Elena Ulyanova-Caldine, Piano January 2, 2010

Downtown Piano Works is honored to welcome international concert Pianist Elena Ulyanova-Caldine to our Local Artist Concert Serie. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.

Elena Ulyanova began to study piano at age 5, with her mother, Larisa Ulyanova, in Saki, Crimea. She was awarded full scholarships to study in Moscow at the Gnessin College of Music, Gnessin Academy of Music, and Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. At the Gnessin Academy, she won the Momontov competition, resulting in concert tours of Russia, Bulgaria, and Romania. She toured Austria, with the best musicians from the Gnessin Academy, including future Cliburn gold medalist Alexander Kobrin.

Elena was a prizewinner at the very prestigious second Rachmaninov International Piano Competition This demanding competition required that only Rachmaninoff's music be played, including solo, chamber, and concerto rounds. After receiving a Master of Music degree from Moscow Conservatory, she pursued postgraduate study with Victor Merzhanov, while performing many concerts for the Moscow Philharmonic Concert Association (Moskonzert). Elena has also taken master classes with Emanual Krasovsky, Victor Derevianko, Jerome Rose, Oxana Yablonskaya, John O’Connor, Howard Shelley, and Leslie Howard.

After immigrating to the United States in cooperation with the Rachmaninoff Society, she studied with Howard Shelley, who has recorded all of Rachmaninoff’s works, to prepare for recording of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The Rhapsody and Piano Concerto no. 2 are featured on her CD with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and was released in July, 2006 by Bel Air Music. Elena's music has been heard on radio stations WFMT in Chicago, CKWR in Canada, and WQED in Pittsburgh.

Elena performed orchestra, chamber, and solo concerts throughout Russia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Ukraine, Austria, Korea, Netherlands, China, Poland, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Romania. Her performances with orchestras include the Vienna Musikverein, the Moscow Radio Symphony(now the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra), the Crimea State Symphony Orchestra in Yalta, State Russian Orchestra "Boyan", with Anatoly Poletayev, and the Omsk Philharmonic with Evgenyi Shestakov. Additionally, she has performed with the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, Landon Symphonette, City of Fairfax Band, American Balalaika Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Greater Johnstown Pennsylvania, Dame Myra Hess Series and Fazioli Salon Series in Chicago, the Las Vegas Philharmonic's Connoisseur Series, Concerts Grand in San Francisco, concerts in Washington DC, Orlando Florida, and New York - Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Yamaha Pianos Concert Series, and Bargemusic.