The Virtuoso Suzuki Academy

When was the last time you heard “Nessun Dorma” played on trombone, “Flight of the Bumblebee” on harmonica or “Ave Maria” played on a...saw?
Join me and the Richmond County Orchestra under maestro Alan Aurelis for a humorous and sparkling, FREE outdoor concert at St. John’s University, Queens on July 21 at 4 PM.
For details on Richmond County Orchestra's performance check the University website:

Summer Concert Series: Richmond County Orchestra Join us for our 2024 Summer Concert Series! The Richmond County Orchestra presents "Noteworthy Novelties" at St John's University on Sunday, July 21st at 4 pm featuring Natalia Paruz's "The Saw Lady" and world-class harmonica virtuoso and America's Got Talent performer, Jia-Yi He, with Maestro Al...

Cheers to all (especially to our VSA youngest audience:-) on attending the 4th of July Independence Day performance with Orchestra 201 under the Maestro Anthony LaGruth and supporting the music sharing 'under the stars' at our picturesque Long Island community harbor!

If, you haven't made any plans yet for the Independence Day celebrations join me and the Orchestra 201 under the maestro Anthony LaGruth at an outdoor concert this July 4th at 8:00 PM in the beautiful, harbor setting with fireworks in the background at the Stepping Stone Park, 38 Stepping Stone Lane, Kings Point LI.
Although this is a private event, the orchestra members are permitted to bring guests --- all you need to do is to give my name to the security people at the gate. Bring your lawn chairs and/or blankets. Picnic food and drink is allowed.

We are thrilled to see so many fathers bringing their offspring to music lessons at the VS Academy; a new meaning to the traditional ‘fishing trip’ together has been added —that of a ‘musical journey’.
Enjoy this musical catch sent your way on this Father’s Day🎶

Song of the Wind

Instruments have arrived and are ready to be explored by your little one!!!
We are ready to launch the "Music Explorer" course for the very young this Wednesday, June 19🎶
General schedule of the course:
WEDNESDAYS (Piano + one more instrumental class):
06/19, 06/26, 07/03* (Fri.06/28), 07/17
THURSDAYS (Music Appreciation + one more instrumental class):
06/20, 06/ 27th, 07/11, 07/18
Music Explorers Pre K-2nd Grade.
Summer Course for Beginners ages Pre K-Grade 2, no prior experience in music necessary.
Twice weekly explorations of the instruments: cello, piano, violin and musical movement during the four (4), 20-30 min classes for the duration of 4 weeks.
This workshop will explore the basics of music and the nature of the instruments of the orchestra, in a fun and exploratory way. Students will learn the elements of music through song and games and listening with intention.
/For more information about each teacher, kindly refer to faculty' bios on our website: https://thevirtuososuzukiacademy.com/faculty/

We greatly look forward to bringing forty six (46) of our Academy young instrumentalists with a variety of repertoire to stage this weekend, Sunday June 9th in the second of the two solo recital performance events scheduled this Spring.
Cello Recital at 2:00 PM
Cello Recital at 3:00 PM
Piano Interlude & Violin/Viola Recital at 4:15 PM
Senior Violin Recital at 5:30 PM
Venue: Auditorium of the Ethical Humanist Society", 38 Old Country Rd. Garden City. It is a FREE event!

Our musical 'thank you' to honor those who served in the military, so we can serve in the name of music with this "Waltz" (a dance meaning to 'revolve'=to ponder) by Frantz Lehar, performed at our recent Spring Festival on May 5th, 2024.

Waltz

Congratulations to all of our VS Academy 35 Solo Performers, their Teachers: Ms Lara Khakhamova and Ms Olga Gurevich and their Parents on a wonderful preparation for what was close to three (3) hours of the most sensitive music making at last Sunday's Spring Solo Recitals. We look forward to more music on Sunday, June 9th!

We greatly look forward to bringing forty (40) of our Academy young instrumentalists with a variety of repertoire to stage this weekend, Sunday May 19th in the first of two solo recital performance events scheduled this Spring.
Piano Recital at 1:30 PM
Violin Recital at 2:30 PM
Piano Recital at 3:30 PM
Venue: Auditorium of the Ethical Humanist Society", 38 Old Country Rd. Garden City. It is a FREE event!

