Essence of virtuosic cello encores captured live. “Encores” performed as encores. Real audience and unmodified sound. Temptations of post-concert excitement with sparkling passages and delicious melodies shared with their audience for standing ovations. Biography Ruslan Biryukov (Руслан Бирюков) represents a new generation of creative professional musicians whose artistic level is recognized not only by awards, but also by a worldwide audience. Known for his "superb artistry, passion and individuality", he collaborated with Midori, Kirill Rodin, Mstislav Rostropovich and Seiji Ozawa in venues such as the Los Angeles Disney Hall, the Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Hall and the Big Hall of Moscow Conservatory in over twenty countries in the former USSR, Europe and the United States. A master teacher extraordinaire, Mr. Biryukov has taught at Ippolitov-Ivanov State Institute of Music, Music Academy in Croatia, Alto Polis Academy and music festivals in Europe, Russia and the United States. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ruslan Biryukov is a graduate of Baku Music Academy, Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, and USC Thornton School of Music. Heralded as a charismatic performer, his creative artistic ideas are based upon the traditions he learned from legendary artists Kirill Rodin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, Natalia Gutman, Janos Starker, Steven Isserlis, Eleonore Schoenfeld and Midori. A musician committed to a lifetime of music making with a purpose of introducing art as a philosophy of existence to the audiences from all walks of life, Mr. Biryukov is known for his prodigally magnificent cello sound shaped as a flowing monument to a concept that equates a sense of life with a sense of beauty. To read more about Ruslan Biryukov, please visit www.celloart.com, maestro@celloart.com MARY AU (歐慧賢) is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the University of Southern California. Heralded as one of the "Outstanding Young Women of America", Ms. Au’s artistry and musicianship have left a lasting impression on esteemed artists Christine Brewer, Natalia Gutman, Steven Isserlis, Boris Pergamenschikow, Nathaniel Rosen, Mstislav Rostropovich, Janos Starker, Brooks Smith, Mme. Rosina Lhevinne, Ruggiero Ricci, Myung Whun Chung and Elly Ameling. Her collaboration with many renowned artists, including appearances in Columbia Artists Management Community Concerts and her recordings with cellist Ruslan Biryukov have been enthusiastically received. Courted by Chinese officials, Ms. Au performed in the IFEA Award winning Nanning International Arts Festival in China. Mary Au’s mentors include Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Daniel Pollack, Gordon Green, Brooks Smith, Alice Schoenfeld and Eleonore Schoenfeld. As a former executive of the GRAMMY Awards, Mary Au continues to dedicate herself to crossing cultural boundaries and sharing her musical fabric with audiences worldwide. To read more about Mary Au, please visit www.aumary.com, auhaus@gmail.com. Message - "This is the Truth" This is a palindrome. If you read the following message as it is written, it will make you feel angry. Read it backwards one line at a time starting with “This is what is real”, and it will make you feel happy. This is the truth If we turn things upside-down Classical Music is not the best music in the world I would be lying to YOU if I said that Classical Music has a great future ahead and The beauty of classical music will save the world and That our governments will support arts in our schools and That we - musicians - will be as rich as Bill Gates That Classical Music will be always appreciated That YOUR children will be smart enough to learn and love truly beautiful arts And I am convinced of this because I know YOU, and I am so sure YOU will never betray your positions Stupidity and laziness are in YOUR nature Under any circumstance I REJECT the thought that YOU are the greatest and smartest audience ever There is no doubt in my mind that Something bad is going to happen to Classical Music because of YOU I will never believe that YOUR ovations are a manifestation of your intellectual effort and YOU are not smart and educated enough to understand Classical Music It is a ridiculous statement that Classical Music is an intellectual stimulus and a carrier of an emotional balance YOU must remember that Whether you like it or not This is what is real Ruslan Biryukov You should know that I actually think exactly the opposite. To find the truth of how I really feel, be sure to read the above in its entirety, then again backwards, one line at a time, starting with “This is what is real”.