Thayer Hall: at the Colburn SchoolWhile you may have never heard of Azerbaijan or know where it is (just east of Armenia and north of Iran), this little country that could has produced one of the finest young violinists and cultural diplomats this side of, well, Baku (Azerbaijan's capital). A member of the European Cultural Parliament and a musician who active seeks to bridge eastern and western cultures, Sabina recently spoke at USC at a symposium on cultural diplomacy, though she actually lives in London. She appears in Los Angeles again on May 29th with her ensemble at Thayer Hall, Colburn School of Performing Arts, to mark Azerbaijan Republic Day, in a free concert sponsored by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan.

Violinist Sabina Rakcheyeva

Sabina Rakcheyeva, Violin

Kathleen Tagg, Piano

Attab Haddad, Oud

Richard Baughman, Percussions

"From BACH to BAKU..."

Fascinated by cross cultural collaborations, Juilliard's graduate Sabina Rakcheyeva presents her Ensemble whose members come from distinct and different cultural and musical background aiming to intertwine and give new voice to music. Sensitive and dynamic, influenced by the musical traditions of Azerbaijan and the Middle East, but also by jazz and classical music of the West, the young and vibrant artists are creating their unique voice through improvisations based on classical works and traditional themes. In a rare fusion of western and eastern instruments and styles, their compositions and improvisations are more about exploring the new approaches and reflecting an interest in music that goes beyond one tradition.

an ensemble fusing east and westMore About Sabine Rakcheyeva

Sabina Rakcheyeva is a member of the European Cultural Parliament, winner of “The Best Violinist of the Year” competition in Baku, first recipient of “Artist in Residence” Award from the Trust for Mutual Understanding in New York and a scholarship from Italian Ministry of Culture. As a violinist Sabina is the first ever Azerbaijani to be accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. She appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Azerbaijan, Europe and the United States, performed in more than forty countries and was featured on BBC, CNN, Voice of America Radio and U.S. Government Television.

Sabina Rakcheyeva began studying violin at the age of six. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Azerbaijan State Music College (1994), Baku Music Academy with Bachelor’s (1998) and Master’s (2000) Degrees in Performance and Teaching and has completed Master’s Program at Juilliard School in New York in 2002 and Royal Conservatory of Belgium in 2007. She also holds Certificates in Performance from Accademia Musicale Chigiana (Siena,Italy) and Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts (France). She has studied with Masao Kawasaki, Franco Gulli, Stephen Clapp, and Mikhail Kugel and has played in master classes for Mstislav Rostropovich, Joseph Silverstein, James Buswell, Gerard Poulet, Mauricio Fuks, Robert Levine, Harvey Shapiro and Charles Neidich.

Born in Baku, Azerbaijan at the crossroads of East and West and now residing in London, Sabina is passionate about fusion of Eastern and Western music and has performed her improvisations on traditional Mugham to the great critical acclaim. Recently, she has been interviewed and recorded her own compositions for the BBC World Music Archives. Sabina is also very fascinated by Jazz; her experiences in this direction include master class with jazz violinist Regina Carter, performances with Bell Canto Trio (Holland) and Stian Carstenson at Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival and collaboration with Chick Corea and Bobby McFerrin at Verbier Music Festival. Ms. Rakcheyeva’s major solo and chamber music engagements include performances at the UNESCO Hall in Paris, Conway Hall in London, United Nations General Assembly Hall, Carnegie Hall, St. Paul Chapel at Columbia University and the Lincoln Center in New York.

Visit Sabina's site.