Caspian Music Festival

An evening with fan favorite guitar/cello duo, BOYD MEETS GIRL, performing a vibrant, genre-blurring journey that transforms the traditional cello and classical guitar duo into a dynamic musical time machine. The performance seamlessly connects Brazilian nostalgia, modern avant-garde energy, classic pop intimacy, and fiery Nordic folk. The concert continues with the delicate intimacy of pairing the lush romanticism of early 20th-century Ukraine, Fedir Yakymenko's String Trio Op. 7 with the the bright lyricism of Viennese master Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D. 664The Schubert piano sonata has been arranged for the Caspian Music Festival string quartet and oboist Igor Leschishin by David Plylar. Musicians:BOYD MEETS GIRL:Rupert Boyd, guitar; Laura Metcalf, celloIgor Leschishin, oboeSolomiya Ivakhiv, violinMichael Eby, violinChristine Grossman, violaLaura Metcalf, cello Program:Carinhoso* - Pixinguinha (1897-1973) (arr. S. Assad) The Big Apple Coaster* - Stephen Goss (b. 1964) In My Life* - Lennon/McCartney (arr. S. Metcalf) Shine You No More* - Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (b. 1983) *performed by BOYD MEETS GIRLIntermissionPiano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D. 664, - Franz Schubertarranged for the Caspian Music Festival string quartet and oboist Igor Leschishin by David PlylarString Trio Op. 7 - Fedir Yakymenko (aka Akimenko) Bios:Igor Leschishin, oboeIgor Leschishin has been Principal Oboist of The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra since 1998. From 1996 until 1998 Mr. Leschishin played in The New World Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas in Miami Beach, Florida. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1995 performing the Vivaldi Oboe Concerto with the New York String Orchestra. Igor graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a master's degree in orchestral performance as a scholarship student of Joseph Robinson, Principal Oboist of The New York Philharmonic. He participated in the Tanglewood Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, and Spoleto Festival (USA and Italy) . Igor Leschishin, born in Ukraine, won numerous first prize awards including the Belorussian Woodwind Competition and the International Woodwind Competition. Igor is co-Artistic Director of the Caspian Music Festival in Greensboro, VT. Solomiya Ivakhiv, violinUkrainian-American violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv is a highly celebrated soloist, chamber musician and educator. Named one of the “major artists of our time” (Fanfare Magazine) , she has made solo appearances with major orchestras in the United States, China, Turkey and Ukraine, and has performed at world-renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Philharmonic Hall in Kyiv, and the Concertgebouw. She has been featured at chamber music festivals worldwide, from Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, San Jose Chamber Music Society, Chatter, Tanglewood and Ottawa Chamberfest to Newport and Nevada Chamber Music Festivals and many in between. Dr. Ivakhiv’s discography includes Ukrainian Masters, Ukraine Christmas and Ukraine: Journey to Freedom (NAXOS) , Mendelssohn Concertos (Brilliant Classics) , Haydn and Hummel Concertos and Poems and Rhapsodies (both on Centaur) . Her recordings have topped classical charts and received international acclaim. A champion of new music, she has premiered works by David Ludwig, Oleksandr Schetynsky, David Dzubay, Yevhen Stankovych and Bohdan Kryvopust, among others. Since 2010, Dr. Ivakhiv has served as Artistic Director of Music at the Institute (MATI) Concert Series in New York City, where she presents chamber programs featuring Ukrainian women composers, young Ukrainians, and newly commissioned works. She is co-Artistic Director of the Caspian Music Festival in Greensboro, VT. A dedicated educator, Dr. Ivakhiv has led master classes and coached chamber music at Yale, Columbia, Boston Conservatory, Curtis SummerFest, Oberlin and others, as well as at conservatories in China and Ukraine. She was named Honored (Merited) Artist of Ukraine in 2021, her native country’s highest cultural honor. She holds degrees from Curtis Institute of Music and Stony Brook University and is Professor of Violin and Viola and Head of Strings at University of Connecticut. Michael Eby, violinHartford Symphony Orchestra violinist Michael Eby maintains a dynamic career as a chamber musician, orchestral performer, and soloist. In fall 2016, he served as concertmaster for the American premiere of Vasco Mendonça’s The House Taken Over at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY. He has also appeared as Associate Concertmaster with Festival Orchestra Napa alongside concertmaster David Coucheron and was selected as a 2022 Orchestra Fellow at Spoleto Festival USA. An active chamber musician, Michael has collaborated with distinguished artists including cellist Christopher Costanza of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, violist Jodi Levitz, and violinist Chen Zhao. His performance experience also includes masterclasses at the Berliner Philharmonie and Chamber Music at Lincoln Center. As a soloist, he has performed with ensembles such as the North State Symphony, Shasta Symphony, and the Alba Music Festival Virtuosi. He has additionally toured with the Depue Brothers Band in their “A Magical Grassical Christmas” production alongside members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Michael is equally dedicated to teaching and mentorship. From 2022 to 2024, he served on the faculty of Pacific Crest Music Festival, where he presented annual lectures on string technique. