Romantic Soul of Europe - a recital by Monika Krajewska, mezzo-soprano and Yelena Kurdina, piano

,” and Yelena Kurdina, piano, known for her collaboration with the most distinguished artists, and described as “rich and haunting collaborations, beautifully judged and impeccably ardent,” “….almost savage grace at the keyboard…” in the program of music by Bellini, Donizetti, Cilea, Saint-Saens, Obradors, Granados, Karlowicz, Moniuszko, and Rachmaninoff.

Praised by New York Times for her “reach and strong tone that expresses not only beauty, but a luminous sense of peace with comfort”, mezzo-soprano Monika Krajewska is an accomplished and exceptionally versatile performance artist.
Winner of numerous vocal competitions, including the Giuseppe Verdi Prize at Palm Beach Opera Competition, Rosa Ponselle International Vocal Competition, MacAllister Award, Sembrich Kochanska Vocal Competition of New York, National Teachers Association Competition, and Amici Competition, Monika has sung with opera companies, orchestras and Music Festivals around the world performing under the batons of renowned conductors such as Alberto Zedda, Anton Coppola, Will Crutchfield, Anton Guadagno, Bruno Aprea, Keri-Lynn Willson. Her signature roles include Carmen (Carmen), Cenerentola (La Cenerentola), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Charlotte (Werther), Marina Boris (Godunov), and Olga (Eugenie Onegin),
She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Hartford Symphony as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and was subsequently invited back to sing in the program “Two Nations One Love”, performing music of F. Chopin and K. Szymanowski. This year she was featured at Carnegie Hall as a soloist with “Skylark” choir.
Educated in Europe and in the United States, Ms. Krajewska holds a M.M degree from Yale University, B.M. degree from the University of Connecticut, and Doctoral Degree from the Paderewski Music Academy (Poland), as well as music diploma from the Liszt Conservatory of Music in Weimar (Germany).
More: monikakrajewska.com

Extraordinary pianist, recitalist, coach, prompter and assistant conductor, Yelena Kurdina is among the most sought after collaborators in the opera world today. A specialist in Russian and Slavic repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera for twenty five years, Ms. Kurdina became Placido Domingo’s private coach for his preparation of “one of the most important roles of his career,” Ghermann in Tchaikovsky’s “Queen of Spades.” Ms. Kurdina has partnered with many of the most outstanding singers of our time. Yelena was the coach and consultant for Renee Fleming’s recording of “Night Songs,” as well as her televised appearance as Tatiana in “Eugene Onegin” with the New York Philharmonic on PBS’ Great Performances. Ms. Kurdina’s recitals with the remarkable Dmitri Hvorostovsky, have been called “rich and haunting collaborations, beautifully judged and impeccably ardent.”
Ms. Kurdina has brought her distinguished musicianship to many renowned festivals and opera houses and has been the assistant to a host of extraordinary conductors – Seiji Ozawa, Vladimir Jurowski, James Conlon, Valery Gergie, among others, with whom she has worked on Russian and Italian operas.
Hailing originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, Ms. Kurdina is a regular guest of the Domingo Young Artist Programs at the Washington Opera and Los Angeles Opera and maintains a vibrant private studio in New York City, where she has coached innumerable singers who have gone on to major operatic careers.
More: yelenakurdina.com