A bouquet of 38 music loving hearts, 72 hands and 152 strings in lieu of flowers on this Mother’s Day💐
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iknnz39yMQ
/video recording from the Festival performance last Sunday, May 5th---compliments of Bellamy's Mom/

Boogie Woogie Suzuki Spring Festival 2024 - Boogie Woogie

Another successful Spring Festival of chamber music making, an effort of over forty (40) students and faculty of the VS Academy behind us!
We will see you at our Spring Solo Recitals on May 19 and June 9th starting at 2:00 PM at the Ethical Humanist Society, 38 Old Country Rd, Garden City.

Our biggest event of the season is happening this coming Sunday, May 5th at 3 PM—“Spring Festival,” during which our Academy students & faculty will join forces on stage in a celebration of music.
You’ll get a chance to hear, Ms Lara Khakhamova, one of our piano faculty perform with the Piano & Strings Ensemble, along with Mr. Allen Weakland, our violin/viola faculty supporting the viola section of the Chamber Orchestra, and the NY Young Musicians’ Ensemble all led by Mr Matthew Grosso.
One of our cello faculty, Ms Ivy Chatanow, will lead her Cello Group while I will lead my Violin Group.
Ms Olga Gurevich and Mrs Lara Khakhamova's Piano 4 Ensembles will shower us with a multitude of notes, while she herself will take her seat behind the piano to accompany the Strings Playdown the product of hard work and dedication of forty (40) violinists, their guest cello friends & and all the VSA teachers (Ms Jisoo Ok included)—led by me.
Enjoy the clip from last year's Playdown a "Backscratcher Rag” performed by 44 string students https://youtu.be/8TTTrdQLipI
It promises to be an unforgettable afternoon, filled with something for everyone—not to be missed! Program attached.
Here are the important details:
Date, Time & Venue: Sunday, May 5th at 3 PM at the Rimsky Theater at the “Landmark”, 232 Main St. Port Washington.

This season we are very lucky to have one of the professors from the famous Salzburg Mozarteum, Austria (where Mozart was born!), Ms Ellen Braslavsky share her knowledge with our pianists in a Piano Masterclass scheduled for Sunday, March 24 at 3 PM at the Ethical Humanist Society, 36 Old Country Rd., Garden City.
At this 'public lesson' we will be presenting piano music in two categories: SOLO — open to advanced players, comfortable with receiving comments from another teacher.
/solo student will perform the entire selection and then will be coached on specific concepts related to musical ideas, in general and/or piano techniques using selected excerpt which best illustrates them/
PIANO ENSEMBLE --- open to anyone, wishing to learn how to perform piano chamber music with others.
/ensemble players need to be flexible and open to trying different chamber music tricks to make help them understand how to sound more together when playing with others/
We are proud to bring this event FREE to all the piano participants, as well as the audience— don’t miss out on this musically growth enhancing opportunity.
Ms.Ellen Braslavsky's bio is available on our website:

Faculty – The Virtuoso Suzuki Academy chamber music studio of the members of the American String Quartet orchestral studies studio of Glenn Dicterow (NY Phil), Burt Kaplan and Enrico DiCecco (NY Phil)

They sure delivered at the season's opening Winter Festival, yesterday---bravi to all the performers, their parents and their teachers! I am not sure, if feel more impressed by the most advanced NYYME ensemble of players who despite their heavy schoolwork found energy to emote the beautiful music of Arensky, or the youngest MUS group who was still preparing their what I thought was an outstanding musicianship presentation last Thursday at 8:00 PM (way past their bedtime:-)
I found Chamber Orchestra performance sparkly and both Cello Group and Violin Group commitment to making music together truly remarkable. But the youngest (1st graders), Piano & Strings Ensemble definitely stole the show by being fearless in their chamber music playing---enjoy a short clip of their "Clog Dance":

Tiffany Solo portion for Clog Dance

Wishing all the women a joyous, filled with music day, today!

