Events / | crcinci

Classical Revolution Cincinnati normally holds events every second Sunday.

NEXT EVENT: INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

Sunday 7/13 @ 7:00 p.m.--The Loon ($5 Donation Suggested)

From Prague to Kyiv, the July edition of CRC features quite a bit of globe-trotting style!

ABOUT SOME OF THE PERFORMERS

Maksym Mahlay is a Cleveland-born Ukrainian musician, teacher, composer and lecturer.

Currently, Maksym has given concerts and ethnomusicological lectures nationwide, with the

current lecture tour spanning seven universities across the US. Throughout his conservatory

career, Maksym has written over 100 pieces, most of them exploring the specific genre of

fugue. Personal achievements include three pedagogical-musicological papers on Fugue

Improvisation Research, self-created Scriabin Theory Research, and The Evolution of

Ukrainian Instruments. In addition, he is currently involved in composing new bandura and

liturgical music for musicians abroad, with repertoire performed in Ukrainian conservatories

and churches. In addition, Maksym has collaborated with soprano and poet Victoria

Popritkin on the creation of one of the century's first composed song cycles.

As a cross-conservatory collaborator, he serves as an employee of two ongoing projects,

one being Obadiah Baker's Hip Hop and Ukraine Project (through Fulbright and Tender

Hearts Crusades), and Martin Hebel's Uplifting Unheard Voices interview project. As a

lecturer, Maksym's ethnomusicological tour started out with University of Cincinnati - and

now is reaching dozens of universities across the country, ranging from Akron University to

Florida State and University of Arkansas. Maksym's pedagogical pieces and compositions

also serve as cultural education material. His most recent commission from Terenia Kuzma of Bard's College, "VONA" ("She Is.."), serves not only as a pioneering piece of Ukrainian pagan cultural revival, but also as a milestone in the study of matriarchy and the power of She in worldwide cultures, specifically Ukraine.

Maksym's bandura career has been equally as extensive. Studying bandura now for more than a decade, Maksym serves as a permanent virtual and out-of-state teacher for Hryhory Kytasty School of Bandura in Cleveland, Ohio. An alumni of a plethora of bandura camps such as the Bandura@Bobriwka camp in Connecticut and Kobzars’ka Sich bandura and vocal program in Pennsylvania, Maksym has since been involved at teaching numerous bandura camps, including KS, Cleveland Bandura Workshop, Detroit Bandura Workshop, and CYM Bandura Seminar. Personal achievements from the bandura sphere include the 2018 and 2022 concerts by Kobzars'ka Sich Bandura and Vocal Program, where Maksym conducted, wrote, and organized repertoire for the artistic directors. In June 2024, Maksym founded the Poltava Prostir Alternative Bandura Experience seminar, focusing on historical bandura performance as part of his Baroque research.

Having graduated as a double major in Piano Performance and Music Composition at the College-Conservatory of Music, he is pursuing his Masters in Harpsichord. He is also a member of the Ukrainian Classical Music Project.

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Described by critics as an artist possessing “poise under pressure", Anna Dunlap’s music making continues to inspire listeners with her craft, grace, and power.

Principal harpist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (AL) since 2020, Anna feels equally at home in the orchestra as she does performing contemporary music. She has appeared as a substitute harpist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, Louisville Orchestra, and will be performing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2025. Anna was selected as the harp fellow for the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) Mentorship Program under the direction of Alexander Shelley in 2023 where she performed in multiple sold-out performances in Ottawa, Ontario. As a member of the New Downbeat based in Cincinnati, Anna has performed many world premieres of chamber works by up-and-coming composers, including Brian Raphael Nabors, Grace Choi, Meng Weng, and Julien Monick. She also played for Grammy Award winning Piano Concerto by Teddy Abrams performed by Yuga Wang as the substitute principal harpist with the Louisville Orchestra. Recent performance highlights have included performing as a soloist on the Dances Sacree et Profane by Claude Debussy and Introduction and Allegro by Maurice Ravel with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra.

Winner of the 2016 American Harp Society’s Grandjany Memorial Competition, Anna has also been the recipient of the Robert Wayne Barlow Excellence in Harp Performance Award at the Eastman School of Music. Anna was selected as the 2015 Eastman harp studio Concerto Competition winner, a winner of

the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music harp department Concerto Competitions in 2021 and 2019, and was the runner-up of the 2018 Anne Adams Awards Competition. As a recipient of the Performer's Certificate at Eastman, Anna was featured on Rochester, NY's classical music station WXXI's Backstage Pass in February 2018. She has previously attended Orford Musique (Canada) where she participated in masterclasses, lessons, and coachings with harpist and composer, Caroline Lizotte; Jennifer Swartz, principal harpist of Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal; and leading contemporary conductor, Veronique Lacroix, on a world premiere performance in 2019 through the Contemporary Music Workshop.

Anna graduated with her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in December of 2024 from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music with a cognate in arts administration. She is also a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in 2018 with a Bachelor of Music and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music in 2020 with a Master of Music degree. Anna also received a Graduate Artist's Certificate in Orchestral Studies and Digital Creation from OAcademy (Orchestra of the Americas) in the studio of Jennifer Swartz in 2021. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, a National Music Honors Society, and Sigma Alpha Iota, a women's music fraternity. Anna made her solo debut at the Eastman Theater with Kevin Kaska’s Concerto for Harp.

