Irvine Classical Players – Seraphim Symphony Founder and Music Director Professor Georgette Popa, former Violin Professor at the Superior Conservatory of Music, Lyon France has maintained a private violin studio in Irvine, California for 30 years.
In the US she has taught violin for the University of California at Irvine, Saddleback College, California State University, Fullerton and Concordia University, Irvine. Her teaching career includes numerous requests for international masterclasses in France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and the US. While in France, she has taught at Ecole de Musique Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon,France, Conservatoire de Musique de Feyzin, France, Violinist at Opéra de Lyon, France. In addition to her teaching credits, she has performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States.
Her active performance career has included numerous studio recordings for film and television recorded in Los Angeles. A tireless advocate on behalf of young performers her approach of teaching through nurturing and mentoring young talent resulted in hundreds of students achieving their highest potential as musicians and human beings.
Professor Popa strongly believes that all children have the innate gift of Music and Beauty, and that this gift unique to each child, can be accessed by creating a nurturing and creative environment for each child to explore their innate gift. Professor Popa holds a Masters Degree in Violin Performance from the Conservatory of Music G. Dima in Cluj- Napoca, Romania and completed a three-year Ph.D. program at the Conservatory of Music in Paris, France.
Maestro Kuzin is a graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts program at UCLA where he studied with Professor Neal Stulberg. Before arriving in the U.S. in 2014, Dr. Kuzin held concurrent positions in Ukraine as Music Director of the Reinhold Glier Kyiv Institute of Music’s Symphony and Chamber orchestras and Head of the Opera Department of Dnipro Glinka Conservatory of Music.
He had also served as Music Director for Kryvyi Rig Music Theatre and “Ricochet” New Music Ensemble of the National Composer’s Union of Ukraine, and worked as an assistant conductor at the National President’s Orchestra of Ukraine, the Kyiv National Operetta Theatre, and Opera Theatre of Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine.
Dr. Kuzin combines a passionate personality with a distinguished track record of professional, artistic, and educational achievements as a symphony and opera conductor. Discovery, interpretation, support of young talents, and performance of rare classical music by famous composers is Dr. Kuzin’s particular area of professional interests. At the same time, challenging established performance formats and creating new ways for audiences to hear and appreciate classical music is what Maestro Kuzin is known for.
Maestro Kuzin conducted concerts and performances with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, National Symphony Orchestra of Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia), Vladivostok Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia), National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, UCLA Philharmonia and UCLA Symphony, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Kharkov and Rovno Philharmonic Orchestras of Ukraine, among others.
In 2002, Maxim Kuzin was also invited to conduct a choir during the Baha’i International Arts Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York. As a singer and choir member, Maxim Kuzin toured and performed around the world participating in several choral competitions.
Maestro Kuzin's opera experience includes music direction of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro , Donizetti's Il Campanello , Stravinsky's Mavra and Renard , Walton's The Bear , The Tragedy of Carmen by Bizet/Constant, Gubarenko's Monologues , and Offenbach's Mr. Choufleuri will stay at home the. Dr. A.S. Kuzin also conducted full stage productions of Rossini's The Barber of Seville , Leoncavallo's Pagliacci , Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin , Strauss's Die Fledermaus , Lehár's The Merry Widow , and Offenbach's The Beautiful Helen, Kalman's The Violet of Montmartre (Paris in Spring), and others.
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1976, Maxim Kuzin began his music studies at the age of 7 when he entered the Lysenko Boarding Music School for Gifted Children specializing in choral singing and conducting with a piano minor. Upon graduating with honors, Dr. Kuzin entered the choral conducting program of the Tchaikovsky National Musical Academy of Ukraine which he also completed with honors. He continued his studies at the National Music Academy’s Opera and Symphony Conducting program under the guidance of Maestro Roman Kofman (Music Director of the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and Bonn Opera in Germany in 2003-2006). Upon graduation, Maxim Kuzin earned his third honors diploma. His graduation concert with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine included Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, and was performed at the country’s main concert venue of the National Philharmonic Hall of Ukraine.
Dr. Kuzin is a recipient of the “Best Music Direction” prize from the Ukrainian Sicheslavna Festival of Theatres, has received Elaine Krown Klein Fine Arts Scholarship Award (2017-18), and was designated as an “Emerging Artist” by the League of American Orchestras Symphony Magazine in 2005
“Talented and engaging,” “charismatic and exciting,” “energetic and intelligent,” “conductor who orchestrates with complete confidence and attention” – these are some of the statements used by the press to describe Maxim Eshkenazy. Defined as a rising star in the contemporary generation of young conductors, Maxim strives to bring larger audiences to the music halls and promote the values of orchestral music.
Maxim Eshkenazy was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in a family of musicians. He started playing the violin at an early age and graduated from the “L. Pipkov” National Music School and the “Pancho Vladigerov” National Music Academy in Sofia. After winning a scholarship, he continued his education at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he completed two Master degrees in Violin Performance and Orchestral Conducting. He studied conducting with Hans Bauer, Sergiu Comissiona, and in the Pierre Monteux School in Maine.
He has also attended numerous master classes and worked with world renowned conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano and Michael Tilson-Thomas. In the summer of 2000, Maxim Eshkenazy was awarded a fellowship from the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival. We were very honored to have Maxim Eshkenazy conduct our Austria-Italy Concert Tour in 2023.
The Irvine Classical Players is honored to announce that the World Acclaimed Conductor Maestro Vizireanu has join us as the Principal Conductor of the Seraphim Symphony. Here are a few highlight from Maestro Vizireanu’s impressive accomplishments:
Malko Competition for Young Conductors
Vizireanu among 24 was chosen from 566 applicants worldwide conducted the Danish National Symphonic Orchestra
Enescu Music Festival 2017 XXI Century Music Series
Vizireanu conducted the Royal Camerata during the Inaugural 21st Century Music Series
Donatella Flick Competition
Vizireanu is 1 of the three finalists and invited to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra.
Menuhin Festival World Premiere
Vizireanu premieres Georg Breisschmid’s Against all Otts with principal Clarinetist of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic
David Zinman International Conducting Master Class
Vizireanu invited to conduct the Tonhalle – Orchester, Zurich Switerland
Mahler Competition
Vizireanu, invited to conduct the Bamber Symphony
“abrasive outbursts…monstrous climax…
yearning melody in a rapturous surge”
– New York Times (after Carnegie Premiere of Shalom)
“full of warmth and love…”
– Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
“one of sought after young composers of today”
– The New York Classical Players
“brilliant…no doubt grab the listener’s attention…
warm and serene atmosphere…”
– Guitar International
m erat volutpat.
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