Oksana Zolkewych
Not many couples can claim to celebrate a 60th birthday in so grand a manner. But then, not many couples are as gifted as violinist Oleh Krysa and pianist Tatiana Tchekina. They will mark Krysa`s 60th year by opening the 2002-2003 concert season at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation on September 15, with a variety of classical music ranging from Baroque to Contemporary.
Both artists have been performing together in solo and chamber music recitals since 1967. They have toured the former Soviet Union and played to critical acclaim in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Korea. They have recorded on many labels, of which the latest releases include works by Mozart, Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikowsky, Liatoshynsky and others.
Oleh Krysa, already a distinguished violinist in the former USSR, made his highly successful American debut in 1971 at Carnegie Hall. After an 18-year absence from the American stage, he returned in 1990 and appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to rave revues. The New York Times described him as a musician of the first rank, and the Los Angeles Times wrote, Krysa has an exeptionally accurate and elegant technique and superb musical ability.
A student of David Oistrakh, Oleh Krysa won major prizes in world competitions. When he won first prize in the Paganini Competition, the press speculated he must have been born with a violin in his hands. He has performed as a soloist in major centres throughout the world with leading orchestras, conductors and ensembles. He is also an accomplished chamber musician and was first violinist in the celebrated Beethoven String Quartet for many years.
Tatiana Tchekina studied at the Kyiv and Moscow conservatories. She has appeared at major music festivals worldwide from Finland to the USA and even Australia. The Canberra Times described her as a distinguished musician herself and a pianist of notable talents, and the Washington Post wrote, Tchekina is an especially forceful and responsive partner.
In Toronto, Oleh Krysa and Tatiana Tchekina will perform Sonatas for violin and piano by Brahms and Debussy, and the Canadian premiere of Lyrical Scenes, by Ivan Karabyts and other works.
Celebrate Oleh Krysa’s 60th birthday on September 15 at 3pm, Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation, 2118-A Bloor Street West.