Yuriy Leonovich, NRO 2007, just finished his 3rd year as Assistant Cello Professor at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC and also conducts the university’s string orchestra. In fact, one of his students is NRO 2016 cellist, Stephen Hawkey!
Stephen recently played Bloch’s Schelomo with the BJU Symphony (after winning the concerto competition) and Popper’s Elfentantz at the Annual Music Contest, which he also won. Derek Eilert, another one of Mr. Leonovich’s students, just got on the Greenville Symphony Orchestra’s sub list.
Yuriy shares, “NRO prepared me to learn difficult orchestral and chamber repertoire in a very short amount of time. I think of Maestro Topilow every time I play with my string orchestra without a conductor on my red (sadly not red, white and green) cello.”
After his time with the NRO, Mr. Leonovich completed his DMA at CIM. In October, he and his wife, Kristin, are playing a recital of 21st Century cello music, featuring pieces by Jeremy Allen, Mark Kilstofte, David Janssen, Patrick Zimmeli, Evan Fein (world premiere of his 3 Romances for cello solo) and two of his own works.