Islander to Perform at Feb. 17 Concert in Benaroya Hall in Seattle

Mercer Island resident Natalya Ageyeva and the The Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle is hosting its sixth annual Winter Nights concert at Benaroya Hall in the Nordstrom Recital Hall at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17.

The concert features Alexandre Dossin, winner of the 2003 Martha Argerich International Piano Competition, performing a richly varied program of works by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff. Also featured will be Kwanbin Park (violin), Kevin Krentz (cello), and Artistic Director, Natalya Ageyeva (piano), performing Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67. The concert will be immediately preceded by a recital of winners from the RCMFS Festival/Competition at 3:30 p.m.

Considered by Martha Argerich an “extraordinary musician” and by the international critics a “phenomenon” and “a master of contrasts,” Alexandre Dossin keeps active performing, recording and teaching careers. A prizewinner in several international piano competitions, Dossin received the First Prize and the Special Prize at the 2003 Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other international awards include the Silver Medal and second Honorable Mention in the Maria Callas Grand Prix, and Third Prize and Special Prize in the Mozart International Piano Competition, in addition to several prizes in Brazil.

Kwanbin Park holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music, where he was a recipient of the Gluck Fellowship.  He won the silver medal at the Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona, Italy, competing with groups from twenty different countries as the representative of the United States. Mr. Park’s performance of Daron Hagen’s complete cycle of piano trios in his 2010 Naxos CD as described as “played with prowess and finesse, deserves every second of your attention,” by Daniel Gilliam of National Public Radio.

Kevin Krentz is an award-winning performer. A devoted musician, he is Artistic Director of the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival in Washington State. He has been a winner in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition with his trio in Flight 3 and winner in the Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona, Italy and the Greenlake National Chamber Music Competition with Finisterra Trio. He has played at the Ann Arbor, Seattle, San Juan and Seasons Fall Festivals as well as the Icebreaker IV Festival at On the boards with the Seattle Chamber Players.

Natalya Ageyeva is the Artistic Director for the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle. She has dazzled audiences throughout the United States and internationally, including Italy, Austria, and Israel, as well as on tour in her native Russia. She has appeared at a broad range of venues, from the Governor's Mansion in Olympia to the Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow. Her pianism prompted one reviewer to write "Immediately apparent was a tremendous technique at the command of a sharp musical intelligence and fingers of steel."

To purchase tickets, please visit www.russianchambermusic.org or call (425) 829-1345.