Program:
L. V. Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in a-minor for violin and piano, Op. 23
Presto
Andante scherzoso, piu Allegretto
Allegro molto
Nimrod Borenstein: Quasi Una cadenza for violin (croatian premiere)
L.Revutsky: The Song for piano
J. Brahms: Sonata No. 1 in G Major for violin and piano
Vivace ma non troppo
Adagio
Allegro molto moderato
Evgenia Epshtein – Born in Russia, Evgenia Epshtein began her violin studies at the age of six and completed the High School for Gifted Musicians under Vladimir Milshtein.
After emigrating to Israel in 1990, she studied with Arthur Zisserman, Yair Kless, and Irena Svetlova at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, followed by Benzion Shamir at the Royal Academy in Rotterdam, where she earned her Master’s degree. During her studies in Rotterdam, she won several awards and competitions and participated in masterclasses with Isaac Stern, Henry Mayer, and Zakhar Bron.
Evgenia Epshtein is a co-founder of the Aviv String Quartet, which won third prize at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition, and the Charles Hennen Competition, among many other prestigious awards. The Aviv Quartet was also recognized as the "Best Young Ensemble" by the Ministries of Culture of Germany and Israel (1999, 2000, 2003, 2008).
As a soloist, she has performed with the Reconsil Sinfonietta in Vienna, the Bucharest Philharmonic, the Zagreb and Zadar Chamber Orchestras, the Split Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Oxford Philharmonic, the Mexico City Chamber Orchestra, the Baku State Chamber Orchestra, and Camerata Chisinau in Moldova. She has given recitals at all major venues in Israel and has performed in radio broadcasts worldwide. She has also participated in festivals such as the Estonian Baltic Festival, the Gotland Chamber Music Festival in Sweden, the Ursus Chamber Music Festival in Slovenia, the Ameropa Festival in Prague, the Chamber Music Box Festival in London, the Lunigiana International Music Festival in Italy, the Osor Classical Evenings in Croatia, the Soloist Academy in France and Montenegro, and the Olympus Musicus Festival in Prague.
As a violinist and chamber musician, Evgenia frequently gives masterclasses, including at the ISA International Summer Academy in Austria, the Prague Academy of Music, the Shanghai Academy of Music, the Riga Academy of Music and the Liepāja Music School in Latvia, the Sofia Academy of Music in Bulgaria, the Wroclaw and Krakow Academies of Music in Poland, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Arts University of the City of Vienna in Austria, the Trakai Music Center in Lithuania, UNAM University in Mexico City, and the Baku State Academy in Azerbaijan.
Evgenia Epshtein is an associate professor at the Academy of Arts in Split, where she teaches violin and chamber music. She is also one of the leaders of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and the founder of the violin ensemble KINOR.
Yurii Kot – People's Artist of Ukraine, laureate of national and international competitions, professor at the Department of Special Piano No. 1 of the National Music Academy of Ukraine, and laureate of the L. Revutsky National Award of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the National Union of Composers of Ukraine, and the National All-Ukrainian Music Union for his concert activities and performances of contemporary music.
He has over 40 years of creative, concert, and pedagogical experience, having performed in prestigious concert halls worldwide. He has trained more than 70 students specializing in "Solo Piano," more than 20 of whom have become laureates of international piano competitions.
The pianist's repertoire includes works from the Baroque to the contemporary period, featuring solo programs, piano concertos with orchestra, and chamber ensembles of various formations. Among his significant cycles are all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, sonatas for piano and violin, piano and cello, all of Mozart’s piano concertos, both volumes of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, as well as all 57 mazurkas, scherzos, and ballades by Chopin. His repertoire is constantly expanding with new works.
Yurii Kot actively performs concerts, gives masterclasses, participates as a jury member in music competitions, delivers lectures, participates in scientific conferences, and engages in charitable activities. He is a member of the world-renowned piano duo with Iryna Aleksiychuk.