Russian Duo: Traditional Tunes, Classical Elegance

Artists
Program
Preview
Performances
Bios

Artists

Russian Duo

Oleg Kruglyakov, Balalaika
Terry Boyarsky, Piano

Robert Spano, Music Director, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra writes, “With music of élan, finesse and passion so virtuosically rendered, this duo’s performances are irresistible.”

Russian Duo was born out of a love of traditional music and the elegance of classical repertoire. Oleg Kruglyakov is a balalaika virtuoso from Siberia, trained at the prestigious Urals State Conservatory in Yekaterinburg. Terry Boyarsky is an American concert pianist, Dalcroze Eurhythmics teacher and Ethnomusicologist.

Oleg and Terry celebrate cross-cultural creativity, exploring the range of possibilities for balalaika, voice, and piano. Russian Duo presents a remarkable genre of compositions written for this formerly pagan three-stringed, triangular instrument. The balalaika was modernized at the end of the 19th century for virtuoso solo performance and ensemble playing. In addition to classical music and folk songs, Russian Duo performs music by Ukrainian composers, tango, blue grass, Soviet film music, and their own arrangements of ragtime.

Program

Traditional Tunes, Classical Elegance

Viewable/Printable Program

Viewable/Printable Lyrics & Translations

Цвели, цвели цветики (Flowers were blooming)
Boris Troyanovsky

Заиграй моя волынка (Play my bagpipe)
Boris Troyanovsky

Ständchen (Serenade)
Franz Schubert

Serenade
Natan Shulman

Bolero
Natan Shulman

Вот мчится тройка почтовая (Mail troika is coming)
Nicolai Budashkin

Валенки (Felt boots)
Alexander Shalov

Sky Tango
Roland Dyens

Песня о Щорсе (Song about Schors)
Matvei Blanter

Дорогой Длинною (Long road)
Russian Gypsy folk tradition

Preview

Performances

Musicivic Everywhere
May 1 – 8, 2022 (premier 7:00 PM ET May 1)
Free Tickets

Three Village Chamber Players
May 1 – 8, 2022 (premier 7:00 PM ET May 1)
Free Tickets

Oakmont Musicivic
May 1 – 8, 2022 (premier 7:00 PM ET May 1)
Free Tickets

Twin Forks Musicivic
May 1 – 8, 2022 (premier 7:00 PM ET May 1)
Free Tickets

Ambler Musicivic
May 1 – 8, 2022 (premier 7:00 PM ET May 1)
Free Tickets

Bios

Terry Boyarsky, pianist, is a movement specialist, singer, and ethnomusicologist who believes that every person is musical. Her search for musical collaboration has led her into chamber music, choral singing, folk dance, coaching, accompanying dance, and creating ceremony. Terry has collaborated with singers and dancers across the United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, and Venezuela.

Terry holds a BA in experimental psychology from Reed College, a BM in Eurhythmics from Cleveland Institute of Music, and an MA in Ethnomusicology from Kent State University. Her piano teachers include Fred Rothchild, Rebecca Penneys, Jeaneane Dowis, James Tannenbaum, and coaching with Vitya Vronsky Babin. She has further training from the Dalcroze School in New York City, two levels of Orff Schulwerk, and was one of sixteen Ohio artists selected to participate in the Kennedy Center for the Arts Seminars “Artists as Educators” from 2004-2007. She is certified by the National Center for Creative Aging and has been in “Who’s Who” since 2000. Terry has taught and created events for institutions such as the Dalcroze Society of America, American Orff-Schulwerk Society, Society for Ethnomusicology, the Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Hawaii, Rowe Center in Massachusetts, Kasetsat University in Bangkok, Thailand, Los Hipocampitos in Carrizal, Venezuela, Bard College Conservatory of Music, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Terry was a Teaching Artist for almost two decades with the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning. She was in the first group of artists selected for the Kennedy Center’s Ohio State-Based Collaborative Initiative, and a Teaching Artist for Ohio Arts Council. She presents professional development workshops on arts integration and Dalcroze Eurhythmics nationally. She has published articles in the Orff Echo, the American Dalcroze Journal, Seminars in Neurology, and Teaching Artist Journal. She has taught children, disadvantaged youth, amateur adults, the learning disabled, educators, actors, professional musicians, and conservatory students around the world. She sings with the Cleveland Orchestra Blossom Festival Chorus and Choral Arts Cleveland.

