Spring Time at Liudmila’s

Featuring the talents of Alexander Chaplinsky, Antonio Watts, and Kofi Hayford

6:30 PM - Doors open
7:30 PM - Music Starts
8:45 PM - Post Concert Mingle and Socializing
10:00 PM - Program Ends- move to post-concert venue for continued mingling

SUMMARY
Experience a program that has something for every music lover. We are stripping away the boundaries between genres, pairing the dramatic power of Handel and Respighi with the timeless charm of "April Showers" and "Almost Like Being in Love."

Highlights include:
The Romantics: Sweeping vocals and piano works by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.
The Myths: Bortkiewicz’s rare and enchanting Trois Morceaux.
The Groove: A tribute to jazz giants Oscar Peterson and Michel Camillo.

Kofi Hayford - 20 minutes
1. Tchaikovsky: Blagaslavlyayu vas' les - 4 minutes
2. Respighi: Nebbie - 3 minutes
3. Schumann: Du bist wie eine blume - 2 minutes
4. Finzi: It was a lover and his lass - 3 minutes
5. Finzi: Come away Death - 4 minutes
6. Handel: Where e'er you Walk - - 4 minutes
7. Rachmaninoff: Spring Waters - 2 minutes

Antonio Watts - 20 minutes
1. The Pilgrim's Song
2. Beloved, Let Us Fly
3. Lilacs
4. Who Can I Turn To
5. April Showers
6. Almost Like Being in Love
7. In the silent night

Alexander Chaplinsky - 20 minutes
Serge Bortkiewicz. Trois Morceaux op. 24 - 12 minutes
1.⁠ ⁠Nocturne (Diana)
2.⁠ ⁠Valse Grotesque (Satyre)
3.⁠ ⁠Impromptu (Eros)
Oscar Peterson. 'Mirage' (transcription by Alexander Chaplinskiy) - 3 minutes
Kenny Dorham, arranged by Michel Camillo. 'Blue Bossa' (transcription by Alexander Chaplinskiy)

Duet:
Suoni la tromba

This is not the order of the program

BIOGRAPHIES

Antonio Watts is a three-time Grammy Award-winning baritone whose singular artistry has graced many of the world’s most distinguished stages. Renowned for a voice of remarkable warmth, elegance, and uncommon power, he has earned praise from critics and audiences alike for performances that combine vocal brilliance with rare interpretive depth.

Since arriving in New York City in 2014, Mr. Watts has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts, in addition to performances with The Bronx Opera, Loft Opera, and throughout the tri-state area. He has also been featured in Kathleen Battle’s Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey.

His career spans opera, Broadway, cabaret, and symphonic work. He made his cabaret debut in Antonio Watts LIVE! at The Metropolitan Room, appeared on Broadway in Rocktopia LIVE!, and created the role of Manuel in The Andean Hope with The United Nations Symphony Orchestra. He later opened the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019–2020 season in Porgy and Bess, performed at the Apollo Theatre, and appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in Kanye West’s Nebuchadnezzar, later creating the role of Gabriel in Mary.

His international appearances throughout Ghana and Europe have further extended his global presence.

ALEXANDER CHAPLINSKIY
Alexander Chaplinskiy is a pianist, arranger, chorus master, and conductor. At Spotlight Artists, Alexander serves as a music director, pianist, and coach. OperaWire called Alexander Chaplinskiy a ‘rockstar pianist’. Alexander has been leading and participating in numerous concerts and productions, as well as working on his own cultural and educational project, Music Journeys, launched in 2024.
Mr. Chaplinskiy graduated cum laude from Saint-Petersburg Glinka Choral College, where he studied piano with Andrey Gorlov and Eugene Sirotkine. Alexander worked at the renowned Mikhailovsky and Mariinskiy Theaters (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Saint- Petersburg State Conservatory Chamber Choir, the Saint-Petersburg State University (as a choirmaster, pianist, arranger, and accompanist).
As a music director, Mr. Chaplinskiy has accomplished his own projects such as the Russian premiere of Steve Reich’s Eight Lines and Tehillim, as well as the world premier of The Day of Angel by Maria Grigoryeva.

British-Ghanaian-American bass Kofi Hayford is a prize-winning artist celebrated for his "stentorian," "sonorous," and "impressive" voice. Known for a distinctive timbre that makes his sound immediately recognizable, Hayford has captivated sold-out audiences across four continents, from the Arctic Circle to the Caribbean.
With a versatile repertoire spanning over 40 operatic roles, Hayford has appeared with distinguished organizations including Opéra de Toulouse, Opéra Orchestre National de Montpellier, Opéra de Tours, Fort Worth Opera, Indianapolis Opera, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. A double laureate of the 2024 Grand Voix Lyrique d’Afrique International Competition, he has established himself as a prominent figure on the world's most prestigious stages.
The 2024–2025 season marked several significant milestones, including his Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium debut as the bass soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and his Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall, where he performed a major Mandarin-language work with the Manhattan Philharmonic Society. His recent international presence includes a high-profile six-city tour of France—with performances at Salle Cortot, Opéra de Lille, and Opéra de Rouen Normandie—as well as concert tours in Martinique and Canada.
A graduate of SUNY Buffalo, Hayford’s influence extends beyond the stage as the co-founder of the DictionBuddy app and Chairman of the Board for the Groupmuse Foundation.

What's the music?

Kofi Hayford

Alexander Chaplinsky Piano

Antonio Watts Baritone Voice

Where does this music come from?

Attendees

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