About us...
We are three enthusiastic individuals who met playing with the orchestra of the Houston Grand Opera. With our diverse background and training we can offer you a wide variety of music, from your classic favorites to unique compositions from all over the world.
Lithuanian violinist Rasa Kalesnykaite began her violin studies at the age of 6 in M.K.Ciurlionis School of Fine Arts in Vilnius. She holds Bachelor and Master degrees from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Masters degree from the University of Houston where she studied with prof. Emanuel Borok. She has extensively performed throughout Europe as a solo, chamber music recitalist and a member of the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra (Vilnus, Lithuania), acting as concertmaster occasionally. She is also a prize winner of the National V.Motiekaitis Violin Competition in Vilnius.
Since her arrival in Houston, Ms.Kalesnykaite has served as Concertmaster of the Symphony of Southeast Texas as well as a contracted player for the Houston Symphony which she frequently continues to play with to this day. She also was selected as guest artist to participate in arts-in education performance program for the Young Audiences of Houston. Currently, she is a member of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras. Since last Fall she has been on the faculty at St.Andrew's School of Fine Arts as a Violin Instructor. During her summers, Ms. Kalesnykaite holds the Assistant Principal position at the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon.
Violinist Miriam Belyatsky was born and raised in Leningrad 9 St.Petersburg), Russia.she started taking violin lessons at the age of five and gave her first recital when she was 11 years old. she performed in her native town as well as with local orchestras throughout the former Soviet Union. When Miriam turned fifteen, her family immigrated to Israel . She continued studying violin at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and was a recipient of the America-Israel Foundation Award for five years. Since 1995, Miriam has lived in Texas . She received her Artist Certificate in Violin Performance from SMU Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas and her Masters Degree from the University of Houston , where she studied with acclaimed violinist Emanuel Borok. During her studies, she was awarded numerous artistic scholarships and awards. Upon graduation, Ms. Belyatsky won a position with the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and most recently with the Houston Ballet Orchestra. In addition, she frequently performs with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and other well-known Houston ensembles. Miriam is also a member of the Britt Festival Symphony Orchestra, which performs every summer in Southern Oregon with world-renowned soloists such as Sarah Chang, Pinchas Zukerman and Samuel Ramey. Among Miriam’s recent engagements were chamber music recitals at the inauguration season of the Clock Tower Festival in Durango , CO in June 2006, faculty recitals in Fresno State University and and Ft. Louis College in Durango and chamber recital at MDPC concert series in Houston last season
Bulgarian-born violinist Chavdar Parashkevov has captivated audiences throughout Europe and the US with his sensual artistic approach, sensitivity, and virtuosic technique. Mr. Parashkevov has been awarded a number of prizes from various Bulgarian competitions. These include: Second Prize in "Best Performance of Bulgarian Music" – Varna 1993, First Prize in the National Competition "Svertoslav
Obretenov" – Provadia 1994, Special Prize in a competition for the "Best Performance of Czech and Slovak Music" – Varna 1995, First Prize in "Young Talents Competition" – Sofia, and prize for a Bach
performance in 1996. Mr. Parashkevov’s diverse career has included numerous appearances with
different orchestras. He has soloed with the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Festival Chamber Orchestra in Varna, as well as the Schumen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Music School "L. Pipkov" in Sofia, Bulgaria. In 2005 Chavdar and pianist Vessela Gintcheva released the CD "Moto Perpetuo". In May 2009 the CD was played on Space Shuttle Atlantis during mission STS 125 to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Parashkevov performances have been broadcast on radio and TV stations in Bulgaria, Turkey and US. Currently Chavdar Parashkevov is a core member of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras.
