Pianist Ilya Yakushev Performs RHAPSODY IN BLUE at Deer Valley Tonight

Pianist Ilya Yakushev will replace guest pianist José Feghali, who had to withdraw due to illness, for the Utah Symphony performance tonight, July 18 at 7:30 PM at the Deer Valley Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater in Park City. He will perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with the Utah Symphony.

Mr. Yakushev has filled in on short notice previously for the Utah Symphony. In February 2009, he stepped in on 24-hour notice to perform Sergei Prokofiev‘s Third Piano Concerto with Keith Lockhart conducting.

There are no other changes to the program which includes selections from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and “West Side Story” and Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” accompanied by live cannons courtesy of the Cannoneers of the Wasatch.

Tickets for this performance can be purchased by calling 801-355-2787, in person at any ArtTix outlet, or online at www.deervalleymusicfestival.org. Tickets are also available in Park City at Deer Valley Resort’s Signature and Etc. stores. Group Rates are available for groups of ten or more by calling 801-869-9046. A discounted Design-A-Series subscription package (three or more concerts) is available by calling 801-533-6683 or visiting deervalleymusicfestival.org/das.

Maximum chair height at Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater is nine inches from the ground. Gates will open to all ticket holders approximately two hours before the performance begins. Patrons must be present to save a spot in line. Unattended items will be removed. Valid picture ID is required to pick up tickets at will call. No ticket reprinting is available for general admission seating. Outside food and drinks are allowed at the venue, and there are a variety of concession services at the venue offered by Deer Valley Resort.

ARTISTS

Vladimir Kulenovic – Associate Conductor – Currently Associate Conductor of the Utah Symphony and Resident Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic, Vladimir Kulenovic has also served as Principal Conductor of the Kyoto International Music Festival in Japan. Among his 2012/2013 season highlights were debuts with the Leipzig Symphony, Zagreb Philharmonic and with the Jacksonville Symphony as one of the six top emerging conductors chosen by the League of American Orchestras for its bi-annual Bruno Walter National Conducting Preview. Upcoming debuts during the 2013/2014 season include Evergreen Symphony/Taipei, Grand Rapids Symphony, Knoxville Symphony and Lake Forest Symphony, as well as re-invitations to the Jacksonville Symphony and Macedonian Philharmonic.

Recent engagements include performances with the Beethoven-Orchester Bonn at the Beethovenhalle, Deutsche Kammerakademie/Neuss am Rhein, the Juilliard Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and the Slovenian Philharmonic. Festival appearances include Aspen, Cabrillo, Salzburg Mozarteum and Verbier. As conducting fellow at the Verbier Festival in 2009, Mr. Kulenovic conducted two internationally televised performances and was subsequently invited to serve as the conducting assistant to Kurt Masur at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He also had the honor of preparing the Belgrade Philharmonic at the Dubrovnik Festival for Zubin Mehta. He has collaborated with celebrated soloists such as Leon Fleisher, Augustin Hadelich, Mischa Maisky, Philippe Quint, Joseph Silverstein and Akiko Suwanai.

Vladimir Kulenovic was awarded the Alfred B. Whitney Award for highest scholastic achievement at The Boston Conservatory, where he graduated summa cum laude and as valedictorian, earning a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a Master’s degree in conducting. Among his other awards are the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Scholarship, the 2012 and 2013 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Development Award, and the Charles Schiff Conducting Prize for Excellence. Mr. Kulenovic holds graduate diplomas from both the Peabody Conservatory and The Juilliard School and has studied with Marin Alsop, James DePreist, Kurt Masur and Gustav Meier.

The Cannoneers of the Wasatch – The Cannoneers of the Wasatch have traveled the Wasatch Front for 38 years blasting self-made cannons while orchestras perform. For more than three decades, the cannoneers have more than 18 historical replica cannons, ranging in size from 25 to 1,000 pounds. The cannoneers have also performed in Taylorsville, Layton, Deer Valley and Sun Valley, Idaho. The cannoneers formed in 1971 when the University of Utah — Snowbird Summer Arts Institute wanted to perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with cannon fire, but lacked cannons. As the years went by, cannoneers creatively fixed the timing problem by invented new devices. The cannons are now controlled by a sophisticated electronic keyboard powered by four batteries.

Ilya Yakushev – Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev, with many awards and honors to his credit, continues to astound and mesmerize audiences at major venues on three continents. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in 2007 with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, performing Prokofiev’s First and Fourth Piano Concertos as part of the Symphony’s “Prokofiev Festival”. His performances were included in the top ten classical music events of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle, and prompted a return to the Symphony in September 2009 with Maestro Tilson Thomas performing Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto.

The highlights of Yakushev’s 2012-13 season included return appearances with the Boston Pops and Brevard Sinfonia under Keith Lockhart. He also performed with the El Paso Symphony and Arthur Post, Columbus Symphony and George Del Gobbo, Ensemble 212 and Yoon Jae Lee, Las Cruces Symphony and Lonnie Klein, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Emmanuel Leducq-Barome.

In the 2012-13 season, Mr. Yakushev appeared as recitalist in a 15-city tour around the Midwest. He also made return appearances at the Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, NY and the International Keyboard Institute Festival in the summer 2013.

In October 2010, Mr. Yakushev released two CDs on IY-Records label – “Prokofiev by Yakushev” and “Bach Partitas No. 1, 2, 3″. American Record Guide wrote “Yakushev is one of the very best young pianists before the public today, and it doesn’t seem to matter what repertoire he plays – it is all of the highest caliber”.

In past seasons, he has performed in various prestigious venues worldwide, including Glinka Philharmonic Hall (St. Petersburg), Victoria Hall (Singapore), Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), and Sejong Performing Arts Center (Seoul, Korea). His performances with orchestra include those with the Mariinsky Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony, and others.

Winner of the 2005 World Piano Competition which took place in Cincinnati, OH, Mr. Yakushev received his first award at age 12 as a prizewinner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition in his native St. Petersburg. In 1997, he received the Mayor of St. Petersburg’s Young Talents award, and in both 1997 and 1998, he won First Prize at the Donostia Hiria International Piano Competition in San Sebastian, Spain. In 1998, he received a national honor, The Award for Excellence in Performance, presented to him by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation in Moscow. Most recently, Mr. Yakushev became a recipient of the prestigious Gawon International Music Society’s Award in Seoul, Korea.

Mr. Yakushev attended the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music in his native St. Petersburg, Russia, and subsequently came to New York City to attend Mannes College of Music where he studied with legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman.

Since 2002, Mr. Yakushev has served as Executive Director of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at the Mannes College in New York City.

PROGRAM

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Pianist Ilya Yakushev Performs RHAPSODY IN BLUE at Deer Valley Tonight