The UW Russian Folk Orchestra will host its Annual Spring Concert on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 7:00 PM.
Our soloists:
Angelina Galashenkova-Reed, domra
Originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Angelina is a master domra soloist who has traveled all over the world to perform. She has won countless major European music competitions and earned the title “Laureate of International Competition of Professional Folk Artists.” Angelina was formerly a permanent artist and soloist with the Andreyev Balalaika Orchestra in St. Petersburg.
In 2001, Angelina moved to the United States, and currently spends her time teaching piano, domra, and mandolin in Atlanta. She is the concertmaster of the Atlanta Balalaika Society Orchestra, a member of Balalaika Fantasy ensemble, and also plays in a domra-guitar duo she co-founded with Marina Alexandra called String Time Duo which includes traditions of classical, jazz, blues, and folk music.
Polina De Carlo, piano
Polina De Carlo is an internationally acclaimed Russian-born solo pianist and accomplished accompanist for vocal and instrumental groups. With a wealth of experience performing globally and accompanying artists at prestigious competitions, Polina is also the owner of ‘The Art of Piano’ academy where she shares her expertise with aspiring musicians.
Oleg Timofeyev, seven-string guitar
Oleg Timofeyev is a musicologist, guitarist, composer, documentary film director, and the world authority on the Russian seven-string guitar tradition. He holds an M.A. in Early Music Performance from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. from Duke University. The recipient of two IREX Fellowships, two Fulbright Research and Teaching Fellowships, he has won the coveted Noah Greenberg Award for his CDs “Music of Russian Princesses at the Court of Catherine the Great.” In addition, he has made more than twenty CD solo and ensemble recordings featuring the music for the Russian seven-string guitar, to critical acclaim worldwide. Dr. Timofeyev has taught at universities and conservatoires in the US, Russia, and Ukraine. In addition to a book on Russian-Romani guitar playing (Centerstream, 2018) and a critical edition of collected works by Matvei Pavlov-Azancheev (with Stefan Wester, DGA Editions, 2020). Oleg’s monograph on the seven–string guitar in Russia came out in 2023 (Cambridge Scholars Publishing).
Victor Gorodinsky, Music Director/Founder
Victor Gorodinsky is a Librarian Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Libraries.
Originally from Moscow, Russia, Victor immigrated to the United States in 1982. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music (classical guitar and orchestral conducting) from Gnesin College of Music in Moscow. Before moving to Madison in 1995, he worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where, in addition to being a Slavic Studies Librarian, he was Assistant Director (under the late Professor John Garvey) and later, Music Director of the University of Illinois Russian Folk Orchestra, the official School of Music performing and touring ensemble. Under Victor’s baton, the 40-piece orchestra performed several times a year at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and toured around the Midwest.
In 1996, with the generous financial help from CREECA, Victor was able to purchase a number of authentic Russian folk instruments, and rehearsals began in the fall of 1997.
In 2023 the Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary!