Rachmaninoff 150: Complete Works for Two Pianos

Featuring Denis Evstuhin, Ivan Konev, Ekaterina Knyazeva, Anton Melnichenko

Join us in the Main Gallery of The Museum of Russian Art for the Complete Works for Two Pianos by Rachmaninoff featuring renowned pianists Denis Evstuhin, Ivan Konev, Anton Melnichenko, and Ekaterina Knyazeva. For over 12 years, the Museum has offered the best in classical music. Please join us for what will certainly be a memorable evening.

Thank you to our generous sponsor, Schmitt Music

Friday, October 6 | 7:00 – 8:30 PM | Doors open at 6:00 PM

All galleries and TMORA Shop will be open prior to and following the performance

Tickets: Reserved Seating $30 | TMORA Members $25 (Use discount code CELEBRATE150 at checkout to access discount)

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PROGRAM

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Russian-born pianist Denis Evstuhin has appeared on stages of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the great Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff Halls in Moscow, the Mariinsky Theater and Philharmonic Halls in St. Petersburg and Warsaw, as well as Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Evstuhin appeared as a soloist with the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and the Sioux City Symphony.

Denis holds both Graduate and Post-graduate degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, as well as M.M. and DMA degrees in piano performance at the University of Minnesota, where he studied with professor Alexander Braginsky. In 2020-2021 Evstuhin served as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota School of Music.

Since 2010, Denis has served as the Music Curator and founder of the classical music series at The Museum of Russian Art. Within twelve years he organized and participated in more than 60 programs featuring many internationally acclaimed musicians.

Ivan Konev was born in Ukraine and educated in Moscow where he completed his Masters degree in Piano performance from Gnessin’s Music Academy. In 2010 Ivan finished his Doctoral degree in Piano performance from the University of Minnesota under Alexander Braginsky.

As a soloist, Ivan has won prizes in a number of international and local piano competitions. An active performer, Ivan has appeared numerous times in solo and chamber music concerts on such venues as Embassy of the United States in Moscow, Great, Small and Rachmaninoff Halls of the Moscow Conservatory, Sundin Music Hall and Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, among others. Konev is a Founder of the Crimea Classic Fest music festival.

Currently, he is a Founder and Artistic Director of the UWRF Piano Fest and UWRF Piano & Strings camp at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls where he is a Director of Keyboard Studies.

Pianist Ekaterina Knyazeva has appeared in major concert halls across Europe, Russia and the United States, such as The Mariinsky Theater and Philharmonic Halls in St. Petersburg, The Rachmaninoff Concert Hall in Moscow, as well as at the Laeiszhalle, Tschaikowsky-Saal and Mozart-Säle in Hamburg, Germany, among others. 

Knyazeva has appeared as a soloist with the St. Petersburg Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Novgorod Philharmonic Orchestra, Taurida Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Bashkortostan, among others. 

In 2009 Ekaterina won the Best Accompanist Award at The Sound of the Universe baroque music festival in Moscow. In 2011, she received a special diploma for the best performance of contemporary work (awarded by a famous composer Sergei Slonimsky) at the Light of the Christmas Star competition-festival in Finland/Sweden.  

Knyazeva has participated in number of music festivals, such as Musiksommeram Zurichsee in Switzerland, Music Islands, Kammermusik am Hafen and Schlossfestspiele Hohenpriessnitz Machern in Germany, as well as Three Centuries of Art Song in Russia. 

In 2018 Ekaterina participated in the Weltklassik Am Clavier concert series in Zurich and served as a visiting professor at the Pianoonline Academy in Alpnahstadt, Switzerland.  

She is a prizewinner of many international and national piano competitions, such as Young Talents in Russia, and Young Performers in Spain, among others. She is a recipient of the Golden Names of Bashkiria special grant. 

Ekaterina Knyazeva graduated from the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory where she studied with professors Nadezhda Eismont and Irina Sharapova. Ekaterina has premiered several works by Sergey Slonimsky and Igor Vorobiev. In 2013 Ekaterina was featured on CD, released by the Composer Publishing House, performing music by Sergei Slonimsky.

Russian-born pianist Anton Melnichenko has been performing on several continents since his first solo recital at the age of twelve. His performances have always garnered him both public and critical acclaim. In addition to top prizes Melnichenko has received various special audience awards on numerous international competitions.