Can the 1st graders play chamber music with each other and hear the music in their heads not just as one, or two but...four parts---our Academy's 1st graders can---come, see for yourself!
They will present a Musicianship Class lecture on "How music literacy through understanding music theory elevates the status of being just a good craftsman to that of a true, all round musician” and afterwards, as a Piano & String Ensemble they will share the stage with their older colleagues from the Chamber Orchestra and the NY Young Musicians' Ensemble in a performance at the Winter Festival, this Sunday, March 10 at 3:00 PM at the Ethical Humanist Society, 38 Old Country Rd. Garden City.
On the program another, more advanced Musicianship Class lecture on "How an ability to navigate the musical terrain through identifying key & time signatures as well as harmonies leads to a more harmonious music making with others, and through that to a harmonious society” mixed with Mendelssohn's youthful "Sinfonia", Offenbach's festive "Ballet Parisienne" and Arensky's virtuosic "Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky", among many others---admission is free!

While we have been 'quiet' on our own stage, we were hard at work since the first week of January in preparing several dozens of our Academy's instrumentalists for their participation at the annual ALL COUNTY and LISFA Festivals---congratulations to all of them, their parents and their teachers!
A special recognition goes to our Academy's fifth grade violinist, Mika Sekiguchi (student of Ms Agnes Kwasniewska) for winning by a fierce audition for a 'first chair', a concertmistress position BOTH in ALL COUNTY AND LISFA orchestra concerts---bravi, Mika!

May this Holiday Season be filled with kindness, compassion and inclusiveness of others and the New Year 2024 bring joy, health and prosperity! Enjoy this musical greeting recorded live (by Tiffany's Dad) at our recent "Holiday Spirit Soiree" performance on Dec.17th---all performers included in any capacity possible 🌲

Tiffany with Group - Good King Wenceslas

I greatly look forward to our third performing event of the 2023-2024 season, he "Holiday Spirit Soiree" on Sunday, December 17th at 2:00 PM at the Auditorium at the “Ethical Humanist Society”
38 Old Country Rd. Garden City.
It is a FREE for all (performers & audience alike) event culminating in a Holiday Finale involving EVERYONE---do not miss out!

We have been talked about and very excited to have our two string ensembles: Chamber Orchestra & NY Young Musicians' Ensemble perform prelude music to the NSSO 8:00 PM Concert, as well as to join side by side the North Shore Symphony Orchestra musicians on stage in a performance of Chevalier de Saint George (aka Joseph de Bologna) "Overture" on Sat.Dec.9th at 8:00 PM (7:30 PM --- prelude music:-) at the Adelphi Arts Center in Garden City.
Don't miss out on great music and the fun of raffle!
https://mailchi.mp/liviolinshop/ma86jrfmx3-1313090?e=f8d2d49a3b

Whatever the circumstances of the first Thanksgiving tradition might have been, people set the differences between them aside, even if for a brief moment.
We, here at the VS Academy, are thankful for the trust and the opportunity of having an influence on the brilliant minds of our students with MUSIC---a timeless, borderless and limitless means of artistic expression. What better way to say 'thank you' , but...with American music: Ava Long's (VSA piano student, Second Prize winner with this very piece at the Concert Festival International Competition) live performance recording at last Sunday's Soiree, November 19th of the “The All-American Hometown Band” by W. &C. Noona performed 4 hands with her teacher, VSA faculty Ms Olga Gurevich. Peaceful & Restful Thanksgiving Holiday to All!

The All-American Hometown Band

Congratulations to all the 25 participants on their terrific performance yesterday—some mature interpretations and nice phrases (with Julian's, our 4 years old, clear like a bell sounding E string:-) were there.Big thank you to Ms Olga Gurevich for her sensitive accompaniment.
I look forward to seeing you in the audience at the Adelphi Art Center on Saturday, Dec.9th at 8:00 PM in support of our two string ensembles: Chamber Orchestra & the NYYME who will be performing prelude music as well as sitting alongside professional musicians of the NSSO. Looking ahead, our next Sunday Soiree will take place on December 17th at 2:00 PM.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

