfest and the Beethoven Nights staged in Martonvásár.

During his career he has appeared with a great many outstanding orchestras and ensembles including the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Concerto Budapest, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Chamber Orchestra, the Ankara Presidential Symphony Orchestra, the Ukranian National Philharmonic and Radio Orchestra, the UANL Symphony Orchestra, the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Hungarian State Opera House Orchestra, the Croatian National Radio Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Pécs Symphony Orchestra, and Opéra de Nice Orchestra. Furthermore, he has already been on stage with great conductors such as Zoltán Kocsis, Jesús Medina, David Nimrod Pfeffer, Győriványi Ráth György, Yeruham Scharovsky, Vitaly Protasov, Felix Carrasco, Volodimir Sheyko, Gerard Korsten, Balázs Kocsár, Tamás Vető, András Keller, Tibor Bogányi, Zsolt Hamar, Balázs Kocsár, Gergely Kesselyák and Gergely Vajda.

József has released altogether ten CD-s with Hungaroton, Brillant Classics and Convention Classic. Balog’s discography includes works by Chopin, Liszt (on Erard piano as well), Bartók, Kodály, Lajtha, Gershwin and Péter Wolf. His first album – entitled Hungaricum – won the „Liszt Grand Prix du Disque” prize in 2005, and his „Liszt: Transcendental Etudes” was chosen to be “the recording of the month” in June 2015. The 10 times international prizewinner pianist has received the “Liszt-Prize” from the Hungarian Govermnent in 2018.

Huntsville M.E.T. is a nonprofit theatre production company located in the North Alabama area. The mission of Huntsville M.E.T. is to continuously produce theatre of the highest quality in the Huntsville area, and to encourage and enable others who share a similar vision to pursue their theatrical goals in the local community.

With a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique” (The New York Times), Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is also lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of standard works as well as rarely heard and newly composed repertoire.

A native of Minsk, Belarus, Yevgeny Kutik immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of five. His 2014 album, Music from the Suitcase: A Collection of Russian Miniatures (Marquis Classics), features music he found in his family’s suitcase after immigrating to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1990, and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Classical chart. The album garnered critical acclaim and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and in The New York Times.  His 2012 debut album, Sounds of Defiance, also on the Marquis label, features the music of Achron, Pärt, Schnittke, and Shostakovich. Funded in large part by a Kickstarter campaign initiated by Kutik, the album focuses on music written during the darkest periods of the lives of these composers.

Kutik released his third solo album, Words Fail, on Marquis Classics in October 2016. The album uses Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words as a starting point to expand upon the idea that music surpasses traditional language in its expressive capabilities, and includes two new commissions by Timo Andres and Michael Gandolfi. Words Fail was Album of the Week on San Francisco’s Classical KDFC, LA’s Classical KUSC, and Seattle’s Second Inversion, which acclaimed in an accompanying review, “Kutik’s violin sings and dreams across two centuries of classical music.”

In April 2019, Yevgeny made his debut at the Kennedy Center, presented by Washington Performing Arts. Additional performances in his 2018-19 season include appearances with the Dayton Philharmonic, La Crosse Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Redwoods, Verde Valley Sinfonietta, the Cape Town Philharmonic in South Africa, and recitals at the Honest Brook Music Festival, Bargemusic, and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Kutik has performed with orchestras throughout the United States including the Rochester Philharmonic, Tallahassee East Texas, Greensboro, Greenville, Juneau, Lima, North State, Boca Raton, Pensacola, Las Cruces, Westmoreland, Baton Rouge, Lansing, New Haven, Asheville, Springfield (MO) and Wyoming symphony orchestras, as well as Florida’s SYMPHONIA, New York City’s Riverside Symphony and Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston. Abroad, he has appeared as guest soloist with Germany’s Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock and WDR Rundfunk Orchestra Köln, Montenegro’s Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, and Japan’s Tokyo Vivaldi Ensemble. He has appeared in recital as a part of the Dame Myra Hess Concerts Chicago, Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, Merkin Hall Tuesday Matinee Series, and National Sawdust in New York City, Hammond Recital Series and Milton Academy’s Gratwick Concerts in Greater Boston, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s Lamar Chamber Series, the Embassy Series and The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, and at the Lobkowicz Collections Prague presented by Prince William Lobkowicz. Festival performances have included the Tanglewood Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Pennsylvania’s Gretna Music, Germany’s Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, and the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.

Deeply committed to fostering creative relationships with living composers in addition to performing music from the standard repertoire, Yevgeny Kutik has been involved in commissioning and premiering several new works. In January 2016, Kutik and Timo Andres performed the world premiere of Words Fail, a violin and piano piece he commissioned from Andres, at The Phillips Collection as part of a three-concert series curated by Nico Muhly. Upon the release of Words Fail in October 2016, Kutik gave the world premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s Arioso Doloroso/Estatico, which Kutik commissioned for the album, at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Additional premiere performances include the world premiere of Ron Ford’s concerto Versus with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra at Ozawa Hall, the New York premiere of George Tsontakis’ Violin Concerto No. 2 at the 92^nd Street Y, and the world premiere of Sheila Silver’s Six Beads on a String, which he commissioned. He has also been involved in the performances of new and rarely played works by Kati Agócs, Nico Muhly, and Donald Martino.

As an extension of Music from the Suitcase, Yevgeny has commissioned a diverse group of today’s leading composers to form his new project, Meditations on Family: A New Collection of Music for Violin. The composers will translate a personal family photo into a short musical miniature for violin and various ensemble. Featured composers include Joseph Schwantner, Andreia Pinto Correia, Gity Razaz, Timo Andres, Chris Cerrone, Kinan Azmeh, Gregory Vajda, and Paola Prestini. Kutik will be recording and premiering the works throughout the 2018-19 season.

Passionate about his heritage and its influence on his artistry, Kutik is an advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family in coming to the United States, and regularly speaks and performs across the United States to both raise awareness and promote the assistance of refugees from around the world.

Yevgeny Kutik made his major orchestral debut in 2003 with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops as the First Prize recipient of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. In 2006, he was awarded the Salon de Virtuosi Grant as well as the Tanglewood Music Center Jules Reiner Violin Prize. He was a featured performer for the 2012 March of the Living observances, where he played for audiences at the Krakow Opera House and for over 10,000 people at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Kutik was a featured soloist in Joseph Schwantner’s The Poet’s Hour – Soliloquy for Violin on episode six of Gerard Schwarz’s All-Star Orchestra, a made-for-television classical music concert series released on DVD by Naxos and broadcast nationally on PBS.

Yevgeny Kutik began violin studies with his mother, Alla Zernitskaya, and went on to study with Zinaida Gilels, Shirley Givens, Roman Totenberg, and Donald Weilerstein. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory and currently resides in Boston. Kutik’s violin was crafted in Italy in 1915 by Stefano Scarampella.