Yuri Rakevich

A native of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, violinist Yuriy Rakevich began his musical studies at the age of six in his hometown; at 18, he was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory, where he completed his degree. He studied under professors M. Gantvarg, A. Reznikovsky, and B. Belenky, and participated in masterclasses with Z. Bronn in Italy and Malcolm Lowe in the United States.

He was a prizewinner at the 2nd Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition and performed as a soloist in Jean Sibelius's Violin Concerto under the baton of Vassily Sinaisky in Russia. In Mexico, he performed as a soloist in W. A. Mozart's Violin Concert No. 5, conducted by Salvador Carballeda; P. I. Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, directed by Bernal Matos; and Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, directed by J. B. Ullerich. He also performed Maurice Ravel's Tzigane and Ernest Chausson's Poème, Op. 25, with Fuat Mansurov in Russia and Francisco Pereda in Mexico.

He gave recitals with pianist Alexander Bloch in Germany and was a member of the Tchaikovsky Quartet in Mexico. He served as Concertmaster of the Maily Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Spalla (Principal Concertmaster) of the Orchestra of the Palacio de Bellas Artes—Mexico City's premier opera house. He was a soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra in the United States and a guest Spalla with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in Australia. Yuriy is a member of the Glazunov Quartet.

Olga Kopilova

Born in 1979 in Uzbekistan, Olga Kopilova began her piano studies at the age of 5 in Tashkent, at the Uspensky School of Music. In Moscow, she continued her studies at the Tchaikovsky School of Music and then at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, taking lessons with Tatiana Galitzkaya and Liudmila Roshina, both representatives of Samuil Feinberg’s piano school. From 1994 to 2000, Olga performed as a soloist in the main concert halls in Moscow and the surrounding region. In 2000, she emigrated to Brazil. Olga is a solo piano artist and has performed with several Brazilian and international orchestras. Among them are: São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, Campinas Symphony Orchestra, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Curitiba Chamber Orchestra, São Paulo State Youth Symphony Orchestra, Ribeirão Preto Symphony Orchestra, Jaraguá do Sul Philharmonic Orchestra, Rio de Janeiro Youth Symphony Orchestra and North State Symphony. She has performed solo piano and chamber music recitals in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia) and in the USA (in the cities of Redding, Chicco and Dansmiur, California).

Olga’s 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 & 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); Colors 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: Tarde de Outono & Other Songs (Azul Music 2024), Saudade (Azul Music 2024)