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Jaroslav Škuta is a Czech clarinetist based in Prague, currently serving as a member of

the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague and the North Czech Theatre of Opera and

Ballet. He is recognized for his versatility as an orchestral and chamber musician, as well

as for his ongoing contributions to contemporary music performance in Europe and the

United States. A graduate of the Conservatory in Teplice and the University of Ostrava,

Škuta has garnered numerous accolades during his studies, including second prizes at

the National Competition of Czech Conservatories and the International Chamber Music

Competition in Vidnava. He has appeared as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of

the Teplice Conservatory, performing works by Rossini, Krommer, and Kukal, as well as

with the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Copland’s Clarinet Concerto.

Škuta has participated in several distinguished orchestral academies and festivals across
Europe and the United States, including the Penderecki Music Academy Westfalen, the

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, the Fresno Orchestra Academy, the Sewanee

Summer Music Festival, and the Round Top Festival Institute. From 2018 to 2019, he

served as principal clarinetist of the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra (CZ).

In 2019–2020, he continued his education at Kent State University School of Music (Ohio),

where he was appointed as a teaching assistant for the clarinet studio.

In recent years, Škuta has been recognized in international competitions, receiving the

Second Prize at the International Music Competition Vienna (2023) and the Platinum

Medal in the Professional category of the Grand Maestro International Music

Competition (2024). A dedicated advocate of contemporary classical music, Škuta is

especially active as a performerof new works on both sides of the Atlantic. He has served as a clarinetist in the Contemporary
Ensemble at the Atlantic Music Festival (Maine, USA) in 2023 and 2024, where he collaborated closely with faculty and student composers, performing approximately 40 premieres each summer. His engagement with new music also includes frequent appearances at Czech
festivals such as Summer Consonances, Třídenní (Three Day+), and Hudba v souvislostech (Music in Context), where he regularly presents recent works by living composers.

Škuta is the founder and artistic director of the Klarinetissimo workshop, a national event focused on chamber music and clarinet ensemble playing, designed for advanced students of conservatories and music schools throughout the Czech Republic. In addition to his performing career, Škuta maintains a competitive clarinet studio at Prague School of Music Nad Aleji, where he also leads the Large clarinet ensemble and cultivates the next generation of Czech clarinetists.

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Praised for her artistry and captivating performances, violinist Dan Qiao has graced stages across the world, performing in China, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, and the United States. Equally at home as a soloist and chamber musician, she has appeared at renowned festivals such as the Brevard Music Festival, Mostly Modern Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, and Splendor Academy in the Netherlands. Her guest artist appearances include performances at leading institutions such as the University of North Texas, New York University, and the Peabody Institute. In 2019, she shared the stage with the legendary Maxim Vengerov in a chamber recital at the Rencontres Musicales Internationales des Graves. Her artistry has also resonated through Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. She is a regular guest artist at the Peabody Conservatory and NYU Composers' Collective.

Dan has garnered numerous accolades, including First Prize at the France Music Competition and the Music International Grand Prix (Adult Strings), multiple honors from The American Prize, and top awards at the Three Arts Scholarship Competition. She is a multi-time winner of the CCM Concerto Competition and recipient of an Honorable Mention for the Doug Davis Endowment Performance. As an orchestral leader, she has served as guest concertmaster for ensembles such as the CCM Chamber Orchestra and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Her expertise is sought after on the jury panels of prestigious competitions, including The American Prize and the Music International Grand Prix. Beyond the stage, Dan is the co-founder and violinist of DuoMente, a violin and piano duo and chamber music series that brings exceptional performances to audiences across Cincinnati, Indiana, and Kentucky. With over 30 concerts annually, DuoMente is dedicated to making classical music an inspiring, educational, and deeply connected experience.

Born in Tianjin, China, Dan began her violin studies at the age of four. She earned her master's degree from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 2015, she moved to the United States to pursue a second master's degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, where she is currently a DMA candidate.

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Meng Yuan, a pianist from China, performs widely as a soloist, chamber musician, and

historical keyboardist. She began piano studies at the age of five and made her solo debut at

ten. Currently, she is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Cincinnati College-

Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she studies with Dr. Dror Biran on a full scholarship and

serves as his teaching assistant. She also teaches in CCM’s Preparatory Program as a piano

instructor with Lives United/Vidas Unidas.

A passionate chamber musician, Meng is the pianist of DuoMente, a violin–piano duo with

violinist Qiao Dan, dedicated to crafting emotionally resonant and intellectually engaging
performances. The duo is committed to curating meaningful programs that connect with

diverse audiences, performing across the Midwest in both traditional and community settings.

Together, they are currently undertaking a full cycle of Beethoven’s violin sonatas and

expanding their repertoire through thematic concerts that explore the intersection of music,

literature, and visual art.

Meng is an active chamber musician with a wide range of collaborative experience. Her piano
trio received first prize in the 2022 CCM Chamber Music Competition, and she performed
regularly with Cleveland’s Musical Upcoming Stars in the Classics (M.U.S.i.C.) Concert Series
from 2016 to 2021. Her historical performance includes appearances as a harpsichordist with

the Case Western Reserve University Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble, and as a

fortepianist in Dr. Daniel Shapiro’s complete Beethoven Sonata Cycle. In 2024, she served as

Program Manager for the Ascent International Cello Festival, overseeing program operations

and supporting a vibrant community of young musicians and faculty.

Meng holds both a Master of Music in Piano Performance (with a concentration in Piano Pedagogy) and a Bachelor of Music (with a minor in Harpsichord) from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied under Dr. Daniel Shapiro in an accelerated five-year Overlap
Program. Her early training also included the Young Artist Program at CIM with Olga Radosavljevich.

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