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Isaac Malkin, and is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate (ABD) at the University of Connecticut, studying under the guidance of Dr. Solomiya Ivakhiv. Laura Metcalf, celloCellist Laura Metcalf, renowned worldwide as a passionate solo and chamber musician, has been acclaimed for her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and described as “a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent” (I care if you listen) . She has performed throughout the US and on six continents, including South Africa, Nepal, Argentina, Qatar, Mongolia, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and Australia. Laura’s debut solo album on the Grammy-winning label Sono Luminus reached #7 on the Billboard Charts, and was called “a way forward for classical music” by AllMusic. As a sought-after chamber musician and collaborator, Laura is drawn to projects that push boundaries and expand the definition of classical chamber music. Boyd Meets Girl, her duo with her husband, classical guitarist Rupert Boyd, tours worldwide including appearances at Caramoor, Festival Napa Valley, the Morgan Library, Moab Music Festival, Newport Classical and many more, has reached #3 on the Billboard Chart, has had their music streamed over 3 million times on Spotify alone, and will premiere a double concerto written for them by Clarice Assad in 2024. Laura also performs regularly with the popular cello-percussion quartet Break of Reality, selected for an ongoing world tour as musical ambassadors of the US State Department. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura became the founding cellist of The Overlook, a string quartet dedicated towards building a more representative musical tradition, which has already been presented by the Kaufman Center, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has appeared as a guest with such renowned ensembles as Eighth Blackbird (with whom she premiered a concerto for sextet and orchestra with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) , The Knights, ETHEL and more, and appears regularly as principal cellist of the IRIS Collective in Memphis, TN. As the cellist of string quintet Sybarite5 from 2008-2021, the first-ever string quintet to win the Concert Artists Guild competition and reach #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts, she toured extensively, performing in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Library of Congress, and countless other major venues. Laura is also a concert curator and artistic director, having co-founded the weekly Sunday morning concert series GatherNYC and the Unfiltered Music Festival at Fotografiska New York, as well as guest curating for the Museum of Arts and Design and Wave Hill. She has appeared onstage with artists including Adele, John Legend, Cher, Shawn Mendes and Nas. As a devoted educator, Laura has given masterclasses and workshops at Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory and countless others, and holds a cello faculty position at Riverdale Country School. Christine Grossman, viola Born to a musical family and raised in New York City, Christine Grossman began playing the violin at the age of five, piano at the age of ten, and viola at sixteen. She received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in viola performance from the Juilliard School. Before moving to Kansas City, Ms. Grossman previously held positions with the Pacific Symphony in Southern California, Delaware Symphony, and was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. She has also performed as a substitute violist with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Grossman was formerly in the California Quartet, based in San Diego. Notable performances and festival appearances include Portland Chamber Music Festival (ME) , Laguna Beach Music Festival (CA) , Great Lakes Music Festival (MI) , Festival Mozaic (CA) , Emerald City Music Festival (WA) , Breckenridge Music festival, Colorado Music Festival, Hamptons Festival of Music (NY) , Kingston Chamber Music Festival (RI) , and Missouri River Festival of the Arts in Boonville, MO. Ms. Grossman served as the Principal Violist with the Kansas City Symphony from 2008 until 2019. She enjoyed several solo appearances with the orchestra, including Berlioz’ Harold in Italy, an arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody featuring solo viola as Freddie Mercury, and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, with Concertmaster Noah Geller. Ms. Grossman was the viola professor at the International Center for Music at Park University in Parkville, MO, from 2013 until 2019. She continues to teach violin and viola privately in Kansas City. Recent collaborations include a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall with Ensemble Ibérica, as well as solo appearances with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the Kinnor Philharmonic. Rupert Boyd, guitar“Remember the name Rupert Boyd. While there may never be another classical guitarist like Segovia, this young Australian left his audience with the impression that someday there may not be the likes of him again, either.”