EBP 25th Festival, Spring 2014

BOSTON, MA, USA – The Educational Bridge Project’s twenty-fifth Russian-American festival opens on Wednesday, May 14^th, and runs through Sunday, May 24^th, in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This marks the 25^th time the Educational Bridge Project brings together Russians and Americans for a series of performances, lectures, and other cultural events.

“More than ever we are aware of the need to build trust between our two countries by means of promoting cultural exchanges among participants brought together again as cultural ambassadors,” said Dr. Ludmilla Leibman, executive director of the Project. “Reaching out to their counterpart performers and audiences, they extend hands of friendship and share their talents in the belief that nations can live in peace with each other and build stronger bridges of understanding.”

The festival’s schedule, comprised of more than twenty events, will be presented as a collaboration of Russian and American educators and artists from various universities, conservatories, museums, community centers, and libraries. Many of the festival participants have already performed with each other in past festivals, either in Boston or St. Petersburg/Moscow, sharing the stages and auditoriums in collaborative concerts, seminars, presentations, and discussions.

“This festival continues the mission of the Educational Bridge Project to provide forums for Americans and Russians to further develop mutual trust and understanding of one another’s cultures,” Leibman said. “In these anxious times, when governments are engaging in high-stakes political maneuvers, it is important that educators and artists continue their efforts to work together acknowledging their similarities and accepting their differences.”

Here is a short preview of some of the events:

5/14-5/16, Aaron Larget-Caplan, classical guitar faculty at the Boston Conservatory, will conduct master classes on chamber music, speak on "The Artist in the Role as Entertainer and Educator," and perform a solo concert in Moscow (5/14)

5/15, Georges Devdariani, Russian actor and musician, will speak to Russian students studying English drama on "the skill of clear and expressive speech" (Flyer-PDF) and later in the festival join two musicians and two authors in an evening of dramatic readings and music (5/16).

5/16, From Boston with Love - Бостон в Москве - Теплые майские встречи - Moscow, May 16, 2014, 19:00 (Concert Flyer)

5/18, "Tribute to the Unforgetable Igor Uryash" - Five years ago in Boston the Educational Bridge Project presented highly acclaimed concerts by the brilliant Russian pianist Igor Uryash who tragically died this year at the age of 48. He made such a hit with Boston audiences that we honor his memory by presenting a program with another EBP past festivals’ participant, Alexey Grigoryev, playing Igor's signature piece, "Pictures at an Exhibition."

5/19, "From Boston with Love" - Concert at Herzen University, Saint Petersburg, 15:30, (Concert Program - PDF) ( Concert Announcement - Herzen University )

5/19, Concert at Friendship House, Saint Petersburg - Концерт в Санкт-Петербургском Доме Дружбы, 18:00 ( Concert program - Программа концерта )

5/20, "Dialogues of Culture" will be a roundtable discussion by 10 Americans and 10 Russians led by Tatyana Kholostova, Professor at Baltic State Technical University, who has been organizing these discussions for the last four years, as well as participating in our Boston festivals.

5/21, A Boston Day at the Izmailovsky Library will begin with a lecture on "The History and Collection of the New England Conservatory Library," and conclude a concert of musicians including a 13 year old African American student, David Joseph, performing his own composition "Eureka!" and five Harvard undergraduate women, singers from the Lowell House (Harvard) Opera Troupe, and their conductor, Russian born American, Lidiya Yankovskaya – all tremendous cultural ambassadors. Concert Program - PDF

5/22, Music of the 21st Century - This will be a concert at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, of the music of five Russian composers who collaborated in the Educational Bridge Project's festivals in the past, as St Petersburg Conservatory students, and now are faculty there, who will play their own compositions. Aaron Larget-Caplan, the American guitarist, will perform the world premiere of Thomas L. Read's "Concert Champetre" for guitar and cello. ( Concert Flyer - PDF )