Tamara Volskaya
Encyclopedia
Tamara Volskaya is a performing musician
whose principal instrument is the domra
. She graduated Kiev Conservatory of Music, is a Merited Artist of Russia, a Laureate of USSR music competitions, and a Professor at the Mussorgsky Ural State Conservatory of Yekaterinburg, Russia.
She also performs on the mandolin
. She is a recognized authority in the mandolin world, a regular guest artist and instructor of the Classical Mandolin Society of America
and BDAA (Balalaika and Domra Association of America and Canada). She regularly appears as a domra and mandolin soloist with orchestras across the US, the former USSR and Canada, and has performed in Europe, Australia, Israel and Japan. Tamara has performed at such prestigious venues as Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Music Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Library of Congress, with Seattle Chamber Orchestra, New American Orchestra of NYC, Metropolitan Opera etc.
Tamara teaches as well as performs. She organized and headed the Folk Instrument Faculty at the Conservatory’s School for Gifted Students in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Many of her students have won international and national competitions. She has conducted numerous master classes on the domra and mandolin worldwide, and is the author of several scholarly works on the domra.
In America, Tamara worked to popularize Russian Folk instruments in the cultural world of New York City. Together with her husband, Anatoliy Trofimov, a bayan player and a brilliant arranger, they form "Russian Duo". They also organized “Russian Carnival”, a Russian folk instruments ensemble in New York City. The ensemble’s highlight was its performance at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the “Russian Splendor” program.
Tamara’s repertoire, both on domra and mandolin, spans a wide range of musical periods and styles, from classical to modern, as well as folk music based on Russian, Gypsy, Jewish, and Eastern European themes. It includes the great violin
classics such as “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” (Saint-Saëns
), “Zigeunerweisen
” (Sarasate), as well as Vivaldi’s Concertos, “Russian Dance” from Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky
), “Rhapsody in Blue
” (Gershwin
) and selections by Scarlatti
, Beethoven
, Chopin
, Kreisler
, Shostakovich
.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
whose principal instrument is the domra
Domra
The domra is a long-necked Russian string instrument of the lute family with a round body and three or four metal strings.-History:In 1896, a student of Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev found a broken instrument in a stable in rural Russia...
. She graduated Kiev Conservatory of Music, is a Merited Artist of Russia, a Laureate of USSR music competitions, and a Professor at the Mussorgsky Ural State Conservatory of Yekaterinburg, Russia.
She also performs on the mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
. She is a recognized authority in the mandolin world, a regular guest artist and instructor of the Classical Mandolin Society of America
Classical Mandolin Society of America
The Classical Mandolin Society of America, or CMSA was founded in 1986 to promote knowledge and interest in the mandolin, its family and guitar. The Society actively sponsors mandolin education and instruction for children and adults in the United States and currently has a membership of over...
and BDAA (Balalaika and Domra Association of America and Canada). She regularly appears as a domra and mandolin soloist with orchestras across the US, the former USSR and Canada, and has performed in Europe, Australia, Israel and Japan. Tamara has performed at such prestigious venues as Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Music Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Library of Congress, with Seattle Chamber Orchestra, New American Orchestra of NYC, Metropolitan Opera etc.
Tamara teaches as well as performs. She organized and headed the Folk Instrument Faculty at the Conservatory’s School for Gifted Students in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Many of her students have won international and national competitions. She has conducted numerous master classes on the domra and mandolin worldwide, and is the author of several scholarly works on the domra.
In America, Tamara worked to popularize Russian Folk instruments in the cultural world of New York City. Together with her husband, Anatoliy Trofimov, a bayan player and a brilliant arranger, they form "Russian Duo". They also organized “Russian Carnival”, a Russian folk instruments ensemble in New York City. The ensemble’s highlight was its performance at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the “Russian Splendor” program.
Tamara’s repertoire, both on domra and mandolin, spans a wide range of musical periods and styles, from classical to modern, as well as folk music based on Russian, Gypsy, Jewish, and Eastern European themes. It includes the great violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
classics such as “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” (Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
), “Zigeunerweisen
Zigeunerweisen
Zigeunerweisen , Op. 20, is a musical composition for violin and orchestra written in 1878 by the Spanish composer and virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate and premiered during the same year in Leipzig...
” (Sarasate), as well as Vivaldi’s Concertos, “Russian Dance” from Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
), “Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects....
” (Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
) and selections by Scarlatti
Scarlatti
Scarlatti was the name of several Italian composers:*Alessandro Scarlatti , Baroque composer known for operas and chamber cantatas*Francesco Scarlatti , Baroque composer and musician, brother of Alessandro Scarlatti...
, Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Kreisler
Fritz Kreisler
Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler was an Austrian-born violinist and composer. One of the most famous violin masters of his or any other day, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing. Like many great violinists of his generation, he produced a characteristic sound which was immediately...
, Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
.