In November 2014, Terry collaborated with Taipei puppeteer Mi-Chen Chiu and Cleveland-based dancer Tom Evert, to create “Young Dreams—Life in 3 Parts,” an intimate work of puppetry, dance, and improvised music, sponsored by the Cleveland Foundation “Creative Fusion“ Program. Her solo piano program “Classical Expressions of the Folk Tradition” has been received with great acclaim. Terry has been a member of the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival faculty for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Currently she teaches a course in Russian Song for Case Western Reserve University. She has been performing with Siberian balalaika virtuoso Oleg Kruglyakov as “Russian Duo” since 2007.

Oleg Kruglyakov, balalaika virtuoso, was born in Omsk, Siberia, Russia. Many of his early experiences growing up centered around singing together with family members. He has a keen ear for musical styles and a deep respect for cultural tradition. He is fascinated by the history of the Russian people and well-versed in the etymology of the Russian language. Oleg began playing the balalaika at age 7 and later was educated at the renowned Yekaterinburg Conservatory, studying conducting and pedagogy. He is a protégé of Yevgeny Grigorovich Blinov, the foremost balalaika virtuoso of the Soviet Union, who performed the world over and added many beautiful pieces of music to the balalaika-piano duo repertoire. While in conservatory Oleg performed with many types of ensembles, including an ethnic music singing group.

Oleg taught at the Irkustsk School of Music, Perm College of Music, and the Perm Institute of Culture. Since coming to the United States, he has given workshops with “Russian Duo” as part of their mission to share Russian culture and demonstrate the art of collaboration. Oleg has performed as balalaika soloist with many Folk Russian groups. From 1989-91, he toured Moscow, St. Petersburg, Siberia and Ukraine with the Urals State Folk Choir. For three years Oleg played with the band “Siberian Mosaic” touring the Irkustsk region of Siberia. Between 1993 and 1998, he traveled with the Urals Folk Ensemble “Prikamie” performing in France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Malta, and Turkmenistan. Oleg has also appeared with the Russian Folk instrument quartet “Golden Russia.” He has participated in many International Festivals, among them the 1997 Folklore du Monde Festival de Bray-Dunes. He had the honor of performing at the United Nations when he first came to the US.

In addition to his many talents, Oleg has also participated in theatre productions. He took the role of a cello-playing prisoner in the State Tumen Drama Theatre. He had a cameo appearance performing in Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” with the Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy, coaching the cast in Russian folk songs and choreography. Oleg moved to the United States in 1998 to become part of “Moscow Nights” touring extensively in Canada, Alaska, and 45 states in the Continental United States. In 2007 he formed the “Russian Duo” with pianist Terry Boyarsky.Oleg has been commissioned to create arrangements and compose music for Kulture Kids theater productions as well as Kevin Kammeraad/Cooperfly Puppets’ new album and video. In March 2016, he was invited to perform at Otterbein University “Guitar and its Fretted Friends” Festival. Oleg was invited to perform at the “2016 International Day of the Balalaika” in Yekaterinburg, Russia and participated again in 2017. He had a spotlight role in the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s educational concerts. In December 2020, Oleg served on the Jury for the Russian folk instrument competition “String Extravaganza” hosted by the Republican Music College of Izhevsk, Russia. Oleg has four albums to his credit: one with his ensemble in Russia, one with “Moscow Nights,” two with “Russian Duo ” and is featured in the 5th edition of “World Music – A Global Journey” (Miller & Shahriari). He is a skilled audio and video editor and is available for balalaika lessons in person and on Skype.

MC22-0006

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