Sabina Rakcheyeva
Encyclopedia
Sabina Rakcheyeva is an Azerbaijan
i violin
ist, soloist
, concertmaster
and a member of the European Cultural Parliament.
, performing the pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
, Georges Bizet
, Niccolò Paganini
and Dmitri Shostakovich
and became the first Azerbaijani to be admitted there. She made her mark as a world-class classical fiddler
.
At Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival 2003 in Baku Rakcheyeva debuted as a jazz violinist. In 2008 Rakcheyeva's trio performed mugams and world classical music
at the concert in London
dedicated to 90th anniversary of composer Gara Garayev
. On the 91st anniversary of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
in 2009, Rakcheyeva and her group gave a concert in Monterey, California
, performing the Western classic music and pieces of Azerbaijani folklore samples "Sari Galin
" and "Lachin".
Member of the European Cultural Parliament, winner of “The Best
Violinist of the Year” competition in Baku, first recipient of “Artist in
Residence” Award from the Fund of Mutual Understanding in New York
and a scholarship from Italian Ministry of Culture, violinist Sabina
Rakcheyeva is first ever Azerbaijani to be accepted to the prestigious
Juilliard School in New York. She appeared as a soloist with orchestras in
Azerbaijan, Europe and the United States, performed in more than forty
countries and was featured on BBC, CNN, Voice of America Radio and
U.S. Government Television.
Sabina began studying violin at the age of six. She graduated Magna Cum
Laude from Azerbaijan State Music College (1994), Baku Music Academy
with Bachelor’s (1998) and Master’s (2000) Degrees in Performance and
Teaching and has completed Master’s Program at Juilliard School in New
York in 2002 and Royal Conservatory of Belgium in 2007. She also holds
Certificates in Performance from Academia Chigiana (Italy) and
Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts (France). She has studied with Masao
Kawasaki, Franco Gulli, Stephen Clapp, and Mikhail Kugel and has played
in master classes for Mstislav Rostropovich, Joseph Silverstein, James
Buswell, Gerard Poulet, Mauricio Fuks, Robert Levine, Harvey Shapiro and
Charles Neidich.
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan on the crossroads of East and West, Sabina is
passionate about fusion of Eastern and Western music and has
performed her improvisations on traditional Mugham to the great critical
acclaim. She was interviewed and recorded her own compositions for the
BBC World Music Archives. Sabina is also very fascinated by Jazz; her
experiences in this direction include master class with jazz violinist Regina
Carter, performances with Bell Canto Trio (Holland) and Stian Carstenson
at Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival and collaboration with Chick Corea and
Bobby McFerrin at Verbier Music Festival. Ms. Rakcheyeva’s major solo
and chamber music engagements include performances at the UNESCO
Hall in Paris, Conway Hall in London, United Nations General Assembly
Hall, Carnegie Hall, St. Paul Chapel at Columbia University and Lincoln
Center in New York.
Since 2000 she has regularly participated in the UBS Verbier Music Festival
in Switzerland where she performed chamber music with Dmitri Sitkovetski
and Michel Dalberto. She has also played in such prestigious festivals as
Chamber Fest and Focus! Festival (New York, USA), Sarasota (Florida,
USA), Jeunesses Musicales (Germany), Verbier (Switzerland), Menton
(France), Salzburg (Austria), Tuscan Sun (Italy), Flanders (Belgium),
Proms (Great Britain), Miyazaki (Japan), Beijing (China).
An advocate orchestra player, Ms. Rakcheyeva was a concertmaster of the
International Youth Chamber Orchestra in Germany. She is a founding
member of UBS Verbier Orchestra, where she has played with such
renowned conductors as James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov,
Wolfgang Sawallisch and Kent Nagano, touring all over Europe, North and
South Americas, and Asia. She has performed at the Berlin Philharmonic
Hall, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Forum Grumaldi in Monaco,
Opera House in Barcelona, Tonhalle in Zurich, Frankfurt Opera, Carnegie
Hall in New York, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Teatro Colón in
Buenos Aires, Santory Hall in Tokyo. In 2002 Ms. Rakcheyeva participated
in the Internationales Orshesterinstitut and performed with members of
Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Music Festival. In 2003-2005, she
joined the New European Strings Orchestra for performances at Toscan Sun
Festival in Italy.
Among her recent projects were series of concerts and recordings for EMI
in North America, Europe and Far East as a member of Verbier Chamber
Orchestra with renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov. Soon she plans to
release a CD featuring her own compositions and improvisations.
Apart from performing, she is interested in Cultural Diplomacy and
currently, is a PhD Candidate at School of Oriental and African Studies at
the University of London. She is a founder of Sabina Rakcheyeva
Ensemble, who is creating its unique voice through improvisations and
taking its influences from the musical traditions of the East and West. A
strong believer that “art can change the world”, Sabina addressed the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2003 on behalf of the
Music Youth. She was honored to perform for the renowned musicians and
cultural leaders Mstislav Rostropovich and Daniel Barenboim and for the
Presidents of the European Commission, Azerbaijan, Russia, Romania,
United Nations Secretary-General and Prince of Liechtenstein. Most
recently, she participated and performed at Colloquiums on European and
International Affairs in Liechtenstein and Belgium as well as
"Transformational Diplomacy: Shaping the Future of International
Relations" Symposium in London. In May 2008, Sabina was nominated for
the membership at the European Cultural Parliament (ECP), the only
European Forum for artists and intellectuals from all parts of Europe.
