Success!

The word is music to my ears and we did indeed have a successful Festival this year.

Dr. Timofeyev,  joined by IARGUS veterans Vadim Kolpakov and Dan Caraway and newcomers Alexander Menshikof and Vladimir Sumin, endured a grueling rehearsal schedule before performances began on Thursday, October 6th at the Congregational Church in Iowa City. Concerts ran nightly, with two performances on Sunday the 9th. 

Opening night included a reception and CD signing for Dr. Timofeyev's latest CD, The Lviv Lute. If you missed opening night, don't worry. You can still get a copy by contacting us at 319-389-9455.

We will have pictures posted here and on our website soon, so keep checking back. And if you missed the festivities, don't worry. IARGUS 2012 is already in the planning stage. We hope to be back to our spring schedule with IARGUS 2012 happening in May.

Hope to see you there!

IARGUS is almost here!

At last! The schedule is set for the Sixth International Annual Russian Guitar Festival! This year, we are dedicating our performances to the Romani, bringing in Romani performers from Eastern Europe to engage and entertain you. Look for familiar friends like Vadim Kolpakov, now back from touring with Madonna. We are so glad to have him back! We'll also be presenting some new faces, so be sure to join us! We look forward to seeing you!


INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL RUSSIAN GUITAR FESTIVAL
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa

For all concerts, general admission is $12 ($8 students and seniors)
For more information call (319) 338-8338 or check our website www.iarmac.org

Thursday, October 6
IARGUS 2011 GRAND OPENING
7:00 p.m., Congregational Church (30 N. Clinton, Iowa City)

Oleg Timofeyev/ Daria Stepashkina: Presentation of the new CD “The Lviv Lute” (Sarmatica) and screening of “Take Off One Ear!” (22 min.)

Festival Preview Concert: Vladimir Sumin, Zingaresca, Dan Caraway, Alexander Menshikov – Russian romantic songs (romansy), virtuosic variations by M. Vysotsky and S. Orekhov, fiery Russian-Gypsy gems.


Friday, October 7
INTERNATIONAL GUEST SOLO CONCERT
8:00 p.m., Congregational Church (30 N. Clinton, Iowa City)

Vladimir Sumin (Moscow) – solo concert by one of the best Russian virtuosos on the instrument.


Saturday, October 8
CEDAR RAPIDS GALA
7:00 p.m., Cedar Valley Bible Church (3636 Cottage Grove Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids)

The Annual Cedar Rapids Gala: Vladimir Sumin, Zingaresca, Dan Caraway, Alexander Menshikov - Russian romantic songs (romansy), virtuosic variations by M. Vysotsky and S. Orekhov, fiery Russian-Gypsy gems.


Sunday, October 9
JEWISH MUSIC AT HILLEL
3 p.m., University of Iowa Hillel (122 E. Market St., Iowa City)
The Timofeyev Ensemble, Aleksandr Menshikov, Vadim Kolpakov: Old and New Jewish Music with Russian-Gypsy Overtones.

IARGUS 2011 GALA CONCERT
7:00 p.m., Congregational Church (30 N. Clinton, Iowa City)
Gala Concert: Vladimir Sumin, Zingaresca, Dan Caraway, Alexander Menshikov, Vadim Kolpakov, Oleg Timofeyev – the highlights of the week!

It's Almost Here

And here we are! We are getting ready for IARGUS 2011! This year we are devoting our programming to Romani ("Gypsy") music. Please join us and our performers for a weekend of excitement!


INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL RUSSIAN GUITAR FESTIVAL (IARGUS 2011)
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa

For all concerts, general admission is $12 ($8 students and seniors)
For more information call (319) 338-8338 or check our website www.iarmac.org

Thursday, October 6

IARGUS 2011 GRAND OPENING
7:00 p.m., Congregational Church (30 N. Clinton, Iowa City)

Oleg Timofeyev/ Daria Stepashkina: Presentation of the new CD “The Lviv Lute” (Sarmatica) and screening of “Take Off One Ear!” (22 min.)

