December 2011 - Musical Bridges Around The World

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2011

Every year before New Year’s Eve I like to reflect on my life. I decided to dedicate this blog to Musical Bridges Around the World. We will celebrate our 15th Anniversary in 2012. Vladimir Bochkarev, Anya’s former piano professor In 1998, I was working at UTSA as a staff accompanist not really liking the job and looking for something fun to do. I invited Vladimir, one of my former piano professors from Moscow, to visit San Antonio. In order to help pay his airfare I asked the Mexican Cultural Institute to organize a concert for him. To make a long story short, the concert did not happen and he needed help with the airfare, so my...

Little Woman With A Big Heart

December 19, 2011

To me, the Holiday Season is all about giving. It feels good to give and we give in any way we can. We volunteer; we put countless working hours in; we give money to charities and presents to family and friends. Overall, we are satisfied with our share of giving and we feel warm and fuzzy during this festive and welcoming shopping season. But, there are some of us who take it a step further, beyond the warm and fuzzy part and into the vast and unjust world. I feel the Holiday Season is a perfect time to celebrate those few who are an enlightened version of us… Isabel Allende – a little woman with a big heart. She manages to tackle...

Review: ‘Golden Fingers and Golden Toes’

December 12, 2011

from the San Antonio Express-News By Jasmina Wellinghoff/For the Express-News Musical Bridges Around the World has often spiced up its concerts with brief theatrical vignettes but Sunday’s (Dec. 11) concert was the first in 14 years to feature dance. Three short ballet pieces by New York-based ballet coach and choreographer Elena Kunikova comprised the first part of the program ,which was then followed by an expanded version of “Hexameron” performed by seven pianists on two pianos. Read...

Musical Bridges’ program boasts a new ballet

December 7, 2011

From the San Antonio Express-News Pianist Anya Grokhovski and choreographer Elena Kunikova immediately hit it off when they met in a New York City café in January 2009. “We clicked right away as if we were sisters. We had so much in common and there was so much sharing,” said Grokhovski, artistic director of Musical Bridges Around the World, which brings international musicians to San Antonio. Both Russian born and educated, they talked about the arts and their common life experiences in Russia and the United States. A former ballerina, Kunikova is a sought-after New York-based coach also known for her authentic stagings of Russian...

My Somewhat Typical Weekend

December 5, 2011

It is Saturday and I am dividing my day between piano practicing and finalizing the itinerary for upcoming concerts. I have taken care of the airfare and hotel reservations for Musical Bridges guest artists; scheduled rehearsal times; arranged meals; coordinated the delivery and pick up of dancing floors; scheduled the moving and tuning of pianos; finalized the program book and made sure that everyone will be happy. At some point I asked myself… “Is this the way to spend a Saturday evening?” Most of my friends are out Salsa dancing or attending galas, or traveling to new places. The San Antonio cultural scene has a lot to offer these days...