REVIEWS

“A virtuosic tour de force . . . a whirlwind of joy.” —Palm Beach Daily News

“Vanguard Concerts is our most international venue. Impresaria Elana Bolling tunes her unerring ear into the far corners of the world to find great musicians . . . you should have heard them play. Each is a virtuoso instrumentalist . . . The trio played a full program of works by Mozart, Max Bruch, Aram Khachaturian, Igor Stravinsky, Peter Schickele and, in encore, their own transcriptionof a Piazzolla Tango.” —Oakwood Register, Dayton, OH

“PRIMA TRIO OFFERS REVELATION [headline]Supremely talented . . . fiery and powerful . . . unbridled joy . . .a group of which big things may be expected.” —Palm Beach Arts Paper

BIOGRAPHY

The Prima Trio was founded in 2004 while its members were studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. The Trio triumphed at the 2007 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, winning the coveted Grand Prize (out of no fewer than 137 entries from across the country and around the world) as well as the Gold Medal in the Senior Wind Division. In addition, the Prima Trio was awarded a Midwest Winner's Tour and a European début at Italy's Emilia Romagna Festival. The trio has appeared on the “Junge Elite” (Young Elite) Series of Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany), the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Oakton Chamber Music Series in Washington D.C., made a Chicago début on the Music in the Loft series, returned to Washington, DC with two concerts on the prestigious Dumbarton Oaks series, made their Los Angeles début with three concerts on the prestigious Da Camera Society series, and performed at the Athenaeum in La Jolla, CA; the Dayton Art Institute, and CityMusic Columbus (celebrating the series' 25th anniversary). They have given over a hundred concerts across the USA. Prima Trio's début CD features music by Khatchaturian, Piazzolla, Milhaud and Schickele.

INDIVIDUAL BIOS

Boris Allakhverdyan

Boris Allakhverdyan is the newly-appointed Principal Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Prior to that, he held the same position with the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and was Associate Principal Clarinetist of the Kansas City Symphony and Principal Clarinet of the Colorado Music Festival and Britt Festival Orchestras. The New York Times called his performance "inspired" and "superlative," and the Los Angeles Times praised his "energetic, vibrant solos." Boris was the winner of the Rimsky-Korsakov International Woodwind Competition, Rozanov International Clarinet Competition, Hellam Concerto Competition, and the Tuesday Musical and Oberlin Concerto competitions. He has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Bakersfield Symphony, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin and the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra. Recent festival appearances include Clarinet and Klezmer in the Galilee, Jerusalem. An active educator, Boris taught at the Philadelphia International Music Festival and performed served on the faculty at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan and the Interlochen Clarinet Institute in Michigan. He has given master classes at Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Oregon University, University Missouri-Kansas City, Colorado Music Festival and Latin American Clarinet Academy in Caracas, Venezuela and Shenzhen International Music Festival in Shenzhen, China. As a Buffet Group Artist and Vandoren Performing Artist, Mr. Allakhverdyan performs exclusively on Buffet Crampon clarinets and Vandoren reeds. His website is www.borisallakhverdyan.com.

Gulia Gurevich

"[Gulia Gurevich's] artistry is breathtaking, dramatic, plaintive and occasionally raucous!" —Classical Sonoma review of a performance in Mill Valley, CA last season. Gulia has performed with the Boston, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Charleston and the New West Symphonies among others, and at many music festivals including the Tanglewood and Spoleto Festivals. This year Gulia was invited to be on the chamber music jury panel of the International Young Pianist Competition in Villahermosa, Mexico. Born to one of Uzbekistan's most distinguished musical families, Gulrukh ("Gulia") Gurevich made her solo début with the Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra at the age of 14 and her conducting début at the age of 15. Gulia moved to the USA as a teenager to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy. After graduating with honors she enrolled at Indiana University, where she received her Diploma. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory, and won many prizes, awards and scholarships in the USA as well as abroad. Gulia now resides in Southern California with her husband and two young daughters. She is the owner and director of a music school and a founder of a new string ensemble, LA String Kollektiv. Her website is www.guliagurevich.com.