- THE WASHINGTON POSTAt the age of 22, Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd left Australia for the first time, bound for New York City with just a suitcase and a guitar, and not knowing a single person in North America. He has subsequently become regarded as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, having been described by Gramophone as “a very fine musician” and by The Washington Post as “truly evocative”, and has performed across four continents, from New York’s Carnegie Hall, to festivals in Europe, China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, New Zealand and Australia. Recent concert highlights include performances for the Moab Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Caramoor, Strathmore, Festival Napa Valley, the Austin and Cleveland Classical Guitar Societies, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was also recently named New Artist of the Month in Musical America for his work as a performer and curator. Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Rupert Boyd regularly performs throughout the world in Boyd Meets Girl, with cellist Laura Metcalf, and the Australian Guitar Duo with guitarist Jacob Cordover. Boyd Meets Girl’s debut album reached #3 on the Billboard charts, has to date received over 4 million streams on Spotify, and received the following review in Gramophone Magazine: “they play like one, with a harmony of purpose as sure as their intonation.” Their follow-up album, Songs of Love & Despair, released in 2022 was also praised by Gramophone as “beguiling... fascinating... enchanting”. In 2024, Boyd Meets Girl gave the world premiere performances of ANAHATA, a cello and guitar double concerto composed by the Grammy- nominated Clarice Assad, and commissioned for the duo by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The Australian Guitar Duo’s debut album Songs from the Forest was described as “wonderfully entertaining” by Classical Guitar Magazine. An evening with fan favorite guitar/cello duo, BOYD MEETS GIRL, performing a vibrant, genre-blurring journey that transforms the traditional cello and classical guitar duo into a dynamic musical time machine. The performance seamlessly connects Brazilian nostalgia, modern avant-garde energy, classic pop intimacy, and fiery Nordic folk. The concert continues with the delicate intimacy of pairing the lush romanticism of early 20th-century Ukraine, Fedir Yakymenko's String Trio Op. 7 with the the bright lyricism of Viennese master Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D. 664The Schubert piano sonata has been arranged for the Caspian Music Festival string quartet and oboist Igor Leschishin by David Plylar. Musicians:BOYD MEETS GIRL:Rupert Boyd, guitar; Laura Metcalf, celloIgor Leschishin, oboeSolomiya Ivakhiv, violinMichael Eby, violinChristine Grossman, violaLaura Metcalf, cello Program:Carinhoso* - Pixinguinha (1897-1973) (arr. S. Assad) The Big Apple Coaster* - Stephen Goss (b. 1964) In My Life* - Lennon/McCartney (arr. S. Metcalf) Shine You No More* - Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (b. 1983) *performed by BOYD MEETS GIRLIntermissionPiano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D. 664, - Franz Schubertarranged for the Caspian Music Festival string quartet and oboist Igor Leschishin by David PlylarString Trio Op. 7 - Fedir Yakymenko (aka Akimenko) Bios:Igor Leschishin, oboeIgor Leschishin has been Principal Oboist of The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra since 1998. From 1996 until 1998 Mr. Leschishin played in The New World Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas in Miami Beach, Florida. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1995 performing the Vivaldi Oboe Concerto with the New York String Orchestra. Igor graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a master's degree in orchestral performance as a scholarship student of Joseph Robinson, Principal Oboist of The New York Philharmonic. He participated in the Tanglewood Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, and Spoleto Festival (USA and Italy) . Igor Leschishin, born in Ukraine, won numerous first prize awards including the Belorussian Woodwind Competition and the International Woodwind Competition. Igor is co-Artistic Director of the Caspian Music Festival in Greensboro, VT. Solomiya Ivakhiv, violinUkrainian-American violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv is a highly celebrated soloist, chamber musician and educator. Named one of the “major artists of our time” (Fanfare