Initiated by Grammy-nominated conductor Vladimir Gorbik, Breaking Boundaries is a unique project geared toward uniting the shared creative efforts of American and Russian composers and performers during a time of heightened political tension. The artistic vision for this concert places in front of the audience the human desire for beauty, transcending cultural barriers, expressed through a mutual heritage of music. Made up of performers who hail from Anglophone and/or Slavic countries, the strings of the Capital Symphony Orchestra will realize the diverse program chosen by Gorbik. In the words of the conductor: At my invitation, Adelphi University professor and composer Nicholas Reeves, will begin the evening with a brief lecture on the need for citizens from different nations, presenting the potential for conflict, to develop an ongoing dialogue through numerous musical collaborations.

Breaking Boundaries, the first in a series of concerts dedicated to peaceful international relations, will be premiered at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church (411 East 66th Street and 1st Avenue, New York, NY).
The concert will take place on October 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Comprised of two parts, the evening opens with Peter Ilyich Tchaikovskys Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48.  This composition is a prime example of the composers ability to unite the artistic ideals of Eastern and Western concert music. Tchaikovskys works continue to be well-loved by Americans, while never abandoning their deeply rooted Russian provenance.

In the second part of the concert is the music of another Slav, Bulgarian composer Alexander Vladigerov. His Variations on the Bulgarian Folk Song Dilmano, Dilbero, Op. 2 for solo piano will be performed by New York based multi-award winning Bulgarian-born piano dynamo (Time Out New York) Tania Stavreva. Her energetic playing has been described as Unique! (AXS.com), World-Class (Classicalite News), and Edgy Stavrevas got rhythm (The Huffington Post).

Near the end of the concert, Reeves Concertino Campane for solo piano and string orchestra will receive its premiere performance. Specifically written for Stavreva, this work is based on the acoustics of bells found throughout different cultures, promising to showcase her rhythmic intensity at the keyboard.

Anna Clynes plaintive Within Her Arm ends the evening in a hushed air of contemplation and embrace. Originally from the U.K, but now based in the U.S., Clyne wrote this work for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in memory of her mother. Alex Ross of the New Yorker describes this composition as, a fragile elegy for fifteen strings; intertwining voices of lament bring to mind English Renaissance masterpieces of Thomas Tallis and John Dowland.