<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
line-height:150%;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><a name="OLE_LINK1"></a><a
name="OLE_LINK2"><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black;background:white'>Free
Chamber Concert on December 4 to Feature Violinist Taras Gabora and Pianist
Sedmara Zakarian-Rutstein<o:p></o:p></span></b></a></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'><i><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
color:black;background:white'>With special performance by Melody Yuan and Chan
Lee, winners of Russia’s Yankelevich Violin Competition<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;
color:black;background:white'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;background:
white'> The Chagrin Valley Chamber Music Concert Series will
host “Rising Stars and Their Masters,” featuring world-renowned
violinist Taras Gabora and Oberlin Conservatory Piano Faculty Sedmara
Zakarian-Rutstein, for a free chamber concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December
4, 2009 at Valley Lutheran Church (87 East Orange Street, Chagrin Falls).
Gabora and Zakarian-Rutstein will perform Brahms Sonata No. 3 in D minor with
Melody Yuan and Chan Lee, two winners of Russia’s famed Yankelevich
Violin Competition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;background:
white'> A native of Canada, <b>Taras Gabora</b> has performed
throughout the world and is a founding member of “Trio Tre Musici”
(Milan), Chamber Music Chicago, Le Groupe Baroque de Montreal, Vienna Academy
String Quartet, and the Gabora String Quartet. He has represented the USA and
Canada on juries of national and international competitions including the
Tchaikovsky International Competition in Russia and the Sarasate International
Competition in Bilbao, Spain. A graduate of the Vienna Academy of Music who
studied under Ernst Morawec, his teaching career has included posts at Oberlin
Conservatory of Music, McGill University (Montreal), Conservatoire de Montreal,
St. Louis Conservatory of Music, and the Vancouver Academy of Music. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;background:
white'> Born and raised in the former Soviet Union, <b>Sedmara
Zakarian-Rutstein </b>was a child prodigy who began playing at the age of five
and attended Leningrad’s Special Music School for Gifted Children. She
completed her studies at the renowned Leningrad Conservatory of Music with the
distinguished professor Nadezhda Golubovskaya. She is currently a tenured
professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Her repertoire spans the early
18<sup>th</sup> to late 20<sup>th</sup> centuries and she has been a pioneer in
the complete cycle of Bach’s <i>The Art of Fuge</i>, which she later
recorded on both piano and harpsichord. Her recordings and performances have
received critical acclaim in the USA, Europe, Russia, Hong Kong, and China, and
have ranked her among the foremost piano soloists of today. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%'> In
March 2009 and at the age of eleven, <b>Melody Yuan</b> was awarded First
Prizewinner of the Yankelevich International Violin Competition. She began
playing violin in China at five years old and relocated to Vancouver at age
eight to study with Taras Gabora. This summer, she was chosen to participate in
and perform with the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy. <span
style='background:white'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;background:
white'> At the young age of 15, <b>Chan Lee</b> is already
recognized for his masterful technique and charisma on stage. Second prize
winner of the junior division of the 2009 </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:150%'>Yankelevich International Violin Competition, he also won the
Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra’s concerto competition and presently
serves as its concertmaster. Performances of note include solo and chamber
music appearances with the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy and
the closing gala concert for the Yankelevich International Violin Competition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;background:
white'> “It is very inspiring for
internationally-recognized musicians to perform with up-and-coming
talent,” notes Hristo Popov, artistic director for the Concert Series.
“This collaboration perfectly fits our mission of sharing free, stellar
performances with the ChagrinValley community while inspiring a future
generation of musicians.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;background:
white'> <span style='color:black'>For additional information
about the free concert on December 4 or the complete Concert Series, visit </span></span><a
href="http://www.chagrinmusic.org"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:
150%;background:white'>www.chagrinmusic.org</span></a><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;line-height:150%;color:black;background:white'> or call 440-247-0390. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white'>### <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black;background:white'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>