VartistsV

28 seasons


	Veronika's Viola - the artists Arsentiy Kharitonov Eric Smith Ekaterina Tarasova Veronika Vassileva
	Veronika Vassileva Veronika Vassileva began playing piano at the age of three with her mother Krassimira Vassileva. At the age of seven, she added on violin studying with her father Peter Vassilev at the “Musikschule der Hofer Symphoniker” in Germany. She　started competing at the age of ten and won first prizes at the annual national competition “Jugend musiziert” for solo and chamber music for five consecutive years. Veronika gave her concerto debut in Germany with the “Hofer Symphoniker” at the age of ten　performing Bruch Concerto in G minor, followed by a concerto debut in France with the Lille Symphony Orchestra and in Bulgaria with the Russe Symphony. She has participated in numerous master classes given by Dr. Maja Glezarova (Russia), Dr. Felix Andrievski (United Kingdom), Vasko Vassilev (Spain), and distinguished Professor Igor Ozim (Switzerland), as well as Almita Vamos, Taras Gabora, Robert McDuffee, and Ilya Kaler (United States). Veronika chose to come to the United States in 2002 in order to study with Professor Julia Bushkova. In January 2003, she won the First Prize of the annual Concerto Competition of the University of North Texas as the first ever freshman in the history of the College of Music . From Spring 2005 on for two years　she was the co-concertmaster of the University of North Texas Symphony and Chamber Orchestras under Maestro Anshel Brusilow. In the Summer of 2005, Veronika was the violist of the Amir String Quartet in Residence for the Strings in the Mountains Festival, where she also took viola lessons from renowned professor Ytzhak Schotten ( Michigan ) and violin lessons from New York Philharmonic concertmaster Michelle Kim. In the Summer of　2006 she attended the Manchester Music Festival in Manchester, Vermont, and was invited to go on tour with the Manchester Chamber Orchestra in every fall after. 　 In May 2007 Veronika received her Bachelor in Music cum laude from the University of North Texas studying with Julia Bushkova and Igor Borodin. In June 2009 she graduated with a Master of Music with distinction from the DePaul University of Chicago studying with Ilya Kaler. Again, when competing for the annual DePaul Concerto Competition in 2008, she won and performed Botessini’s Grand Duo Concertant with the DePaul Chamber Orchestra in March 2009. Also while in Chicago, she was a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago - the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s training orchestra - under Maestro Cliff Colnot and Maestro Bernard Haitink, where she was appointed assistant principal second violin during the 2008/2009 season. Currently, Veronika is pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of North Texas on viola studying with Dr. Susan Dubois. She is on a full scholarship and holds also the Position of “Teacher Assistant” as the violist in the Bancroft Quartet, the College of Music top string quartet. In the Fall of 2011, Veronika entered the new UNT Mozart Concerto Competition, won for the third time, and performed Sinfonia Concertante with the UNT Symphony Orchestra under Maestro David Itkin in November. Besides her classical music interests, Veronika has played in UNT Jazz Ensembles, with mariachi groups, and in small country music groups. She is also a sought violinist on local pop and rock band recordings.
	Arsentiy Kharitonov The winner of numerous national and international competitions, including the Franz Liszt International piano Competition in Los Angeles, Arsentiy Kharitonov has been heard in solo recitals and with orchestras in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Kharitonov’s orchestral appearances include solo performances with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariinsky Youth Orchestra, Northwestern Symphony, and the Monroe Symphony. In recent years, Mr. Kharitonov has been repeatedly invited to perform recitals at the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia. Arsentiy Kharitonov initially began studying piano at age of eight in his native Russia. However, his other passion – namely, the love of flying and aviation – prevailed at the time, and for several years he trained intensively at the Aviation Academy to be a pilot. He returned to the piano at the age of sixteen, fitting seven required years of music school in just one year and subsequently continuing his studies at the Rimsky-Korsakov Music College in St. Petersburg, Russia. Soon he was noticed by a visiting piano professor from Northwestern State University Nikita Fitenko and came to study with him at the Northwestern State University in Louisiana, on full scholarship. In 2008, Kharitonov received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and embarked onto an Artist Certificate Program at the University of North Texas. Currently, Arsentiy is finishing his Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Professor Joseph Banowetz. A Teaching Fellow, he devotes a large portion of his time to studio teaching. His most recent performing projects include recording the first of a multiple CD set of all piano works by Leo Ornstein for Toccata Classics. Bottom picture: Kharitonov at the tomb of Tchaikovsky in St. Petersburg
	*Ekaterina Tarasova* Ekaterina Tarasova was born in Moscow. She graduated College of Music and Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory (class of professor A.Kushner) in 2010. Ekaterina has toured with a wide range of symphony and chamber orchestras both as a soloist and a member of the ensemble. She has performed in the Grand and Rachmaninov Halls of the Moscow Conservatory. During her travels, she has participated in international festivals and master-classes in Europe, Japan and USA and won prizes at international competitions in Croatia, Ukraine, and Russia. She is presently studying for her Artist Certificate Degree at UNT with Professor Emanuel Borok.
	Eric Smith Eric Smith has made himself known as a multi-faceted musician performing across styles from early music to contemporary genres throughout the United States, South America and Europe. As a baroque cellist and violist da gamba, Eric regularly performs with period instrument ensembles and choirs as a soloist, chamber musician, and continuo player. He collaborates with ensembles including the Dallas Bach Society, Orchestra of New Spain, Ars Lyrica, Bach Society of Houston, Texas Early Music Project, Fleur-de-LYS, Denton Bach Society, Denton Bach Players, and is Co-Artistic Director of La Novella Baroque. Eric has appeared at festivals and concert series including the Boston Early Music Festival (MA), Crested Butte Music Festival (CO), Strings in the Mountains Music Festival (CO), Bechstein Hall Concert Series (AR), Lake Lewisville International Chamber Music Series (TX), and early music festivals in Bolivia, Peru, and France. As a guest artist and teacher, Eric has given recitals, master classes, and coachings at the University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, Texas Women’s University, Southwestern University, and frequently serves as a guest clinician in schools throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Eric attended the University of North Texas studying cello under the tutelage of Eugene Osadchy and early music with lutenist Lyle Nordstrom, where he was honored as a Winspear scholar. Eric also attended the International Baroque Institute at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he studied baroque cello with Phoebe Carrai, and has studied viola da gamba with world-renowned gambist Mary Springfels.