Yuri Rakevich

Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Yuriy Rakevich began his violin studies at the Leningrad Special School of Music. He then continued at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of A. Reznikovsky, and at the Moscow Conservatory, under the guidance of B. Belenky, both representatives of the Old Russian School of Violin, founded by Leopold Auer.

Yuriy held the position of assistant concertmaster of the State Small Symphony Orchestra of the USSR (1985-1990). From 1990 to 1995, he was the concertmaster of the Opera and Ballet Orchestra of Fine Arts of Mexico. He also served as guest concertmaster of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (Australia) and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra (1995) and worked as assistant concertmaster of the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra (1996-97). Since 1998, Yuriy has held the position of Associate Concertmaster of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP). As a soloist, Yuriy has performed with various orchestras and in recitals around the world, and has served as first violin in the Tchaikovsky Quartet (Mexico) and the Glazunov Quartet (Brazil). Alongside pianist Olga Kopylova, Yuriy recorded the albums Salut D'Amour (Azul, 2022) and Clair de Lune (Azul, 2023), presenting miniatures by various composers for violin and piano. The recordings were acclaimed worldwide by critics and audiences, receiving the Silver Play Award from the Brazilian Association of Independent Record Labels.

Yuriy belongs to the Old Russian School of Violin, founded by Leopold Auer. This world-renowned school is characterized by the smooth timbre of the violin and by the humanistic perception of the instrument, which is understood as capable of communicating the deepest emotional nuances.

Yuriy plays a violin by C.A. Miremont, from 1883.

Olga Kopylova

Born in Uzbekistan, Olga Kopylova began her piano studies at the Upensky Special Music School in Tashkent. In Moscow, she studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory College and later at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, taking lessons with renowned teachers Tatiana Galitzkaya and Liudmila Roshina, both representatives of the Samuil Feinberg piano school. Between 2000 and 2024, Olga held the position of principal pianist of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, Olga performs in recitals and with orchestras in Brazil and the United States. Since 2020, Olga has dedicated herself to rescuing, interpreting, disseminating, and recording works by Brazilian composers. Her extensive discography includes: Morning Star (CDA, 2003); Guarnieri: Choros, Vol. 1 & Seresta, Naxos 2020 and Guarnieri: Choros, Vol. 2, Naxos 2022; Miniatures: The Music of Cécile Chaminade (Azul Music 2021); Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2 and No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31 (Azul Music 2021); Mozart: Sonatas for Piano and Violin, Vol. 1 (Azul Music 2021); Salut d'Amour (Azul Music 2021-2022); Colours of Villa-Lobos (Azul Music 2022); Mozart: Sonatas for Piano and Violin, Vol. 2 (Azul Music 2023); Clair de Lune (Azul Music 2023); Brazilian Fruits (Azul Music 2023); Corbani: Autumn Afternoon & Other Songs (Azul Music 2024); Saudade (Azul Music 2024).

oCTAVe Dance Ensemble

The oCTAVe ensemble is a new and emerging modern dance company led by Sandra Grinberg, a veteran of the Trisha Brown Dance Company in New York. oCTAVe was born out of a shared love for dance and is based at the Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative in Virginia, where they have been creating and performing original works since 2023. As an ensemble, they work together to bring creative visions to life and to express their human experiences.