Magazine) , she has made solo appearances with major orchestras in the United States, China, Turkey and Ukraine, and has performed at world-renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Philharmonic Hall in Kyiv, and the Concertgebouw. She has been featured at chamber music festivals worldwide, from Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, San Jose Chamber Music Society, Chatter, Tanglewood and Ottawa Chamberfest to Newport and Nevada Chamber Music Festivals and many in between. Dr. Ivakhiv’s discography includes Ukrainian Masters, Ukraine Christmas and Ukraine: Journey to Freedom (NAXOS) , Mendelssohn Concertos (Brilliant Classics) , Haydn and Hummel Concertos and Poems and Rhapsodies (both on Centaur) . Her recordings have topped classical charts and received international acclaim. A champion of new music, she has premiered works by David Ludwig, Oleksandr Schetynsky, David Dzubay, Yevhen Stankovych and Bohdan Kryvopust, among others. Since 2010, Dr. Ivakhiv has served as Artistic Director of Music at the Institute (MATI) Concert Series in New York City, where she presents chamber programs featuring Ukrainian women composers, young Ukrainians, and newly commissioned works. She is co-Artistic Director of the Caspian Music Festival in Greensboro, VT. A dedicated educator, Dr. Ivakhiv has led master classes and coached chamber music at Yale, Columbia, Boston Conservatory, Curtis SummerFest, Oberlin and others, as well as at conservatories in China and Ukraine. She was named Honored (Merited) Artist of Ukraine in 2021, her native country’s highest cultural honor. She holds degrees from Curtis Institute of Music and Stony Brook University and is Professor of Violin and Viola and Head of Strings at University of Connecticut. Michael Eby, violinHartford Symphony Orchestra violinist Michael Eby maintains a dynamic career as a chamber musician, orchestral performer, and soloist. In fall 2016, he served as concertmaster for the American premiere of Vasco Mendonça’s The House Taken Over at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY. He has also appeared as Associate Concertmaster with Festival Orchestra Napa alongside concertmaster David Coucheron and was selected as a 2022 Orchestra Fellow at Spoleto Festival USA. An active chamber musician, Michael has collaborated with distinguished artists including cellist Christopher Costanza of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, violist Jodi Levitz, and violinist Chen Zhao. His performance experience also includes masterclasses at the Berliner Philharmonie and Chamber Music at Lincoln Center. As a soloist, he has performed with ensembles such as the North State Symphony, Shasta Symphony, and the Alba Music Festival Virtuosi. He has additionally toured with the Depue Brothers Band in their “A Magical Grassical Christmas” production alongside members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Michael is equally dedicated to teaching and mentorship. From 2022 to 2024, he served on the faculty of Pacific Crest Music Festival, where he presented annual lectures on string technique. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Isaac Malkin, and is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate (ABD) at the University of Connecticut, studying under the guidance of Dr. Solomiya Ivakhiv. Laura Metcalf, celloCellist Laura Metcalf, renowned worldwide as a passionate solo and chamber musician, has been acclaimed for her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and described as “a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent” (I care if you listen) . She has performed throughout the US and on six continents, including South Africa, Nepal, Argentina, Qatar, Mongolia, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and Australia. Laura’s debut solo album on the Grammy-winning label Sono Luminus reached #7 on the Billboard Charts, and was called “a way forward for classical music” by AllMusic. As a sought-after chamber musician and collaborator, Laura is drawn to projects that push boundaries and expand the definition of classical chamber music. Boyd Meets Girl, her duo with her husband, classical guitarist Rupert Boyd, tours worldwide including appearances at Caramoor, Festival Napa Valley, the Morgan Library, Moab Music Festival, Newport Classical and many more, has reached #3 on the Billboard Chart, has had their music streamed over 3 million times on Spotify alone, and will premiere a double concerto written for them by Clarice Assad in 2024. Laura also performs regularly with the popular cello-percussion quartet Break of Reality, selected for an ongoing world tour as musical ambassadors of the US State Department. