RNO Wind Quintet

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The Ensemble

The Russian National Orchestra Wind Quintet has been described by the press as "youthful and versatile musicians, acclaimed for their innovation and virtuosity." The ensemble received top honors in the May 2005 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions in the chamber music world, earning the Quintet the distinction of being the first Russian ensemble ever to win the top prize (the Quintet's founding members were Maxim Rubtsov, Alexey Serov, Andrey Rubtsov, Andrey Shuty and Andrey Snegirev).

Led by RNO Principal Flute Maxim Rubtsov, the RNO Wind Quintet includes the orchestra's Principal Bassoon Alexey Sizov, oboist Vitaly Nazarov, clarinetist Alexey Bogorad and French horn player Alexey Serov, a founding member of the quintet. The RNO Wind Quintet's extensive repertoire includes works for quintet, for ensembles with additional instruments and with dancers, and for wind instruments and orchestra. The ensemble performs works composed by Andrey Rubtsov, the young composer-conductor who was a founding member of RNOWQ.

The RNO Wind Quintet has toured widely since its 2000 debut, with performances in Russia, Spain, Bermuda, Asia and the United States, where it has toured with trombonist and composer Chris Brubeck and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet. Its concerts have been featured on Russian television and radio. The ensemble has premiered numerous works in Russia, including Hindemith's Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp, and Orchestra, Chris Brubeck's Crescent City Suite and Andrey Rubtsov's Three Moods.

Active in youth outreach, the Russian Wind Quintet has performed its special arrangements of Peter and the Wolf and Wolf Tracks in Russia, Bermuda, the USA, the UK and Singapore for delighted audiences of all ages. Narrators for these performances have included actors Diana Douglas and Sean Dill, Russian model Tatiana Sorokko, Singaporean violinist Min Lee, and BBC anchor Seva Novgorodtsev.

In Summer 2005 the Russian Wind Quintet toured the East and West Coasts of the United States.

In March 2009, the ensemble will premiere a new arrangement of Peter and the Wolf, composed for RNOWQ by Andrey Rubtsov. The free concert, at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital at New York Presbyterian, will be narrated by Gregg Whiteside, classical music host on WRTI Philadelphia and previously one of New York City's most popular radio hosts. Wolf expert Maggie Howell of Salem New York Wolf Conservancy will lead the audience question and answer session, following the concert. In conclusion, the musicians will lead the audience in a Wolf Howl.

Also in March 2009, the RNOWQ with soloist Maxim Rubtsov will lead a charity benefit entitled "Moscow Meets Manhattan," at New York's Middle Collegiate Church. The program, curated by contemporary dancer Germaul Barnes and featuring organist Cameron Carpenter, will benefit Classical Action/AIDS and Dancers Responding to AIDS.

The Musicians

Maxim Rubtsov, flute
Alexey Bogorad, clarinet
Vitaly Nazarov, oboe
Alexey Serov, french horn
Alexey Sizov, bassoon

Biographies

Maxim Rubtsov
Flute

Internationally acclaimed flutist Maxim Rubtsov has been called “miraculous,” “superb,” “absolutely impeccable” and “one of the best flutists of the Modern Age.” Flute Talk magazine calls him, “an amazing performer who commands the audience’s attention from the moment he walks on stage.” (July/August 2011) He is also one of Russia’s best musical ambassadors.

Appointed Principal Flute of the Russian National Orchestra in 2003, Rubtsov has been given unprecedented solo opportunities with the RNO by its founding conductor Mikhail Pletnev and by others in the RNO collegium of conductors. These opportunities have included the Russian premiere of John Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy in 2004 under the baton of Alexander Vedernikov. Of the performance the composer said, “Maxim Rubtsov is the perfect Pied Piper. He has both the charm and excitement that a great performer must have. With his movie star looks and charisma, and his magnificent playing and acting of the part, the legendary piper becomes alive for all to see.”