In June 2008 Sabina was invited to perform at the 90th Anniversary Session
of the Azerbaijani Parliament in Baku as well as being selected to join the
Symposium of Young Cultural Leaders in Berlin where she performed her
compositions at the Bundestag. In July 2008 Sabina took a part in a
Conference on "Religion, Diplomacy and International Relations" in Vienna
and performed at the Austrian Ministry of European and International
Affairs.
Fascinated by the cross-cultural collaborations, Sabina has taken part in
projects with dancers, poets, painters and architects. In 2008 she created a
project "BACH to BAKU" which brought together music improvisation and
a live painting. It was first introduced in London and later, in Azerbaijan
and was broadcast on National TV stations.
In September 2008 Sabina was invited to the Architectural Biennale in
Venice to perform at the dinner in an honour of one of the most prominent
architects of our time Zaha Hadid.
In October 2008, on the invitation of Wilton Park, Sabina took part and
performed at the conference on New Challenges of Public Diplomacy and
in March 2009 was a guest speaker and presenter at the Symposium
Cultural Diplomacy : Clash or Conversation organized by the University of
Southern California. Further 2009 concert appearances included Colburn
Performing Arts Center (Los Angeles), Museum of Arts “La
Mirada” (Monterey), Singapore Conservatoire, 100 Jazz Club and The
House of Lords in London.
Sabina is a member of the Advisory Board (Arts&Culture) at the European
Azerbaijan Society and has recently initiated and coordinated a first
Azerbaijani Cultural Weekend in London in November 2009 which
attracted the audience of nearly two thousand people over two days.
Sabina speaks fluently English, Russian, and Azerbajani with some Italian,
French and Turkish languages.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
, concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
and a member of the European Cultural Parliament.
Life
Rakcheyeva began studying violin at the age of six. In 1997, Sabina was named Best Violinist of the Year at the Youth Music Competition in Baku. She graduated magna cum laude from Azerbaijan State Music College (1994) and Baku Music Academy (2000). Rakcheyeva auditioned for a jury at Juilliard SchoolJuilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, performing the pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
, Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
and Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
and became the first Azerbaijani to be admitted there. She made her mark as a world-class classical fiddler
Fiddler
A fiddler is a person who plays a fiddle or violin.Fiddler may also refer to:*Fabrangen Fiddlers, an American musical group founded in 1971*Tupolev Tu-28 "Fiddler", a fighter aircraft*Fiddler , a DC Comics villain...
.
At Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival 2003 in Baku Rakcheyeva debuted as a jazz violinist. In 2008 Rakcheyeva's trio performed mugams and world classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
at the concert in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
dedicated to 90th anniversary of composer Gara Garayev
Gara Garayev
Gara Abulfaz oghlu Garayev , also spelled as Qara Qarayev or Kara [Abulfazovich] Karayev, was a prominent Azerbaijani composer of the Soviet period...
. On the 91st anniversary of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
in 2009, Rakcheyeva and her group gave a concert in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, performing the Western classic music and pieces of Azerbaijani folklore samples "Sari Galin
Sari Galin
Sari Gelin is a folk song popular in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Sari Gelin has many different lyrical interpretations in many languages, but the melody remains unchanged. Whether the name Sari Gelin refers to a blonde bride, a girl/bride of the mountains, or simply a bride in yellow...
" and "Lachin".
Member of the European Cultural Parliament, winner of “The Best
Violinist of the Year” competition in Baku, first recipient of “Artist in
Residence” Award from the Fund of Mutual Understanding in New York
and a scholarship from Italian Ministry of Culture, violinist Sabina
Rakcheyeva is first ever Azerbaijani to be accepted to the prestigious
Juilliard School in New York. She appeared as a soloist with orchestras in
Azerbaijan, Europe and the United States, performed in more than forty
countries and was featured on BBC, CNN, Voice of America Radio and
U.S. Government Television.
Sabina began studying violin at the age of six. She graduated Magna Cum
Laude from Azerbaijan State Music College (1994), Baku Music Academy
with Bachelor’s (1998) and Master’s (2000) Degrees in Performance and
Teaching and has completed Master’s Program at Juilliard School in New
York in 2002 and Royal Conservatory of Belgium in 2007. She also holds
Certificates in Performance from Academia Chigiana (Italy) and
Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts (France). She has studied with Masao
Kawasaki, Franco Gulli, Stephen Clapp, and Mikhail Kugel and has played
in master classes for Mstislav Rostropovich, Joseph Silverstein, James
Buswell, Gerard Poulet, Mauricio Fuks, Robert Levine, Harvey Shapiro and
Charles Neidich.
