Cellist Sergey Antonov In his early 20’s he was hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich and Sergey Antonov went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation by garnering top honors in numerous soloist and chamber competitions, ultimately landing the most coveted prize of them all, the Gold Medal at the world’s premier musical Olympiad, the quadrennial Interna- tional Tchaikovsky Competition in 2007. Born into a musical family in Moscow in 1983, Antonov was one of the youngest recipients of the Tchaikovsky award. His subsequent performances have taken him round the globe, from the Moscow Conservatory’s Great Hall to Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and as a repeat guest artist at the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island, where he made his American debut in 2008. He has collaborated with such maestros and classical artists as Yuri Simonov, Maxim Vengerov, David Geringas, Michiyoshi Inoue, Mikhail Pletnev and Yuri Bashmet, Christian Arming, Dmitry Sitkovetsky among others, and has appeared on Russian National Television in performance with the Moscow Philharmonic in their “Stars of the 21st Century” series, and in live concert on Boston’s NPR radio station WGBH. Pianist Ilya Kazantsev "Ilya Kazantsev plays with intelligence, artistic integrity and never a carelessly produced sound." -Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review Magazine, Spring 2008​ ​ Ilya Kazantsev, a fresh and exciting presence on the international music scene, has performed as recitalist and soloist with orchestra extensively in Russia and the United States, as well as appearing in Canada, Ukraine, Belarus, Slovenia, Italy, Germany and Japan. Most recently, Mr. Kazantsev made his sold out solo début at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in November 2007, as a winner of the Nadia Reisenberg Piano Award at Mannes College. Mr. Kazantsev began his music studies at the age of seven. At the age of nine he was accepted at the Central Music School at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in his native Moscow as a student of Professor Valeriy Pyasetsky. Subsequently, he came to New York to study at Mannes College of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in 2005, his Master of Music degree in 2007, Professional Studies Diploma in 2009 and also Professional Studies Diploma at Manhattan School of Music, studying with Dr. Arkady Aronov. Among his many other awards and honors, he received first prizes at the 1998 Nikolai Rubinstein International Competition (Paris), the 2001 International Festival-Competition (Grodno, Belarus) and the 2005 Five Towns Competition (Long Island, NY). He was also awarded prizes at the 2000 International Chopin Competition (Moscow, Russia), and the 2007 and 2008 World Piano Competition (Cincinnati). As a chamber musician, Mr. Kazantsev had a chance to perform with an outstanding Mannes College of Music faculty such as: Susan Jolles (harp), Erico Sato (violin), Yuri Vodovoz (violin), Todd Philllips (violin), Liuh-Wen Ting (viola). He has also collaborated with Eric Jacobsen (cello), Wolfram Koesell (cello) and Hafez Nazeri (composer, citarist and singer). Upon completion of his master's Degree at Mannes College of Music he was given an Award for Excellence in Chamber Music Performance. Ilya has won the 2005 Trinity Church Concert Series Award (NY) with the Ikarus Chamber Players. Mr. Kazantsev was also a winner at the 2008 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in Boston with Canadian cellist Julia Maclaine as a Maclaine-Kazantsev Duo, and is currently collaborating with the Gold Medal Winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow cellist Sergey Antonov. He has also appeared as soloist with the Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonid Nikolaev at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, with Kharkov Youth Symphony and Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yuriy Yanko in Kharkov, Ukraine. In New York, he has performed with the Doctors Orchestra and with the Mannes Community Orchestra, both conducted by Peter Bellino. As a solo recitalist, he has presented concerts in Russia at the Moscow Conservatory Conservatorys Great, Small, Rachmaninov Halls the St. Petersburg Philarmonia Recital Hall, and in New York at CAMI and Steinway Halls. As an active summer festival performer Mr. Kazantsev presented both the opening and closing concerts at the 2006 International Academy of Music Festival in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (Italy), and has also participated in the Virtuozi 2000 Festival in St. Petersburg, and the 1999 International Music Festival in Petrozavodsk (Russia). Mr. Kazantsev has performed in all of Mannes College of Music's annual concerts since La Belle Époque, 2002 - most recently in Pianist as Composer, 2008. He has also participated in master classes presented by leading artists such as: Igor Lazko, Peter Eiher, Earl Wild, Jerome Rose, Richard Goode, Marcel Baudet, Edward Aldwell, Efim Bronfman, Piotr Paleczny, Phillipe Entremont and Menahem Pressler. An enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, Mr. Kazantsev has presented numerous premieres of works by contemporary American, Russian and Eastern European composers, some of which have been dedicated to him. Mr. Kazantsev was First Prize winner at the Ridgewood Choral 2006 Composition Award in New Jersey in collaboration with Romanian composer Andrei Foca-Rodi. His advanced studies have included coachings by such prominent figures as pianists and contemporary music specialists Jay Gotlieb, Mark Ponthus and legendary composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, who praised Mr. Kazantsev for his thoughtful performance of composer's Douze Notations.