With Vladimir Jurowski and the RNO in 2007 Rubtsov performed Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major, after which Jurowski wrote, “Mr. Rubtsov is the sort of person who can stand on the concert stages of the world and inspire harmonious relations through his music and his personality.”

In addition to his solo work, Rubtsov has performed hundreds of faultless and surpassingly beautiful solo passages in symphonic music which are preserved in recordings of the RNO on the PentaTone Classics label. In 2011, Blue Griffin Recording of Lansing, Michigan released his solo CD “Maxim Rubtsov — Russian Romance,” with pianist Sergei Kvitko. To launch the recording the flute-piano duo presented a series of recitals featuring selections of the Russian miniatures, including a headliner recital at the National Flute Association’s annual convention.

Born in 1977 in Bryansk, Russia, Maxim Rubtsov began to study piano at age five. At age seven he danced with the famous Moiseyev Dance Company and only later did he begin flute lessons. At age 13 he transferred to Moscow’s Gnesin Academy of Music and subsequently graduated with an advanced degree in music from the Moscow State Conservatory. Rubtsov joined the flute section of the RNO in 1999 and was appointed Associate Principal the following year, at the time the youngest ever to hold this position in the history of the orchestra.

At the invitation of Michael Tilson Thomas, Rubtsov was in residence with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for its July 2002 Russian Festival and performed each of the festival’s four musical programs. This residency opened a series of professional exchanges between the RNO and major U.S. orchestras under the Cultural Allies initiative of the Russian Arts Foundation.

Rubtsov also performs in chamber ensembles and is a founding member of Russian National Orchestra Wind Quintet, which took top honors in the Fifth Annual Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Together with the RNOWQ he has explored jazz and other genre-bending compositions, including the works of Chris Brubeck for wind quintet and jazz quartet, as well as adaptations of Peter and the Wolf and Wolf Tracks for children. Rubtsov has shared the stages of Europe in chamber performances with pianists Mikhail Pletnev and Francesco Schlimé.

December 2007 marked Rubtsov’s U.S. recital debut with pianist Valentina Lisitsa, presented by Friends of Chamber Music of Miami. The Miami Herald called his playing “virtually faultless” and stated “he possesses a stellar technique.”

In October 2008 Maxim Rubtsov created a series of solo flute performances for children presented by the Bryansk Philharmonic. His recent collaborations with contemporary dance masters have included performances in Russia with Denis Boroditsky and Germaul Barnes.

In September and October 2009 Rubtsov toured the United States presenting concerts and master classes in five states, including the U. S. premiere of Andrey Rubtsov’s Divertimento in E Major arranged for flute and piano. His tour recital programs included compositions for solo flute, alto flute, flute and organ, as well as flute and piano. He also appeared as a flutist-dancer in performances choreographed by Germaul Barnes, Sarah M. Barry, and Rita Snyder. Excerpts of Rubtsov’s 2009 recital of Russian music with pianist Pamela Penick presented by the University of Alabama Celebrity Series were re-broadcast on 245 public radio stations across the United States.



Alexey Bogorad
Clarinet

Born in March 1979 to a family of musicians, Alexey Bogorad started studying music at the age of 3. After graduating from the Central Music School in 1996, he entered the Moscow State Conservatory (under Professor Sokolov).

In 1997, Alexey joined the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, where he was appointed principal clarinet in 2002. Since 2001, Alexey has also been a soloist in the Russian National Orchestra.

Alexey participated in and won a number of National and International clarinet competitions. He continues to perform as both a soloist and a chamber player.



Vitaly Nazarov
Oboe

Vitaly Nazarov is a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied with professor Gennady Kerentzev and professor Alexey Utkin.

During his studies, Vitaly received scholarships from the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation, Elina Bistritzkaya Charity Foundation, Konstantin Oberlian International Foundation, and Charity Foundation 'New Names'.