Festival Preview Concert: Vladimir Sumin, Zingaresca, Dan Caraway, Alexander Menshikov – Russian romantic songs (romansy), virtuosic variations by M. Vysotsky and S. Orekhov, fiery Russian-Gypsy gems.


Friday, October 7

INTERNATIONAL GUEST SOLO CONCERT
8:00 p.m., Congregational Church (30 N. Clinton, Iowa City)

Vladimir Sumin (Moscow) – solo concert by one of the best Russian virtuosos on the instrument.


Saturday, October 8

CEDAR RAPIDS GALA
7:00 p.m., Cedar Valley Bible Church (3636 Cottage Grove Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids)

The Annual Cedar Rapids Gala: Vladimir Sumin, Zingaresca, Dan Caraway, Alexander Menshikov - Russian romantic songs (romansy), virtuosic variations by M. Vysotsky and S. Orekhov, fiery Russian-Gypsy gems.


Sunday, October 9

JEWISH MUSIC AT HILLEL
3 p.m., University of Iowa Hillel (122 E. Market St., Iowa City)
The Timofeyev Ensemble, Aleksandr Menshikov, Vadim Kolpakov: Old and New Jewish Music with Russian-Gypsy Overtones.

IARGUS 2011 GALA CONCERT
7:00 p.m., Congregational Church (30 N. Clinton, Iowa City)
Gala Concert: Vladimir Sumin, Zingaresca, Dan Caraway, Alexander Menshikov, Vadim Kolpakov, Oleg Timofeyev – the highlights of the week!

Icky Nomination

Today the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance announced the nominees for the annual Icky Awards. Now first let me an explain that a nomination for such an award is not as dubious as it sounds. To quote the ICCA, "The Icky Honors were created to elevate the awareness of the artistic and cultural organizations in the Corridor and to celebrate excellence in innovation in programming and events of ICCA partners throughout the previous calendar year."

This is the Academy's second nomination and we are very proud of this fact. We would love to win it this year, but the competition is pretty fierce. We face:

 Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau – FRY Fest 2010
 Marion Arts Festival – 18th Annual Marion Arts Festival
 The Englert Theatre (in partnership with Mission Creek Festival) – Mission Creek Festival
 Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center (in partnership with Humanities Iowa, Linn County Conservation Department, Coe College, Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, Sierra Club, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Trees Forever, The United Nations-USA: Linn County Chapter, and Indian Creek Nature Center – 4th Annual Cedar Rapids Environmental Festival

These are very well-deserving organizations and I hope that our musicians will be able to stand amongst the elite with a trophy in their hands. They've worked hard for it.

The ceremony takes place on January 31st in Iowa City. Keep watching for updates!

Something old, something new

The Seven-string Guitar Festival 2010 has come and gone. We had a wide variety of performances from Klezmer to Rroma to Classical. I can't really list the highlights since every concert was something special.

We are now focusing on our main event for 2011, though I can't give you any details for now. Suffice to say that our Artistic Director has something amazing up his sleeve. We hope to deliver a very special surprise for Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. If you haven't attended a Seven-string Festival before, THIS will be the one you won't want to miss!

Updates coming later this week!

Welcome!

Welcome to the International Academy for Russian Music, Arts, and Culture. If music is your passion, be it classical, jazz, new compositions, then you've come to the right place. The Academy brings musicians from all over the world to perform in the Midwest. We promote the Russian seven-string guitar, an instrument that is currently experiencing a revival around the world led by Dr. Oleg Timofeyev, originally from Moscow, currently in Iowa City, Iowa.

The tuning of the Russian guitar is different from the six-string guitar most Westerners are accustomed to. The seven-string has a rich tonal quality the six-string is incapable of.

Currently, the Academy is preparing for our annual Russian Guitar Festival, held from Thursday, October 14 through Sunday, October 17, 2010. Stay tuned for venues and a list of our performers!