The Inland Valley Symphony, Anthony Parnther, Music Director and Conductor, presented “ALL BRAHMS,” a concert of the music of Romantic composer, Johannes Brahms featuring renowned Guest Artists, Russian cellist, Ruslan Biryukov, and award-winning violinist, Danielle Belen, performing the rarely heard “Double Concerto For Violin and Cello, Op. 102.” Other works on the program included: “Tragic Overture, Op. 81” and “Symphony in F major, Op. 90.”

According to Music Director and Conductor, Anthony Parnther, "We are very fortunate to have been able to feature the talents of two extraordinary soloists, cellist Ruslan Biryukov, and violinist Danielle Belen, who performed the rarely heard and technically challenging Brahms ‘Double Concerto For Violin and Cello, Op. 102,’ as part of our ‘All Brahms’ concert.”

Alana Joos, President of the Inland Valley Symphony’s Board of Directors, added: “Given the difficulty level of Brahms’ ‘Double Concerto for Violin and Cello,’ we wanted to hire professional soloists like Ruslan Biryukov and Danielle Belen who are performing artists at the top of their respective fields, and who are both artistically equipped to carry the crucial leading roles their parts demand in this rarely performed piece of music.”

The first performance was presented on Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. at Gershwin Performing Arts Center; Murrieta Mesa High School. The second performance was presented on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Old Town Temecula Community Theater. For further information about Ruslan Biryukov, please visit www.CelloArt.com and for more information about Danielle Belen, please visit www.BelenViolin.com.

About The Artists:

Cellist Ruslan Biryukov (Guest Artist) has been praised for his superb artistry, passion, individuality and charismatic personality. In a recent reviews of his performances, The Beverly Hills Outlook wrote: “Ruslan Biryukov is an astonishing young cellist,” while www.reviewplays.com wrote: “To say his performance was incredible would not do it justice.” Biryukov has served as the Former General Director of Concert Department of Association “Russian Performing School” (Rostropovich Foundation) in Moscow for four years from 1998 - 2002. Since the age of 11 he has performed professionally, starting in 1995 when he began playing up to 150 performances annually as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the world, including countries in the former USSR, in Europe, and in the United States. As a chamber musician he has appeared with world-renowned violinist, Midori at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, with cellist Kirill Rodin, and with members of the Ysave Quartet. He is the only cello soloist to be invited for seven years in a row to perform solo recitals at LACMA’s Sunday’s Live Concert Series broadcast live on the radio and online. He was the only Russian Cello Soloist invited to perform during the opening season of the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Biryukov has been a master teacher at music festivals in Europe and Russia. He has held teaching positions at the Ippolitov-Ivanov State Institute of Music in Moscow, Russia and the Music Academy in Lovran, Croatia. Locally he now teaches cello weekly in Silverlake, Fullerton and San Diego. He has trained a number of very successful students, including winners of more than five-dozen prestigious competitions locally and internationally. His creative artistic ideas are based upon the tradition he learned from esteemed artists such as Kirill Rodin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran,Natalia Gutman, Janos Starker, Steven Isserlis, and Eleonore Schoenfeld. The cellist received his formal music education at Baku Music Academy in Azerbaijan, the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory in Russia, and at USC’s Thornton School of Music. He first earned international recognition by winning major awards in Azerbaijan and by his name included in the Gold Book of Russia’s international program “New Names.” Biryukov has gone on to win numerous other awards worldwide, including First Prize in the 17th Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition. Biryukov is also the Founder of the newly formed Glendale Philharmonic Orchestra and the Producer and Artistic Director of “Positive Motions” Concert Series. To learn more about Ruslan Biryukov, please visit the website, www.CelloArt.com.

Violinist Danielle Belen (Guest Artist) is the First Prize winner of the 2008 Sphinx Competition. She will release her debut recording with Naxos later this year. Belen recently performed as soloist with the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco Symphonies, the Boston Pops and the Florida and Cleveland Orchestras. Zachary Lewis from the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote: “Violinist Danielle Belen captivated every ear with an assured, impassioned performance of Ravel’s ‘Tzigane,’ knocking off the daunting showpiece as if it were a trifle.” She has recently worked with conductors Franz Welser-Mostt, Robert Spano, Keith Lockhart and Carl St. Clair. A graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, Belen is now on faculty at the Colburn School. With a growing violin studio of her own, she is also teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Robert Lipsett. She also teaches master classes and leads community engagements across the country in conjunction with her professional performance appearances. Belen plays on a 1709 Allessandro Gagliano violin from the Mandell Collection of Southern California. To learn more about Danielle Belen, please visit the website www.BelenViolin.com.