Serge Kalinovsky, 17, cello

Today we’re joined by Serge Kalinovsky, a resident of Indiana and a recent graduate of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. He’s joined by pianist Lyudmila Lakisova in music of Piatti, Debussy, Clara Schumann, Piazzolla, and Martinů. Serge Kalinovsky, 17, studies cello with Richard Aaron and Brandon Vamos, and continues to work with his long-time teacher Susan Moses. He lives in his home town of Bloomington, Indiana and recently graduated from IU High School. He is also a Merit Scholarship Student at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, where he has participated in multiple prize-winning chamber groups. Serge has participated in numerous music festivals, including Pinchas Zukerman’s Young Artists Program, the Indiana University Summer String Academy, the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Chamber Music Northwest Young Artists Institute, and the Music@Menlo Young Performers Program. In 2022, he performed the first movement of Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and participated in the inaugural “Food for Music” Benefit Concert in Bloomington. As part of the Heifetz Ensemble in Residence program, he performed in several concerts in Virginia, including playing the Dvořák Piano Quintet No. 2 with famed violinist and pedagogue Ani Kavafian. In 2023, he performed Bruch’s Kol Nidrei with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. Notable competition successes include First Prize at the 2020 Indianapolis Symphony Maurer Young Musicians Contest, joint Second Prize at the 2023 International Young Artists Concerto Competition, and joint Third Prize at the 2023 Ronald Sachs International Competition. Serge previously appeared on Introductions as a chamber musician in October 2023 and August 2022. He has also performed as part of WFMT’s Bach to School Program. In the fall, he will start college studies at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.