Dear Friends,

I want to share with you some great news that I discovered while in New York on a visit to the Met. I noticed in the schedule for the upcoming 2013-2014 season, among the cast of performers, three (!) of the Educational Bridge Project’s former participants: Oksana Shilova (soprano), Gennady Bezzubenkov (bass), and David Crawford (bass-baritone). David went with us to St. Petersburg in May 2002, and Oksana and Gennady were in Boston in the fall of that year. All three of them were then studying in their respective institutions – Boston University’s Opera Institute and the Mariinsky Theater Academy of Young Singers. You could tell back then that they were headed for prominent careers in opera, and we were pleased to be able to bring them into the international spot light.

Oksana Shilova (in the middle) and David Crawford in St. Petersburg. May 2002

As we are preparing our 24^th festival which begins in Boston this fall we are excited to bring more talented musicians. Mark your calendar for a phenomenal concert at Tsai Performance Center on November 5^th by the Tchaikovsky laureate Miroslav Kultyshev, one of the high points of our festival.

Ludmilla