Anastasia Dedik

Anastasia Dedik has performed as soloist and chamber musician on some of the world's most important stages, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, The Great Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia and many others. She has appeared as soloist with Fort Worth Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, NYCA Symphony Orchestra, San Jose Symphony, and Oberlin Orchestra. She has been featured on RAI TV in Italy, NDR TV in Germany, and ABC in NYC. She performed Beethoven's “Appassionata” in an episode of NBC's “Law and Order SVU.” Born and raised in St. Petersburg in a family of distinguished musicians, Anastasia graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory and continued her education in the USA at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Juilliard School. She has received numerous national and international awards, including the Governor of St. Petersburg Award for Achievements in the Arts, and the Harold and Helene Schonberg Piano Scholarship and the Susan W. Rose Fellowship at Juilliard. Anastasia has been a top prizewinner of many international piano competitions, including the “Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU," San Jose, Pietro Argento and many others. Her solo début CD, recorded live inItaly, was released in 2008. In 2015 “Piano” album was released in NYC, which features Tchaikovsky-Pletnev’s “Nutcracker” Suite and Mussorgsky's “Pictures at an Exibition.” Anastasia’s latest CD will premiere works for piano and violin by Theodore Akimenko. Her playing has been praised as “flawless and memorable” (New York Concert Artist Review) and “highly accomplished and authentically Russian” (Peninsula Reviews). This season Anastasia plays recitals in Italy, New York, Minneapolis, Washington DC, San Jose and other cities. She lives in New York with her husband and young daughter. Her website is www.anastasiadedik.com.

PRAISE FROM PRESENTERS

"Fabulous! Audience couldn't stop talking about Prima's performance. Boris especially wowed them!"

—Eileen Carr, ArtsALIVE, University of Dayton

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"The concert was superb! They were very well received and many CDs were sold, which is a good indication of the audience response. We had a pretty full house. All the way around, a wonderful evening! It was a pleasure working with them."

—Caryl Tipton, Princeton University Summer Concerts

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"Allow me to chip in with my praises as well. Splendid concert, and I am so happy that after a year or two of trying we found a date and had such a great success."

—Melissa Bohl, Princeton University Summer Concerts

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“A perfect performance. Audience reaction all very positive . . . Gulia's sound is gorgeous,and Anastasia's playing is so exciting. Couldn't ask for more.

—Forrest Compton, Shelter Island Friends of Music

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"The audience loved the Trio! Wonderful feedback from the audience -- in fact one of our regular classical series attendees commented that he thought this trio was the BEST ensemble we have hosted on the series. All three musicians were very easy to work with, friendly, and had a good rapport with the audience, both on and off the stage. I am really happy they were able to come to Temecula and I hope to see/hear them again!

—Dana Zimbric, Artistic Director and Conductor, California Chamber Orchestra

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“There were more smiles on the audience leaving the hall than at any previous concert, smiles because the Schickele was the perfect capstone to a wonderful concert, and the Piazzolla encore was simply the icing on the cake! For me, it was just about a perfect program, perfect from the perspective that the music covered 225 years, encompassed a variety of styles, and the group seemed to get better and better as the afternoon progressed --- not that the Mozart and Bruch were not played exceptionally well, but that they 'got into a groove' and kept getting stronger, and having more and more fun . . . I would love to have them back.” —Wallace Breitman, Sonoma Classical Music Society

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“The concert by The Prima Trio was absolutely stunning! It was enthusiastically received by the audience and the after-concert comments were all uniformly positive. It is so wonderful hearing great music performed by young and enthusiastic musicians who are inspired by and dedicated to the music at hand.” —Philip Spurgeon, Artistic Director, The Artist Series, Tallahassee

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“Prima was a smashing success. The audience loved them. A few standing end of first half, and a curtain call. Full standing ovation, curtain calls AND and encore at close. They were VERY well received. We had a full house.” —Thomas Keehn, Ulster (NY) Chamber Music Society

“It was absolutely thrilling. Great artistry on top of incredible techniques. I am hypercritical of clarinet playing, but Boris blew me away. The whole group was fabulous. We had a full house -- 300 seats -- and the audience wouldn't let them go. A standing ovation and many curtain calls.

Just got back from a fun, informal dinner out, including a number of college students who really loved getting to know the Trio. They are three extremely lovely, loveable people. They truly won our hearts. You have a winner. Thank you for making this work out.”

—Paula Forrest, Director, Ames Town and Gown Chamber Music Series, Ames, Iowa

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“Prima Trio was a big success!!!! The audience loved them. I was concerned about the programming being too eclectic but the audience gave them a standing ovation. Anastasia is an excellent pianist . . . she made the tired Baldwin sound beautiful. You were right about her.”

