FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ian Martínez
Director of Communications
(773) 834-7965
imartinez@uchicago.edu

Tickets: (773) 702-8068

Simonyan	Podkorytov

VIOLINIST MIKHAIL SIMONYAN TO REPLACE EFE BALTACIGIL AT MANDEL HALL, FEBRUARY 19

Chicago, Feb. 18, 2008 – Due to illness, cellist Efe Baltacigil, originally scheduled for Tuesday night's tenth annual Regents Park Discovery Concert at Mandel Hall, will be unable to appear. Replacing him will be young Russian violinist Mikhail Simonyan, with pianist Alexei Podkorytov. Simonyan's program will include works by Schnittke, Prokofiev, Grieg and Ravel. Subscribers and ticket holders should direct all questions to the University of Chicago Presents concert office at (773) 702-8068.

At the age of only 22, Mikhail Simonyan is one of today's up-and-coming talents. Praised for his "breadth, lyricism and fleet technique" by The New York Times, as well a "flawless, liquid line and ravishing tone" by the Washington Post, Simonyan made his Lincoln Center debut at the age of 13 with the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (ARYO). Since then, he has earned numerous awards, including top honors at the All-Russia Competition in St. Petersburg, the Siberian Violin Competition, the Salon de Virtuosi in New York and the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Award. In previous seasons, Simonyan performed in a solo appearance at the Kennedy Center's 35th Anniversary Gala, followed by a debut with Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra in 2002. Hailing from Novosibirsk, Simonyan received one his homeland's highest honors in 2005, when President Vladimir Putin acknowledged him as one of Russia's most promising young musicians. A former Curtis Institute of Music student, he currently resides in Philadelphia.

Pianist Alexei Podkorytov, a fellow Novosibirsk compatriot and ARYO alumnus, made his debut with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 at the age of 8. Since then, he has appeared as a recital pianist and a soloist with numerous orchestras throughout Europe, Russia and the U.S. Podkorytov has performed as a soloist several times with ARYO, including a performance of Scriabin's Piano Concerto as part of the orchestra's 15th Anniversary World Tour. He was also recently selected for an award in Performing Arts by the National Academy of Achievement. A former student of concert pianists Alexander Toradze and Susan Starr, Podkorytov has earned performance degrees from The Juilliard School in New York.

TICKETS for this performance concert are $10 for general public or $5 for students with a valid ID and can be purchased by calling the UCP concert office at (773) 702-8068, or visiting 5720 S. Woodlawn Avenue on the University of Chicago campus.. As part of the annual Regents Park Discovery series, this performance is free to University of Chicago Presents (UCP) subscribers and residents of Regents Park Apartments.

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Tuesday / 19 February / 7:30 pm
Mikhail Simonyan, violin
Alexei Podkorytov, piano
Regents Park Discovery Concert

Schnittke: Suite in the Old Style
Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, op. 94a
Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, op. 13
Ravel: Tzigane

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The University of Chicago Presents is one of the city’s landmark classical music presenters on the campus of the University of Chicago in the heart of the city’s South Side. Among the musical legends who made their debuts at Mandel Hall are violinist Isaac Stern, guitarist Andres Segovia, soprano Cecilia Bartoli and The Juilliard String Quartet.

UCP offers five concert series—Classic Concert, the Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Artists-in-Residence Series featuring the Pacifica String Quartet, and the Contempo series.

TICKETS: By phone with credit card at (773) 702-8068; minimum $10 charge
In person with cash, check or credit card, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
– Office of Professional Concerts, 5720 S. Woodlawn Ave.
– At Mandel Box Office after 6:30 p.m. on concert day
– By email at concert-office@uchicago.edu

LOCATION: Mandel Hall is located at 1131 E. 57th Street.

PARKING: Street or free in lot at 55th Street and Ellis Avenue

DISABILITIES: Persons with disabilities or who otherwise need assistance may call the Office of Professional Concerts at (773) 702-8068 prior to the concert, but no later than 3 p.m. on concert day.

PHOTOS: Photos of the artists may be obtained upon request to the University of Chicago Presents at (773) 834-7965, or by fax at (773) 834-5888. To download pictures directly from the web site, visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu/news/photos.

ONLINE: chicagopresents.uchicago.edu

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