MAXIM KUZIN
Chair, Instrumental CompetitionDr. Maxim Kuzin
Ukrainian-born conductor Dr. Maxim Kuzin is a dynamic artistic leader whose versatility, expressive musicianship, and commitment to education have distinguished him on international stages. Based in Los Angeles, he currently serves as Music Director of the Palisades Symphony Orchestra, Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, UC Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Irvine Classical Players Youth Orchestra, and the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Chorale.
Dr. Kuzin’s musical journey began in Kyiv, where he studied at two of Ukraine’s most prestigious institutions: the Lysenko Specialized Boarding Music School for Gifted Children and the Tchaikovsky National Musical Academy of Ukraine, completing advanced training in both choral and orchestral conducting. He later earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from UCLA, working under renowned conductor Neal Stulberg.
In Ukraine, Dr. Kuzin collaborated extensively with leading musical institutions, including the Reinhold Glier Institute of Music and the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy, and headed the Opera Program at the Dnipro Glinka Conservatory, guiding the artistic development of emerging opera talent.
As a guest conductor, he has led many of Eastern Europe’s most distinguished ensembles, among them the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, National President’s Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Georgia, and the Vladivostok Philharmonic. His artistic presence extends across Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, and the United States.
A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Dr. Kuzin served as Music Director of Kyiv’s Ricochet New Music Ensemble, bringing cutting-edge works to prominent festivals including Music-Fest Kyiv, Two Days & Two Nights of New Music (Odesa), and Kontrasty (Lviv). In Los Angeles, he continued this work through collaborations with the Hear Now Music Festival, dedicated to celebrating living composers.
Opera, operetta, and musical theater form another cornerstone of his career. Dr. Kuzin has conducted more than twenty productions, ranging from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci to Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Lehár’s The Merry Widow, Walton’s The Bear, and Stravinsky’s Mavra. His productions have appeared in historic theaters across Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.
Deeply committed to nurturing young talent, Dr. Kuzin serves as Head of the Instrumental Division of the Colibri International Arts Competition for Young Performers, and works closely with youth programs of the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic and Palisades Symphony Orchestra. He has also taught and conducted at the Philadelphia International Music Festival, collaborating with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Dr. Kuzin’s artistic achievements have earned him the Elaine Krown Klein Fine Arts Scholarship Award and recognition as an “Emerging Artist” by the League of American Orchestras’ Symphony Magazine. His versatility extends beyond the concert hall: he was invited to conduct on Ukraine’s television program “Dancing with the Stars,” and delivered a well-received lecture at Harvard University titled “Opera: Why Do We Either Love or Hate It?”
With a career marked by artistic excellence, creative curiosity, and unwavering dedication to the next generation of musicians, Dr. Maxim Kuzin continues to inspire performers and audiences alike.
ALLA KONVISER
Jury Member, Instrumental CompetitionPianist Alla Konviser, originally from Soviet Union, received her Master’s degree in Piano Performance and went on to serve as concertmaster and piano coach at the Minsk State Musical and Pedagogical Academy.
For over 20 years in Los Angeles, Alla has become a sought-after accompanist for numerous musicians, including international star Aida Vedischeva, Bulgarian National Musical Theatre soloist Mariana Popzlateva, Romanian star Carina Cheriach, Russian opera singer Gregory Rusanovsky, award-winning classical vocalist Veronica Bell, and many others.
For the past 15 years, Ms. Konviser has also collaborated closely with legendary violinist-virtuoso Daniel Shindarov. She has appeared at numerous music festivals, concerts, and television programs.
Alla’s wide-ranging musical interests and exceptional technical mastery allow her to move effortlessly between styles—from classical to pop to jazz—making her an invaluable partner to any musician she works with.
In addition to her active performing career, Ms. Konviser serves on the faculty of the music and ballet departments at Santa Monica College, the Joffrey Ballet Company, and Idyllwild Arts Academy. She also teaches and coaches private piano students.