—Lillian van Hest, Impromptu Concerts, Key West, FL

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“They were a hit, wonderful musicians and SO adorable! The Prima Trio has a lot going for it; I'll be interested in following their career (and the individual careers of its members). Thanks again for suggesting them.

I liked the balance of the program, too . . . "sweet" music on the first half and edgier music after intermission. Edgy enough for the audience to both like it and at the same time feel ‘with it’ for being able to do so.”

—Valerie Stains, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC

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“The Cleveland Chamber Music Society presented the Prima Trio on the occasion of its Young Musicians Showcase concert on February 26, 2008. What the audience heard was a

superb ensemble of three quite talented and mature artists. The trio performed

music that was unfamiliar to most of those in the audience, and kept the listeners in rapt attention. It was a successful event for the Society, and all who were there were glad they came on what was a very wintry night.

I must say, on a personal note, that the trio members were wonderful traveling companions, as I had to spend some time with them getting them to and from the concert venue. They made themselves available, on the day of the concert, for some publicity events, including an extensive live interview on an arts program produced by our local public radio station. They performed flawlessly on the air (I had failed to tell them it was to be a live broadcast!) and were quite congenial interviewees.

I can't say enough about the three young artists of the Prima Trio. I know their futures in music will be stellar.”

—Bruce Tyler, Vice President, Cleveland Chamber Music Society

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“The Prima Trio concert last night was super, super successful!! Everybody loved them. The Trio brought the house down last nite, stomping, cheering, not the usual BIG ARTS behavior. We just have to thank them so much for substituting at the last minute for the group that cancelled.

We loved the energy that comes from them. And they were really cute, too! You will do well with them.” —Ruth Keel & Marge Wyman, BIG ARTS, Sanibel, FL

“Music in the Loft takes the Fischoff winners each October and it is always a pleasure to hear the great talent that emerges from this outstanding competition. I attended the 2007 competition and happened to hear the Prima Trio. They were my selection as well. Thought they were just marvelous.

Our audience also thought that their individual artistry and sense of musicality were very special. I highly recommend the Prima Trio to perform in any concert hall in the world.”

—Fredda Hyman, Executive Director, Music in the Loft, Chicago

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“It was a delight to work with Prima Trio. Their professionalism, enthusiasm for the music, and high level of performance inspired all who attended the concert. In Kalamazoo, the Prima Trio performed Khachaturian's Trio, Milhaud's Suite for Clarinet, Violin and Piano, and Schickele's Serenade for Three. After the concert, the Trio was very gracious in meeting and speaking with patrons, and most importantly sharing their love for their craft.

It is my pleasure to recommend the Prima Trio. I look forward to hearing more about this fine ensemble as they advance in their careers.”

—Mary Lam-Rodrigues, Fontana Chamber Arts, Kalamazoo, MI

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The student outreach was excellent. The discussions, the music, the questions and answers were both informative and entertaining.

As for the evening concert, we had 536 people in attendance. The performance was outstanding, each of the 3 performers is an outstanding musician in their own right, but together the music was melodious and flowing. The personal interaction was great, they came across to the audience as genuinely nice people - very warm and sincere.

They were great to work with, all of our stage people met with them, and liked them.

The Prima Trio gave an outstanding performance, beautiful music, great musicians. The audience rapport was outstanding, I had several people walk up to me and comment, and I received e-mails commenting on how much they enjoyed the show, and liked the artists.

—Randy Rusch, President, Kokomo, IN Community Concerts

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“I am writing to recommend PRIMA TRIO as a performing and educational ensemble. I had opportunity to hear their Grand Prize winning performance at the 2007 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and when they were at Midwest Young Artists (MYA) in the fall of 2007. Both performances were outstanding and the programs well chosen and thought out. They are excellent individual musicians and an outstanding chamber ensemble!

While they were at MYA in the fall, they also worked with some of our chamber music groups. Because they came early in the year, some of the ensembles they worked with were more prepared than others but they did an excellent job taking them at whatever level they were and worked with them very well. Given our experience with them, I believe they would make an excellent teaching addition to any university, college or pre-college program.”

—Allan Dennis, Midwest Young Artists, Highwood, IL

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“The Prima Trio was a stupendous success! We had over 100 enthusiastic members of the audience crowding around them after they played . . . and many comments later from the enthusiasts.”

—Mary Jane Corry, Ulster (NY) Chamber Music Society