Meet the Artists

NEOS QUARTET

Artur Kaganovskiy is the first prize winner of the Waldo de Mayo International Violin Competition, finalist of the Brahms International Violin Competition and recipient of the Fritz Kreisler, H. Gilbert and Joseph Fuchs scholarships. A graduate of The Juilliard School (B.M.; M.M), his studies were with Masao Kawasaki, Lewis Kaplan, and Grigory Kalinovsky. He attended master classes and performed with Pinchas Zukerman, Zachar Bron, Joseph Silverstein and Michael Tree. Mr. Kaganovskiy made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2007 with members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, under the direction of David Gilbert. He has appeared on the Russian television network, toured the U.S, Europe, and China with the Juilliard Orchestra, and during the Shostakovich centennial, gave a series of concerts dedicated to the composer. Recent performances include Paganini Violin Concerto No.1 with Targu Mures State Philharmonic, Romania and Mendelssohn and Brahms Violin Concertos with the Harbin Philharmonic Orchestra in China.

Sabina Torosjan has been playing violin since the age of eight.  She has participated in various competitions, receiving the first prize in the Estonian National Competition.  She  attended Mannes College Preparatory Division Honors program, where she served as the concertmistress of the senior orchestra.  Ms. Torosjan performed in Alice Tully Hall as a recipient of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center award.  Some other venues where Ms.Torosjan has performed include Avery Fisher Hall,  Weill Recital Hall, Mannes Concert Hall, Rose Theater, Peter Jay Sharp Theater and many others.  During her summers, she attended The Meadowmount School of Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and Bowdoin International Music FestivalCurrently Sabina has received her B.M. in violin performance at The Juilliard School where she studied with Sally Thomas and Lewis Kaplan.

Eszter Szilveszter Kaganovskiy is a current member of the Neos String Quartet and Forte Duo in New York. She is a graduate of DePaul University, Chicago (2009) Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL (2007) and the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy at Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2004). Her teachers include: Rami Solomonow, Istvan Szabo, Sorin Gherbanovschi and Derzsi Albert. Mrs. Kaganovskiy is a former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony. As an active performer, she played under the baton of Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Mark Elder, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Oliver Knussen, Cliff Colnot, Helmuth Rilling, and Emil Simon. Her chamber and solo appearences includes performing with Ilya Kaler, Robert Levin, Rami Solomonow, Mark Peskanov, Stephen Balderston, Alexander Fiterstein, Walter Schwede, Gernot Sussmuth, Erich Kruger and Hans-Jacob Eschenburg. Mrs. Kaganovskiy was also member of the Bowdoin International Festival/Maine, Young Artists Festival Bayreuth/Germany and the International Bachakademie, Stuttgart/Germany. Her chamber and orchestral appearences has taken her among other major orchestra Halls in Europe and in the USA to the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Center and Zankel Hall at Carnegie.

Cellist Marc Tagle has traveled throughout the U.S., to the Philippines, London, Taiwan, China, Italy, and Canada giving chamber music, recitals, and solo performances. He has participated at numerous festivals and seminars including the Amadeus, the Muir, and the Audubon string quartet seminars and the Aspen, California Summer Music, and Le Domaine Forget festivals. He has been heard live on WQXR and Hong Kong Radio 4. His awards include first prize in the Kohl Mansion Chamber Music Competition in 1996 and second prize in the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition in 1995. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree studying with Irene Sharp at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He currently teaches cello at the Westport School of Music, the Bronxville School, and the Children’s Orchestra Society where he also conducts the Junior Symphonic Ensemble. 

Maksim Shtrykov Clarinet

Artistic Director of the Astoria Soirée Musicale Concert Series

Already an acclaimed artist of his home country, Belarus, clarinetist Maksim Shtrykov has burst onto the American concert scene and is quickly gaining renown as a young artist of remarkable charisma and extraordinary musicianship. Recently hailed for “…clarity that’s viscerally breathtaking…” and “effortless…quicksilver legato...” Maksim continues to win over audiences with his profound musical sensibility and flawless technique. As the recipient of The Artist International New York Debut Award, Mr. Shtrykov presented his solo debut recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in April 2007.

Mr. Shtrykov is a first prize winner of the Belarus National Woodwind Competition and a prizewinner of Dymtro Bida International Woodwind Competition in Ukraine. Mr. Shtrykov was also honored with the Presidents’ Foundation Award “Young Talents of Belarus” for Achievements in Arts. He has performed recitals and chamber music concerts in such major halls as Polish Baltic Philharmonic, The Belarusian State Philharmonic, Izumi Hall in Osaka, Miller Theatre at the Columbia University, Baruch Performing Arts Center.

As a founding member of the Chamber Trio “Reflection”, Mr. Shtrykov is a winner of the International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition in Poland, where he was awarded First Prize and the Special Award for the best performance of J. Brahms work, and a prizewinner of the International “Gaetano Zinetti” Chamber Music Competition, in Sanguinetto-Verona, Italy.

Maksim Shtrykov holds a degree of Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where he had been a scholarship student in the studio of Charles Neidich. Currently Mr. Shtrykov is pursuing his Doctoral program at the Graduate Center of The City University of New York studying with Mr. Neidich.

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