Talented duo to grace concert hall

The Jack H. Miller building  on Hope College’s campus will  be hosting a program on Saturday, April 22, that includes mu  sic “From Bach to Broadway.”  

Pieces played throughout  the concert will feature works  for the violin and piano or  harpsichord. Dr. Mihai Craioveanu, violinist and professor  of music at Hope, will be per  forming alongside Dr. Irina  Kats, who is part of the piano  faculty at Levine School of Mu  sic in Washington, D.C.  

Works will include “Sonata  for Violin and Harpsichord in  E-minor, BWV 1023” by Johann  Sebastian Bach, “Sonata for Violin and Piano in C minor, No.  3, Op. 45” by Edvard Grieg and  popular Broadway selections  arranged for violin and piano  from “Yankee Doodle,” “Porgy  and Bess,” “West Side Story”  and “Fiddler on the Roof.”  

Kats will also be addressing  her professional experiences in  the music industry for students  throughout her stay on cam  pus.  

Craioveanu, who has per  formed in concert and at well  known music festivals across  the world, has been described  as “stunning and brilliant” by  the prestigious magazine The  Strad, regarding his musical  work. Many American com  posers have written pieces for  him that he has performed as  world premieres, because of  his enjoyment of contemporary  music.  

While on a concert tour  of Spain, Craioveanu’s debut  album, “Introducing Violinist Mihai Craioveanu,” was  released. Along with guest  concerts and master classes at  several major music schools, he  has been invited to present lectures, concerts, master classes  and judge competitions at both  regional and national conferences of the American String  Teacher Association and Music  Teacher National Association.  

The University of Music in  Bucharest, Romania, and the  Guildhall School for Music  and Drama in London were  the main education institutions  Craioveanu studied at. He also  received fellowships to study at  the International Summer Music Institute at the Franz Liszt  Conservatory in Weimar, Ger  many, and the International  Youth Music Festival in Brus  sels, Belgium.  

Kats’ career is comprised of  being a piano soloist, chamber musician and teacher. The  Washington Post wrote that  she is a “splendidly able accompanist with considerable emotional powers.”  

Russia, Kats’ native country,  is where her music education  started and she graduated with  honors from Astrakhan Conservatory, while studying with  Vasily Pavlov, the renowned  pianist and pedagogue. She  finished her studies in the post  graduate program at Kazan  Conservatory, receiving a doctorate in pedagogy and piano  performance.  

Afterwards, she joined the  faculty at Astrakhan Conservatory and performed in Russia as  a soloist and chamber musician  for an extensive period. Some  of her performances were televised or aired over the radio.  

In 1998, Kats joined the  Levine faculty and has since  continued performing in the  United States, appearing numerous times as a soloist and  collaborative artist in Washington D.C.  

Other performances have  taken place at the Kennedy  Center, Embassy Series and  Corcoran Gallery, as well as  Carnegie Hall in New York  City.  

Kats has also been a faculty  member at the Illinois Chamber Music Festival since 2011,  where she performed a broad  chamber repertoire. There she  also coached talented young  musicians in their musical  journeys.  

Both accomplished musicians will be performing “From  Bach to Broadway” with sup  port from the Hope College  Patrons for the Arts.  

This concert will be starting at 7:30 p.m. in the main  concert hall. Students, faculty  and community members are  encouraged to attend, with free  admission for all.