The Russian Chamber Art Society closes its twentieth anniversary season with teacher and student: Sviridov studied composition under Shostakovich at the Leningrad Conservatory, and each spent a lifetime finding music inside Russian poetry.
At the center is Sviridov's Petersburg, a vocal poem on verses of Alexander Blok — a city of fog, taverns, and premonition, set with stark restraint and sudden incandescence. Shostakovich follows in song and in his Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67, written in 1944 in memory of his closest friend: an eerie cello lament at the start, a dance of terrible energy at the end.
Baritone Timothy Mix and mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wor are joined by pianists Vera Danchenko-Stern and Alexander Shtarkman, violinist Martin Beaver, cellist Suren Bagratuni, and narrator Anne Bowles.
Tickets: $70
*Admission includes the performance and a post-concert reception with wine, light hors d'oeuvres, and desserts. Pre-registration and photo ID are required to enter the embassy grounds. Patrons without pre-registration or photo ID will not be permitted inside the embassy.
About The Artists
Timothy Mix, baritone
A Finnish-American baritone trained at the Peabody Conservatory, Mix has sung leading roles across the country, including Santa Fe Opera, where he debuted in 2016, and San Francisco Opera. His career highlights also include Escamillo in Carmen at Finnish National Opera and Ping in Turandot with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is a familiar voice to RCAS audiences, having given the American premiere of Alexander Zhurbin’s Tsvetaeva cycle with Magdalena Wór.
Magdalena Wór, mezzo-soprano
Polish-born mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór is admired for the rich color of her voice and her deep commitment to music and text; The Washington Post praised her “velvety rich mezzo that makes you want to follow her anywhere.” She is a frequent soloist with the National Philharmonic in works from Verdi’s Requiem to Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and has performed across the United States as well as in Poland, Mexico, the Philippines, and Great Britain.
Vera Danchenko-Stern, piano
The Founder and Artistic Director of the RCAS, Ms. Danchenko-Stern graduated with honors from Moscow’s Gnessin Institute and was nominated in 2008 for Virginia’s Governor’s Award for the Arts. She taught Russian singing at the Peabody Conservatory for decades and helped prepare the chorus for Washington National Opera’s Eugene Onegin. Since the Society’s first concert in 2006, she has championed Russian art song for American audiences.
Alexander Shtarkman, piano
Born in Moscow, Shtarkman is the son of pianist Naum Shtarkman, a Tchaikovsky Competition laureate. He was a finalist at the Van Cliburn Competition and went on to win first prize at the 1995 Busoni Competition. The Los Angeles Times told readers to “remember the name.” He has taught at the Peabody Conservatory since 2002 and became chair of its Keyboard Department in 2020.
Martin Beaver, violin
Canadian violinist Martin Beaver was first violin of the celebrated Tokyo String Quartet from 2002 until its final concert in 2013, performing at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, and the Sydney Opera House and recording the complete Beethoven quartets. He co-founded the Montrose Trio and teaches at the Colburn School. In a fitting RCAS connection, he studied with Victor Danchenko, Vera Danchenko-Stern’s brother.
Suren Bagratuni, cello
Armenian-born cellist Suren Bagratuni won the silver medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory, and has since performed as a soloist on five continents. The Boston Globe called his Shostakovich Cello Sonata one of the best performances of the year. He is professor of cello and chair of the string area at Michigan State University.
Anne Bowles, narrator
Anne Bowles has appeared on television in Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, FBI: Most Wanted, House of Cards, The Good Wife and Turn: Washington’s Spies. On Broadway, she was part of Inherit the Wind with Christopher Plummer, reasons to be pretty and Collected Stories. She is a familiar face on Washington stages, including the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theatre, the Folger, Olney Theatre and Studio Theatre, where The Wolves won the Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble. She holds a BA from Catholic University and is a graduate of The Second City Conservatory.