Visiting Artist Series II: Iktus Duo

January 27 @ Cafe Istanbul 8pm

Versipel New Music is excited to host the Iktus Duo from New York City for our first show of 2015! The Iktus Duo consists of Chris Graham, percussion and Hristina Blagoeve, flute. Specializing in the performance of engaging new and recent music for flute and percussion, we are pleased to bring the Iktus Duo to New Orleans on their 2015 Southern tour. The up-and-coming Iktus Duo recently won the 2014 Ackerman Chamber Music Competition. The concert will feature new and recent music, including the world premiere of The Witch on Bear Mountain, by Versipel Assistant Director Philip Schuessler.

Chris Graham (percussion) is an international new music musician living and working in New York City. Chris has consistently worked and performed with notable groups such as Newband, Ear to Mind, Talujon Percussion, Mantra Percussion, and is a founding member and director of Iktus Percussion; as well as co-principal percussionist for Ensemble Moto Perpetuo. He has commissioned and premiered works by established composers such as Charles Wuorinen, Martin Bresnick, Michael Gordon, Philippe Manoury, Franco Donatoni, Philippe Hurel, Mauricio Kagel, Ron Ford, Michel Vander Aa, Hugo Morales, Gerard Grisey, Harry Partch, John Luther Adams, Lisa R. Coons, Daniel Wohl, Jenny Olivia Johnson, Angelica Negron, Sebastian Armoza, Mathew Welch, Philip Schuessler, Levy Lorenzo, Matt Hough, Joe DiPonio, Brian Jacobs, Aaron Siegel,Ted Herne, Tristan Perich, Inhyun Kim, Jen Wang, Joseph Waters, Stephan Weisman, and Billy Martin (of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), among others.

In addition to his preforming credits, Chris organizes and curates concerts in NYC working closely with young up-and-coming new music ensembles such as, Mivos String Quartet, Loadbang Ensemble, Yarn Wire, Either/Or Ensemble, thingNY, Varispeed, Panapoly Performance Lab, Ensemble Pamplemousse, Elevator Rose, Cadillac Moon Ensemble, Duo Orfeo, and Concert Black. He has co-organized several performances for Issue Project Room’s “Gaudeamus Muzieweek New York” and “Darmstadt Series”, receiving critical acclaim in 2010 from TimeOut New York as one of the top ten concerts of the year performing Karlheinz Stockhausen’s epic works, Mikrophonie and Kontakte.

As an artist-in-residence he has taught at Suny Purchase and Cuny Brooklyn College, working with both student percussion ensembles and student composers. He is the director of the Stony Brook pre-college percussion ensemble and is on faculty at Suffolk Community College. He received a Bachelors of Music and Performers Certificate from SUNY Purchase College, Masters of Music from Stony Brook University, where he is currently a candidate in the Doctoral of the Musical Arts program. Previous teachers include Raymond DesRoches, Dominic Donato, Tom Kolor, Joseph Pereira, and Eduardo Leandro.

Hristina Blagoeve (flute), a native of Sofia, Bulgaria, is a New York based performer and music teacher. In Bulgaria, she was a winner of the German/Austrian Chamber Music Competition, The Earth and People Music Competition, and the Young Virtuosi National Music School Competition. She also won the First European Meeting Competition in Pachino, Italy, and has performed as a soloist with the National Music School Guitar Orchestra and the Bankia Chamber Orchestra in Sofia. She also performed as a soloist with the String Chamber Orchestra in Pacino, Italy.

After her studies in Bulgaria, Hristina continued her education at Louisiana State University under the tutelage of Katherine Kemler, where she won two Louisiana State University Concerto Competitions as well as the Mississippi Jackson Concerto Competition, and performed as a soloist with the LSU Symphony in 2005, 2007, and the Louisiana Symphonietta Orchestra. She received her Bachelor of Music in 2007, completed the Master of Music at the University of Texas-Austin under the instruction of Marianne Gedigian in 2009, and afterward studied with Aralee Dorough, principal flutist of the Houston Symphony, Houston, Texas 2009-2011. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Blagoeva has performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Accadiana Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Festival Hill Symphony, Natchez Festival Opera Orchestra, Opera Vista Company and the Long Island Choral Society Orchestra. Ms. Blagoev was also part of the Aura Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, and cuttently performs with Contemporary Chamber Players Ensemble at Stony Brook.

Hristina is the founder of the Peridot Project, a flute and percussion chamber ensemble, which has been performing throughout New York City and Long Island areas. The ensemble strives to expand the repertoire for that instrumental combination and has premiered several new works over the last year.

Hristina is currently a doctoral Candidate at Stony Brook University, studying with Carol Wincenc. As a flute and theory instructor, Hristina has been a Teaching Assistant at University of Texas at Austin, University of Houston, Stony Brook University, and is on the faculty of the Long Island Conservatory.