ARTISTS
Ekaterina MOCHALOVA, mandolin and domra
Natalia TOKAR, piano
PROGRAM
P. Tchaikovsky, Russian dance from the ballet «Swan Lake»
Alyabiev-Vietan, Nightingale
N. Paganini, Carnaval in Venice
L. Desormes, Tarantella
Y. Kuwahara, Moon and Yamamba
A. Bazzini, La Ronde des Lutins
A. Tsygankov (b. 1945) «Slavic concerto-fantasy» for domra, mvmt 3, Melodies of Russia
A. Tsygankov, Introduction and Czardas
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Ekaterina MOCHALOVA, mandolin and domra
“The playing of Ekaterina Mochalova exuded joy and positive energy in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Mandolin in C major, which she performed convincingly with an infectious musical lilt”. Southern China Morning Post
Ekaterina Mochalova is Russian mandolin and domra performer, native of Vitebsk–Belarus where she grew up immersed in music and graduated with honours from the Sollertinsky musical college.
Graduating with honors from the Gnesins' Russian Academy of Music (Moscow) in 2012 and a post-graduate course (2014) led by famous Russian mandolin and domra performer, professor Vyacheslav Krouglov, she has played as a soloist with numerous symphonic, chamber and folk instrument orchestras like the chamber ensemble «Moscow Soloists» led by Yuri Bashmet, «Virtuosos of Moscow» led by Vladimir Spivakov, the Ossipovs’ National Russian orchestra led by Vladimir Andropov, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, the ensemble of early music «Telemann Consort», took part in Osaka International Mandolin festival (Japan), «Sulle vie del Prosecco» (Italy), Tamburica-Fest (Serbia), Yuri Bashmet International Musical Festival and many others.
Ekaterina is a laureate of 20 international and all-russian competitions, among her awards are the first prizes at IX Osaka International Mandolin Competititon, The XXIII Mandolin Competition of Japan, The 1st All-Russian Musical Competition, The Necheporenko International Competititon, the Gold medal at the 10th Delphic Games of Russia.
Since 2014 she is a lecturer in the Gnesins' Russian Academy of Music and a leading soloist of the Ossipovs’ National Russian folk instruments orchestra.
Ekaterina’s deep interest in outreach activities focused on her instruments is witnessed by her collaborations with contemporary composers. She has played about 15 world premieres of new compositions for mandolin and domra written by Efrem Podgaits, Alexander Tsygankov, Michael Bronner, Kirill Volkov, Natalia Khondo. In 2018 she became the candidate of Art Criticism with the dissertation «Mandolin and domra performing art: ways of development and collaboration».
She is regularly invited as a jury member of various musical competitions, teachers seminars and workshops in many cities of Russia. Together with her teacher Vyatcheslav Krouglov in 2011 she founded the International Festival «Strings of Young Russia» in Moscow, which aims to develop the plucked stringed instruments’ art.
Natalia TOKAR, piano
Native of Russia, Natalia Tokar completed her Master’s and Doctoral studies (Aspirantura) at the prestigious Saint-Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Russia with special emphasis in solo and collaborative piano, pedagogy, and harpsichord. In 2014 she was awarded a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Michigan State University, USA. She studied primarily with Prof. Nadezhda Eismont and Prof. Deborah Moriarty. Natalia Tokar has been actively performing as soloist and collaborator in Russia, The United States, Hong Kong and China, including performances in St. Petersburg Glazunov and Philharmonic Halls, Carnegie Hall (Weil Recital Hall), and Hong Kong City Hall. She has received awards and honors from several competitions and conferences.
Since moving to Hong Kong in 2014, Natalia has regularly appeared in concert programs organized by Hong Kong Musica Viva, HKUST Music Alive, Musica del Coure, written articles and given public speeches on the matter of music pedagogy, taught master-classes and served as a judge for local piano competitions.
Natalia is a founder of the Russian Sound Music Academy in Hong Kong – music education center which offers an intensive training based on fundamentals of Russian pedagogical method. At the moment, she also serves as a senior instructor at the Parsons Music Academy and a consultant at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
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PRESENTED BY:
HKUST Center for Education Innovation
HKUST Center for the Arts