New Summer Festival For classical Piano Opens in Sag Harbor!

Victoria Mushkatkol, Artistic Director, and Rob Maimone, Executive Director, are pleased to announce the founding of THE VLADIMIR NIELSEN FESTIVAL, a classical music summer festival whose opening season will run August 1-29, 2007, in Sag Harbor, New York. The mission of the Festival is to provide a select group of approximately fifteen advanced and accomplished young piano students with the finest educational program under conditions that encourage and promote serious piano studies. A Festival highlight will be a series of Saturday afternoon concerts by Festival participants. The concerts will be on Saturday August 11 and Saturday August 18 at 5:00 PM at the new Festival Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 at the door; students free. The culmination of the opening season will be a grand finale concert in the Festival Concert Hall on Saturday, August 25, at 5:00 PM. Tickets are $75 and reservations are required. Please call 212-460-1036 for more information. The Festival is dedicated to the memory of the great twentieth century pianist , Vladimir Nielsen, whose life was deeply connected to musical culture of Russia , especially to the city of St. Petersburg, comments Festival Artistic Director Victoria Mushkatkol. I am committed to continuing the legacy of my teacher, Vladimir Nielsen, here at the Festival in Sag Harbor during the summer, as I do at The Juilliard School where I teach in the pre-college division during the winter. During the four week session, each student will take private lessons, attend master classes, receive supervised practice time, and attend music theory and music history classes. Participants will also have the opportunity to perform in weekly concerts in the Festival Concert Hall. Located in the historic village of Sag Harbor, New York, in the heart of the Hamptons, the Festival grounds are tucked away in a quiet and private setting. The Festival students will be housed in a new, custom designed living space that features state of the art practice and performing facilities. The Festival grounds are friendly and welcoming, and offer heated pool, jacuzzi and a newly built concert hall overlooking the grounds for indoor/outdoor performances with enclosed and lawn seating. More about Victoria Mushkatkol: Born in Odessa on the Black Sea, Victoria Mushkatkol made her concert debut with the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of ten. After graduating from Kiev Music School for Gifted Children, she went on to study at the St Petersburg Conservatory with Professor Vladimir Nielsen, one of Russia’s most eminent piano teachers, graduating from the Conservatory with the highest honours. After moving to the United States, Mushkatkol continued her education and received her Master of Music degree at University of Illinois. She soon established herself as an international performer, appearing in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the United States, Europe and Pacific Asia. Equally at home performing for the Royal Family of Thailand in Bangkok or in Communist China, her travels have taken her to Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Thailand and Brunei as well as to Spain, Czech Republic and The Netherlands. Mushkatkol has collaborated with eminent musicians such as the violinist Evgeny Bushkov, the cellists Karen Buranskas and Andr? Emelianoff, the Leontovich, Veronika, and Amernet String Quartets. Public radio stations in California, Illinois and Michigan have broadcast her performances. An internationally established teacher, Mushkatkol has taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Oberlin Conservatory. She has performed at, and taught in numerous summer festivals, including the Puigcerda International Festival in Spain, Festival Soesterberg in Netherlands, Taiwan Music Festival in Taipei, Hamptons’ Pianofest in New York and Juilliard-in-Korea Summer Festival Casual Classics. Mushkatkol has also presented master classes throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Mushkatkol has taught many talented students who have won national and international competitions, and who have gone on to study at the most prestigious music institutions, and have now become leading musicians of their generation. Mushkatkol currently resides in New York and is on the faculty of Juilliards Pre-College Division. To order music by Victoria, visit: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2035632&cart=573634691&style=classical”>http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2035632&cart=573634691&style=classical