Vitaly was a laureate at Moscow's 1998 Oboe and Chamber Ensemble Competition, and at Moscow's 2000 International Festival of Young Soloists. He also received a grant from the 2000 All-Russian Open Competition "New Names." In 2000, he became one of the youngest ever laureates of the All-Russian Competition of Wind and Percussion Instruments (St. Petersburg). In 2005, he was awarded a European Cultural Prize.

Vitaly has an active solo career and has performed widely in Russia and abroad. He has been a soloist with the Russian National Orchestra, the State Symphony Orchestra 'New Russia', the Chamber Orchestra 'Ermitazh', and the Academic Chamber Orchestra 'Musica Viva'. Since 2001, he has been a soloist with the contemporary music ensemble 'New Music Studio' (artistic director professor Igor Dronov).

Vitaly particpated in master classes with Professor Alexey Ogrintchouk in Ferrara and Portogruaro, Italy (2006), and in Bilbao, Spain (2008). In 2009 he participated in the Chamber Music Festival (Lokenhaus, Austria) founded by Gidon Kremer. In August 2005, Vitaly was awarded the European Foundation for Culture Prize in Weisbaden, Germany.

Nazarov joined the Russian National Orchestra in 2003. That same year, he founded the chamber ensemble RNO Camerata.

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Alexey Serov
Horn

Alexey Serov was born in Moscow in 1983. He completed studies at the Central Music School (a course of studies by associate professor I.B. Lifanovskiy), and entered Moscow State Conservatory in 2000, which he finished with distinction. The same year he also joined the Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre. In 2005, he graduated from Moscow State Conservatory and in 2008 he completed the Conservatory's postgraduate program (a course of studies by associate professor I.V. Makarov).

In 2001, Alexey won first prize in the Fifth International Competition of Young Performing Musicians on Wind and Percussion Instruments (Togliatti). That same year, he won first place in the Open International Competition of Soloists and Ensembles (Moscow). He has since been a featured soloist with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Musica Viva chamber orchestra and others.

Alexey joined the Russian National Orchestra in 2003 and is presently Associate Principal Horn in the orchestra. He is a founding member of the RNO Wind Quintet.

Alexey performed Eshpay's Concerto for French Horn at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, and later recorded it with the TV and Radio Symphony Orchestra (CD released in 2004). In August 2005, he was an honoree of the European Foundation for Culture in Germany, Wiesbaden. In 2008 he taught a master class for students at Penn State University.

Alexey plays in Vladislav Lavrik's Master Brass ensemble as well as in the Russian Wind Quintet. In 2005, at the 5th International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka (Japan), the Russian Wind Quintet (A. Shuty, A. Rubtsov, M. Rubtsov, A. Serov and A. Snegirev) received first prize. The quintet has toured Malaysia, the U.S., Great Britain, Spain, Singapore and Russia.

In addition to ensemble performances, Alexey also performs as a soloist with the Moscow State Symphonic Orchestra and with the chamber orchestra "Musica Viva."



Alexey Sizov
Bassoon

Alexey Sizov began his professional career while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory — first in the orchestra of the Russian Ministry of Culture, and later in the Moscow Symphony. He has been principal bassoon in the Russian National Orchestra since 1995.

Throughout his career, Alexey has collaborated with the most prominent conductors and soloists of our time, including Svetlanov, Spivakov, Bashmet, Nagano, Dutoit, Pletnev, Rostropovich, Jurowski and others. He has also performed with the Moscow Ensemble of Contemporary Music and with "Modern-Ensemble" (Germany). He has won numerous woodwinds competitions, including the International Woodwind Competition held in Caltanissetta, Italy (1992) and the Grand Prixe at the International Moscow Competition of Chamber Ensembles (2001).

Alexey gives master classes in Russia and abroad (California State University, 2008) and regularly records — for both radio and CDs — modern composers' solo pieces for bassoon and for bassoon and strings.