'A Musical Journey Through Europe' Concert March 27 at SU

SALISBURY, MD---The Peter and Judy Jackson Chamber Music Series at Salisbury University presents the concert “A Musical Journey Through Europe,” performed by the Valtchev-Tchekoratova Violin and Piano Duo 7 p.m. Monday, March 27, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall.

Bulgarian musicians Georgy Valtchev (violin) and Lora Tchekoratova (piano) showcase music by composers from eastern European countries, including Dobrinka Tabakova’s “Through the Cold Smoke” (Bulgaria), George Enescu’s “sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3.” (Romania) and Béla Bartók’s “Rhapsody for Violin and Piano No. 1” (Hungary), among others.

Valtchev began his violin studies at age 6, earning his first international success as the Grand Prize winner at the Kocian International Violin Competition in Czechoslovakia. He was awarded a full scholarship to the Julliard School in New York, where he studied under Dorothy Delay. As a performer throughout the U.S. and Europe, he has appeared as guest concertmaster with the London Philharmonic and Royal Symphony Orchestra of Madrid.

Tchekoratova began her piano studies at age 4, soon becoming a pupil of legendary piano pedagogue Lydia Kuteva. In 1992, she moved to the U.S., where she continued her studies at the Julliard School. As a student, she took first prize at the 1996 Washington International Competition for Pianists, followed by a solo debut at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Nearly a decade later, she co-founded the Bulgarian Concert Evenings series at the Consulate General for the Republic of Bulgaria in New York.

As a duo, Valtchev and Tchekoratova have toured together since 1996, performing at venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria. They released their debut album, featuring violin and piano rhapsodies and sonatas by Bartók, in 2008.

Sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Office, admission is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6271 or visit the SU website at www.salibury.edu.