A few of the returning artists to the
Festival each year are.....

 

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Formally established in 1935, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra began a period of significant growth in 1947 when David Van Vactor assumed dual roles as Chairman of the University of Tennessee's Department of Fine Arts and the KSO's Music Director.
For the next 26 years, Van Vactor attracted many outstanding musicians to the community and nurtured the Orchestra's burgeoning reputation for excellence. Today the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is recognized as one of the finest regional orchestras in the United States.

Yuri Vodovoz, Violinist Violinist, Yuri Vodovoz, native of Odessa has concertized extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and South America. His debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington and at the Merkin Hall in New York were met with critical acclaim. His playing has been described as "breathtaking" (the Washington Post), "finespun lyricism" and "high-powered technique" (The New York Times). Mr. Vodovoz is on the faculty of Mannes College of Music and Ameropa Summer Festival in Prague.

 

 

Assistant Artistic Director, Vladimir Valjarevic, Piano Faculty Mannes College of Music Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, pianist Vladimir Valjarevic came to New York City on a scholarship from the Mannes College of Music, where he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a recipient of the Marian Marcus Wahl Performance Award. His principal teachers were Pavlina Dokovska and Vladimir Feltsman. Vladimir Valjarevic has performed in the United States and Europe. He teaches piano at Mannes Preparatory and Extension divisions. Currently, he is a Doctoral Candidate at Rutgers University where he receives Saldarini and Frazier-Durham Awards and studies with Susan Starr.

 

Robert Taylor, Violin Founder and director of the St. Cecilia Orchestra and the Camerata Virtuosi New York, Mr. Taylor began writing poetry and lyrics around the same time he picked up the violin at age eight. His love of music, languages, literature, and birds has led him to a lifetime of study and travel. A graduate of Holland’s Royal Conservatory, Union College, the University of Bonn, and Princeton University, he has taught foreign languages and ornithology in New York, English and music in China, served as music critic to the Albany Times Union, worked as a freelance musician and writer in Manhattan, a translator in Europe and Asia, and has lectured extensively on opera, literature, and art history.

As a lyricist and librettist, Mr. Taylor has written several new musicals, including "Ace" (Repertory Theatre of St Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Old Globe Theatre San Diego, Signature Theatre of Washington DC), "Journey to the West" (New York Music Theatre Festival), and "Dispatches from the Frontlines of Parenting" (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincy Fringe). Other current musical projects include "The Sandman" based on the writings of E. T. A. Hoffmann (Signature Theatre of Washington DC commission), "The Debt to Pleasure" (Adirondack Theatre Festival, Water Tower Theatre Dallas commission), and a musical version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" set in post Katrina New Orleans. A member of the Dramatist's Guild, Mr Taylor is represented by CAA (Creative Artists Agency).

Stefka Evstatieva, Soprano Bulgarian soprano Stefka Evstatieva is one of the most acclaimed lirico-spintos in the world today and has appeared in the world’s leading theaters including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera, Paris Opera, Theatro Colon in Buenos Aires and the Rome Opera. She has been praised for her portrayals of roles of the Italian repertoire which have included Desdemona in Otello, Leonora in La Forza del Destino, Elisabetta in Don Carlos, Maddalena di Coigny in Andrea Chenier, and many others as well as for several heroines of Slavic Opera such as Lisa in The Queen of Spades and Yaroslavna in Prince Igor. Ms. Evstatieva has been awarded her country’s highest title, "Honored Artist of the Bulgarian Republic." She has made several recordings including a recently released recital of Verdi arias as well as complete recordings of Mefistofele and Don Carlo.

 

Diliana Momtchilova, Cello Diliana Momtchilova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria into a family of musicians. She made her debut at the age of nine as a soloist with the Sofia Chamber Orchestra, and later attended the State Academy of Music in Sofia, where she graduated with honors. She has performed with the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic, Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the State Academy of Music in Sofia, among many other ensembles. She was the winner of the 1998 Cello Concerto Competition at the Juilliard School and performed as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra. Ms. Momtchilova has had numerous solo, chamber, and recital performances in a number of countries including Austria, Poland, Germany, Russia, Holland, Yugoslavia, Czechia, Slovakia, and the United States.

 

Kim Foster, Violin Violist Kimberly Foster Wallace represents a new definition of classical musician in the 21st century through her creation of a portfolio career. As musician and educator, she stresses creative career building that combines performance and entrepreneurial skills, and promotes this broad definition of career development through her own example. She is a strong advocate of rarely performed solo and chamber works featuring the viola, and strives to broaden the concert repertoire of the viola as a solo instrument. As entrepreneur, she has started her own businesses including a successful private teaching studio in Monmouth County, New Jersey, has organized and promoted her own recitals throughout New York City, and is currently developing a program to teach entrepreneurial skills to college music students. www.kimfosterwallace.com