Grand Piano Series presents
Narrative Musicale:
Bach to the Future
Victor Shlyakhtenko, piano Milana Strezeva, artistic director Konstantin Soukhovetski, program curator
Bach — Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Minor
Scarlatti — Sonata in B Minor, K. 27/L. 449
Scarlatti —Sonata in D Minor, K. 517/L. 266
Barber —Sonata in E-flat Minor, Op. 26
Ravel — Jeux d’eau
American icon Samuel Barber said: “My aim is to write good music that will be comprehensible to as many people as possible …” And so he did.
Presented by the Grand Piano Series and curated by Konstantin Soukhhovetski, this program invites the audience to enjoy an inspiring musical performance featuring talented young pianist Victor Shlyakhtenko. Accompanying commentary provides insights into the composers’ personal lives and includes anecdotal stories that illuminate the historical context of the music.
Victor Radko-Shlyakhtenko comes from a family of music lovers and started studying piano at age 5. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he received first prizes in several local piano competitions as well as numerous first- and second-prize accolades in several highly esteemed international competitions. He made his European debut in the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 2019 and his orchestral debut at the age of 12 with the Orange Coast Symphony. Since then, he has performed with over a dozen orchestras. He was a recipient of the U.S. National Chopin Foundation Scholarship (2016-19) and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation’s Class of 2018-20.
Radko-Shlyakhtenko has also pursued studies in orchestral conducting, making his debut in 2019 with the South Coast Symphony. Passionate about sharing the impact of music, Radko-Shlyakhtenko has also performed and given presentations at several elementary schools and community centers throughout Los Angeles.
Currently in his junior year as a piano performance major, Radko-Shlyakhtenko is deeply grateful to his music teachers, Stanislav Ioudenitch (piano) and Raphael Jiménez (conducting), with whom he studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.
Grand Piano Series
Grand Piano Series
Founded in 2016 by Milana Strezeva and Raniero Tazzi, Grand Piano Series is a nonprofit concert and education organization that seeks to enrich the cultural life of the Southwest Florida community with memorable concerts by international artists of the highest caliber, along with a dynamic program of community outreach for all ages, including programs for over 6,000 students each year in Collier and Lee County schools.
Konstantin Soukhovetski is a pianist, composer and educator who is the winner of 17 awards from prestigious international piano competitions. Soukhovetski has performed to critical acclaim at leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall (London) and the Louvre (Paris).
As the newly appointed director of education and community engagement at Grand Piano Series in Naples, Soukhovetski brings his dynamic combination of performance and audience interaction honed through his acclaimed presentations on music at the Curtis Institute of Music, Northwestern University, Singapore’s Academy of Music, Latvia’s Jelgava Music School and as an adjunct faculty member at his alma mater, The Juilliard School. Born in Moscow to a family of artists, Soukhovetski studied at the Moscow Central Music School, where he double majored in piano and composition.
Soukhovetski’s Pride Suite for piano is enjoying world premieres this season, and his first symphonic work, Once Upon the Spring, will be performed with the Auburn Symphony in California and the Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras. He now resides in Naples, where he enjoys the rich cultural offerings, beautiful weather and the thriving artistic community.
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