SVETLANA SMOLINA
Jury Member, Instrumental Competition
Svetlana Smolina has performed with orchestras and in recital worldwide — including appearances with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, the Mariinsky Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, the Salzburg Festival at the Mozarteum, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Ravinia’s Rising Stars in Chicago, the White Nights Festival in Saint Petersburg, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Mikkeli Festival in Finland, Ruhr Klavier Festival in Germany, the Moscow Easter Festival, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Stresa Festival, the Hanoi Opera House, London’s Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow, and Rome’s Accademia Santa Cecilia.
Her discography includes the solo album Romantic Journey and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra — both produced and recorded by Luca Rustici for L’n’R Productions/Universal Music. Other notable releases include a Chopin album for iTunes, a Scriabin project on Pentatone, a live concert recording with Christopher O’Riley in Montana, and a live Walt Disney Concert Hall performance for BCM+D Records. Her performances have been broadcast on NPR, WQXR, BBC, PBS, RAI, Kultura TV, and other major networks. Her recording of Stravinsky’s Les Noces with Valery Gergiev received an International Classical Music Award (ICMA).
Svetlana’s recent engagements include a tour of China with the Dublin Philharmonic and Derek Gleeson; concerts with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Juvenil in Lima, Peru; performances at Carnegie Hall in New York; duo concerts with violinist Lee-Chin Siow in Singapore; a recital with Charlie Siem at the Basel Casino; appearances at CCK Symphony Hall in Buenos Aires as part of the “Best Pianists of the 21st Century” series; the Classical Tahoe Festival with Maestro Joel Revzen; festivals in Ushuaia, Argentina, and Cremona, Italy.
She has collaborated in chamber music settings with Vadim Repin, Ida Haendel, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Kian Soltani, Geyhee Kim, Alexander Knyazev, Enrico Dindo, Lee-Chin Siow, Pavel Šporcl, Charlie Siem, Roberto Cani, Oleg Sendetsky, Kim Fisher, Julian Milkis, Dr. L. Subramaniam, and many others. With Vadim Repin, she has appeared in duo recitals at Teatro Colón in Bogotá for the Cartagena Festival, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the XXV Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival in Bangalore and Mumbai, Koerner Hall in Toronto, Salle Garnier de Monte-Carlo for Prince Albert’s Monaco Foundation, as well as at the Trans-Siberian Art Festival in Novosibirsk, and in Washington, D.C., London, and New York.
Her most recent invitations include New Year’s Eve Galas with the Shanghai Philharmonic and Harbin Symphony under Maestro Muhai Tang; a recital at the Taihu Art Festival / 22nd China Shanghai International Arts Festival at Wuxi Grand Theater; duo performances with Vadim Repin at NCPA Beijing, Shanghai Concert Hall, and the Shenzhen Concert Hall Belt & Road International Music Festival; debut solo recitals for the Dell’Arte Concert Series in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; a concert in Osaka with Kazuhiro Takagi; recitals at Megaron Concert Hall in Thessaloniki with Jannis Georgiadis and at Megaron Chamber Hall in Athens for the Piano Plus Festival; appearances at the Burgos International Music Festival in Spain; the Triumph Music Festival / Kimmel Center Music Academy in Philadelphia; performances with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes; recitals in France at Château de Valençay; a performance at the White House in Leipzig; a concert recording for Steinway & Sons featuring the Lang Lang Black Diamond Limited Edition at Starý Kliž; a debut with the Symphony Orchestra of Athens at the Menandria Festival with Jannis Georgiadis and Christopher Miroshnikov; and an invitation to the Trans-Siberian Art Festival for chamber music recitals and performances with the Samara and Togliatti Philharmonic Orchestras with Vadim Repin and Alexander Ramm.
Svetlana is a frequent guest artist of the iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates, following her solo debut with the iPalpiti Orchestra and Maestro Eduard Schmieder at Walt Disney Concert Hall, where they recorded Britten’s Young Apollo to high critical acclaim.
She is the Grand Prix winner of Italy’s Città di Senigallia International Piano Competition, the Murray Dranoff Two-Piano Competition, and numerous other competitions. Since 2011, she has directed the piano program at the Philadelphia International Music Festival and serves on the piano faculty at Irvine Valley College and the London Performing Academy of Music.