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan on the crossroads of East and West, Sabina is
passionate about fusion of Eastern and Western music and has
performed her improvisations on traditional Mugham to the great critical
acclaim. She was interviewed and recorded her own compositions for the
BBC World Music Archives. Sabina is also very fascinated by Jazz; her
experiences in this direction include master class with jazz violinist Regina
Carter, performances with Bell Canto Trio (Holland) and Stian Carstenson
at Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival and collaboration with Chick Corea and
Bobby McFerrin at Verbier Music Festival. Ms. Rakcheyeva’s major solo
and chamber music engagements include performances at the UNESCO
Hall in Paris, Conway Hall in London, United Nations General Assembly
Hall, Carnegie Hall, St. Paul Chapel at Columbia University and Lincoln
Center in New York.
Since 2000 she has regularly participated in the UBS Verbier Music Festival
in Switzerland where she performed chamber music with Dmitri Sitkovetski
and Michel Dalberto. She has also played in such prestigious festivals as
Chamber Fest and Focus! Festival (New York, USA), Sarasota (Florida,
USA), Jeunesses Musicales (Germany), Verbier (Switzerland), Menton
(France), Salzburg (Austria), Tuscan Sun (Italy), Flanders (Belgium),
Proms (Great Britain), Miyazaki (Japan), Beijing (China).
An advocate orchestra player, Ms. Rakcheyeva was a concertmaster of the
International Youth Chamber Orchestra in Germany. She is a founding
member of UBS Verbier Orchestra, where she has played with such
renowned conductors as James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov,
Wolfgang Sawallisch and Kent Nagano, touring all over Europe, North and
South Americas, and Asia. She has performed at the Berlin Philharmonic
Hall, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Forum Grumaldi in Monaco,
Opera House in Barcelona, Tonhalle in Zurich, Frankfurt Opera, Carnegie
Hall in New York, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Teatro Colón in
Buenos Aires, Santory Hall in Tokyo. In 2002 Ms. Rakcheyeva participated
in the Internationales Orshesterinstitut and performed with members of
Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Music Festival. In 2003-2005, she
joined the New European Strings Orchestra for performances at Toscan Sun
Festival in Italy.
Among her recent projects were series of concerts and recordings for EMI
in North America, Europe and Far East as a member of Verbier Chamber
Orchestra with renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov. Soon she plans to
release a CD featuring her own compositions and improvisations.
Apart from performing, she is interested in Cultural Diplomacy and
currently, is a PhD Candidate at School of Oriental and African Studies at
the University of London. She is a founder of Sabina Rakcheyeva
Ensemble, who is creating its unique voice through improvisations and
taking its influences from the musical traditions of the East and West. A
strong believer that “art can change the world”, Sabina addressed the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2003 on behalf of the
Music Youth. She was honored to perform for the renowned musicians and
cultural leaders Mstislav Rostropovich and Daniel Barenboim and for the
Presidents of the European Commission, Azerbaijan, Russia, Romania,
United Nations Secretary-General and Prince of Liechtenstein. Most
recently, she participated and performed at Colloquiums on European and
International Affairs in Liechtenstein and Belgium as well as
"Transformational Diplomacy: Shaping the Future of International
Relations" Symposium in London. In May 2008, Sabina was nominated for
the membership at the European Cultural Parliament (ECP), the only
European Forum for artists and intellectuals from all parts of Europe.
In June 2008 Sabina was invited to perform at the 90th Anniversary Session
of the Azerbaijani Parliament in Baku as well as being selected to join the
Symposium of Young Cultural Leaders in Berlin where she performed her
compositions at the Bundestag. In July 2008 Sabina took a part in a
Conference on "Religion, Diplomacy and International Relations" in Vienna
and performed at the Austrian Ministry of European and International
Affairs.
Fascinated by the cross-cultural collaborations, Sabina has taken part in
projects with dancers, poets, painters and architects. In 2008 she created a
project "BACH to BAKU" which brought together music improvisation and
a live painting. It was first introduced in London and later, in Azerbaijan
and was broadcast on National TV stations.
In September 2008 Sabina was invited to the Architectural Biennale in
Venice to perform at the dinner in an honour of one of the most prominent
architects of our time Zaha Hadid.
In October 2008, on the invitation of Wilton Park, Sabina took part and
performed at the conference on New Challenges of Public Diplomacy and
in March 2009 was a guest speaker and presenter at the Symposium
Cultural Diplomacy : Clash or Conversation organized by the University of
Southern California. Further 2009 concert appearances included Colburn
Performing Arts Center (Los Angeles), Museum of Arts “La
Mirada” (Monterey), Singapore Conservatoire, 100 Jazz Club and The
House of Lords in London.
Sabina is a member of the Advisory Board (Arts&Culture) at the European
Azerbaijan Society and has recently initiated and coordinated a first
Azerbaijani Cultural Weekend in London in November 2009 which
attracted the audience of nearly two thousand people over two days.
Sabina speaks fluently English, Russian, and Azerbajani with some Italian,
French and Turkish languages.