It never ceases to amaze me how it is possible that just a few weeks ago, when I announced this first performance of the season, this paper was blank and tomorrow, we will bring 25 artists to the stage! Some of the artists, like the 4-year-old, Julián (who told me that: 'his grandmother flew from Guatemala to hear him play'), are very young. They all volunteered to perform not because of any grades, but simply because they, their parents, and their teachers understand the importance of sharing the joy of music with others.
Program includes concert hall 'war horses' such as: J.S.Bach "Violin Concerto in E-major" and his "Prelude" from "Das Wohltemperierte Klavier" among the smaller pieces: Clementi, Schumann, Paganini and everyone's favorite: Kreisler's "Preludium and Allegro".
Hope you can join us this Sunday, November 19th at 2:00 PM at the Ethical Humanist Society: 38 Old Country Rd. Garden City

What a privillege to start the new season with a gesture of such grand generosity as this donation 'to make lives filled with music', which came from a violin student of twenty years here at the Academy, and was created in the memory of her deceased Aunt & Uncle. We pledge to continue our musical mission of sharing the joy of music making and enriching our community for many generations to come---I will enrich my calories intake by keeping the cookie:-)

With all the fantastic summer performance events behind us it is time to think about getting your child signed up for music lessons!
Join us for an in-person registration this Monday, September 11 between 4:00-9:00 PM at our: 22 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola location or contact us any time to register online.
The first day of private instrumental lessons is this Saturday, Sep.9th and we still have a few openings for enrollment in our various group classes which will begin shortly after---don't miss out on this opportunity!

What a gem of an opera, wonderfully set to a stunning music and with great relevance to today’s rise of tyranny in the world, the opening night of Camille Saint Saens “Henry VIII” was—Bravi to Maestro Leon Botstein, American Symphony Orchestra, singers and dancers and all the ‘behind the scene’ crew at Bard Music Festival, upstate New York.

Wishing everyone the joy of leaving in peace and prosperity in the country of United States of America (what was in Pre-Columbian times called Abya Yala) and celebrating this occasion with an outdoor Pops concert lead by Maestro Anthony LaGruth---join us tonight at 8:00 PM for music & fireworks!
Stepping Stone Park
38 Stepping Stone Lane
Kings Point, NY 11024

Very thankful to Maestro Harry Marenstein, the principal conductor of the North Shore Symphony Orchestra for dedicating his time to a Conducting Masterclass which took place on June 10th and for sharing his expertise with our students, all members of the NY Young Musicians' Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra and our youngest Violin Ensemble. As Min Naing, one of the six conducting participants remarked: 'I never knew we could sound that good'.
We are very excited that an invitation for both ensembles to share once more the professional concert stage with the NSSO musicians this coming December 2023 has been extended---can't wait to start working on the repertoire!

With the last note of the students solo instrumental recitals taking place on Sunday, June 11 which sounded out a few minutes before 9:00 PM it was time for me to partner once again with a wonderful piano virtuoso and a colleague of mine here at the Academy, Olga Gurevich in a rather eclectic recital program this past Saturday, June 24 at the elegant Wi******er Gardens in New Jersey, titled "Begin with B".
We challenged ourselves with chosing compositions spaning from early baroque "Announciation Rosary Sonata" by Heinz Ignatz Franz Biber (1676), through Ludwig van Beethoven's classical style "Sonata in D-major, op.12", Ernest Bloch's "Nigun", a soulful chasidic prayer, continiuning in XIX century with prolific Black American composer, Henry.T Burleigh and bringing it to a full cycle of 'sonata form' exploration with Polish, woman composer, Grazyna Bacewicz's "Sonata de Camera" written at the dawn of the WW II (1945). And all these composers' names started...with 'B':-)

Congratulations on a succesful May Carnegie Hall orchestra performance to our Academy's string students: Cody Cheng and Henry Pokrywka (cello students of Ms Chatanow), Darcy Lie and Juliet Scott (cello students of Ms Ok), Haruka Brown (violin student of Ms Kwasniewska) and especially Mika Sekiguchi (also violin student fo Ms Kwasniewska) for winning a concertamster position and leading her entire orchestra for this event---bravi to all!