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura became the founding cellist of The Overlook, a string quartet dedicated towards building a more representative musical tradition, which has already been presented by the Kaufman Center, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has appeared as a guest with such renowned ensembles as Eighth Blackbird (with whom she premiered a concerto for sextet and orchestra with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra) , The Knights, ETHEL and more, and appears regularly as principal cellist of the IRIS Collective in Memphis, TN. As the cellist of string quintet Sybarite5 from 2008-2021, the first-ever string quintet to win the Concert Artists Guild competition and reach #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts, she toured extensively, performing in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Library of Congress, and countless other major venues. Laura is also a concert curator and artistic director, having co-founded the weekly Sunday morning concert series GatherNYC and the Unfiltered Music Festival at Fotografiska New York, as well as guest curating for the Museum of Arts and Design and Wave Hill. She has appeared onstage with artists including Adele, John Legend, Cher, Shawn Mendes and Nas. As a devoted educator, Laura has given masterclasses and workshops at Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory and countless others, and holds a cello faculty position at Riverdale Country School. Christine Grossman, viola Born to a musical family and raised in New York City, Christine Grossman began playing the violin at the age of five, piano at the age of ten, and viola at sixteen. She received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in viola performance from the Juilliard School. Before moving to Kansas City, Ms. Grossman previously held positions with the Pacific Symphony in Southern California, Delaware Symphony, and was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, FL. She has also performed as a substitute violist with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Grossman was formerly in the California Quartet, based in San Diego. Notable performances and festival appearances include Portland Chamber Music Festival (ME) , Laguna Beach Music Festival (CA) , Great Lakes Music Festival (MI) , Festival Mozaic (CA) , Emerald City Music Festival (WA) , Breckenridge Music festival, Colorado Music Festival, Hamptons Festival of Music (NY) , Kingston Chamber Music Festival (RI) , and Missouri River Festival of the Arts in Boonville, MO. Ms. Grossman served as the Principal Violist with the Kansas City Symphony from 2008 until 2019. She enjoyed several solo appearances with the orchestra, including Berlioz’ Harold in Italy, an arrangement of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody featuring solo viola as Freddie Mercury, and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, with Concertmaster Noah Geller. Ms. Grossman was the viola professor at the International Center for Music at Park University in Parkville, MO, from 2013 until 2019. She continues to teach violin and viola privately in Kansas City. Recent collaborations include a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall with Ensemble Ibérica, as well as solo appearances with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the Kinnor Philharmonic. Rupert Boyd, guitar“Remember the name Rupert Boyd. While there may never be another classical guitarist like Segovia, this young Australian left his audience with the impression that someday there may not be the likes of him again, either.”- THE WASHINGTON POSTAt the age of 22, Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd left Australia for the first time, bound for New York City with just a suitcase and a guitar, and not knowing a single person in North America. He has subsequently become regarded as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, having been described by Gramophone as “a very fine musician” and by The Washington Post as “truly evocative”, and has performed across four continents, from New York’s Carnegie Hall, to festivals in Europe, China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, New Zealand and Australia. Recent concert highlights include performances for the Moab Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Caramoor, Strathmore, Festival Napa Valley, the Austin and Cleveland Classical Guitar Societies, and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was also recently named New Artist of the Month in Musical America for his work as a performer and curator. Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Rupert Boyd regularly performs throughout the world in Boyd Meets Girl, with cellist Laura Metcalf, and the Australian Guitar Duo with guitarist Jacob Cordover. Boyd Meets Girl’s debut album reached #3 on the Billboard charts, has to date received over 4 million streams on Spotify, and received the following review in Gramophone Magazine: “they play like one, with a harmony of purpose as sure as their intonation.” Their follow-up album, Songs of Love & Despair, released in 2022 was also praised by Gramophone as “beguiling... fascinating... enchanting”. In 2024, Boyd Meets Girl gave the world premiere performances of ANAHATA, a cello and guitar double concerto composed by the Grammy- nominated Clarice Assad, and commissioned for the duo by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The Australian Guitar Duo’s debut album Songs from the Forest was described as “wonderfully entertaining” by Classical Guitar Magazine. Show More