Pianist Elena Braslavsky and violinist Carla Trynchuk will be performing a recital at the Howard Arts Performing Center (HPAC) on Sunday, April 20. Their repertoire includes pieces by Bach, Brahms and Ukrainian contemporary classical composer Valentin Silvestrov, which will doubtless be expertly performed.
Trynchuk, professor of music and director of the string program at Andrews University, studied at the Juilliard School under Dorothy Delay and Hyo Kang, and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees of music from the school. As a recitalist and soloist, Trynchuk has performed internationally at a number of prestigious halls with many fine orchestras. A few notable performances include a collaboration with Paul Freeman and the Czech National Philharmonic Orchestra for the world premiere of Tibor Serly’s concerto for violin, the premiere performance of James Lee III’s Violin Concerto No. 2 (commissioned by the HPAC) and a performance with the National Theater Symphony Orchestra of Brazil for the Brazilian premiere of the American Barber Violin Concerto, which commemorated 200 years of friendship between the United States and Brazil.
As a teacher, she has given masterclasses worldwide and has received several awards during her over 30 years of service at Andrews. These include the Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity (2015), the Excellence in Teaching Award (2023) and the John Nevis Andrews Medallion (2024).
Braslavsky was born in Moscow, where she began playing piano at the age of five. She graduated summa cum laude from Gnessin School of Music. After immigrating to the United States, she attended Juilliard where she received a doctoral degree studying under Leonard Eisner, Nadia Reisenberg, and Oxana Yablonskaya.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Braslavsky has played in the likes of Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and with musicians including Nobuko Imai, Steven Isserlis and Mstislav Rostropovich. She is a founding member of the Flatiron Trio (with cellist Jeremy Findlay and violinist Nurit Pacht), which is a group dedicated to children and to education, and Ensemble Salzburg (with Risa Schuchter, Bernhard Krabatsch and Findlay).
As a teacher, she has served on the faculty of Juilliard, Mannes School of Music and Mozarteum University in Salzburg, where she works currently.
Trynchuk and Braslavsky met as classmates at Juilliard and have frequently performed together. If you’re in the mood for beautiful classical music performed by an extremely talented duo, come to the HPAC at 7 p.m. on April 20.
Tickets are on sale for $21.50 ($11.50 for students and $6.50 for children) and can be purchased .
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