Music in the City is a monthly series presenting live performances of classical and traditional artists. This month, join us as we feature violin and piano duo Milena Rusanova and Stephen Sachs.
Music in the City is generously sponsored by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral.
Performers:
Dr. Stephen W. Sachs, pianist, is Professor Emeritus at Belhaven University where he was Music Chair from 2004-2019 and Dean of Fine Arts from 2015-2017. He was Professor of Music at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, serving from 1978-2004. Sachs is a versatile pianist having performed as soloist multiple times with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO), as duet pianist with his wife Carolyn R. Sachs (The Sachs Piano Duo), as a founding member of the Diamond Trio with violinist Shellie Brown Kemp and cellist Veronica Parrales (The Diamond Trio is a member of the Mississippi Commission of the Arts’ Artist Roster), as an orchestral pianist with the MSO for the past 15 years, and as a solo pianist who has performed and competed internationally. He has also appeared as
soloist with the Richmond Sinfonia, Youngstown Symphony, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra, the Jackson Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, the Eastern Mennonite University Symphony, the Cumberland Valley Chamber Orchestra, and the Ohio University Symphony Orchestra.
In Mississippi Dr. Sachs has offered countless performances at area colleges and universities. He has performed for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Chamber Music Series in Meridian, the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral “Music in the City” series, the University of Southern Mississippi, for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series, and for the MacDowell and Chaminade Music Clubs. Dr. Sachs frequently adjudicates competitions and festivals including the NFMC Ellis Duo Piano Competition and the Gladys Norris Piano Competition at JSU. He has taught hundreds of university level pianists of whom many have completed advanced degrees in music and are active as performers and teachers today.
Dr. Sachs especially enjoys performing music by Mozart, Chopin and Debussy as well as music by contemporary composers including Schoenfield, Piazzolla, Bolling, and friend and colleague Dr. Andrew Mark Sauerwein. He earned a D.M.A. degree in Piano from The Catholic University of America studying with Dr. Thomas Mastroianni, the M.M. degree in Piano from Ohio University as Trisolini Fellow studying with Richard Syracuse, and a B.A. degree in music and a B.S. degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College studying with Williams Fairlamb. Dr. Sachs has coached with Horatio Gutierrez, Lili Kraus, Raymond Lewenthal, Garrick Ohlsson, and Gyorgy Sebok. Sachs is Director of Music Ministries for Covenant Presbyterian Church (EPC) where he is organist and directs the CovenantChoir and Men’s Chorus.
Milena Rusanova, after graduating from The National School of Arts “Prof.Vesselin Stoyanov” in her hometown- Ruse,Bulgaria she earned BA in Violin Performance from the Bulgarian National Conservatory in Sofia and MM from Southeastern Louisiana University with a full scholarship. While in Bulgaria she was a Finalist of the National Competition for violinists in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In the USA Milena was a winner of the State level of the MTNA Young Artists Strings Competition, South-Central Division of the same Competition, and proceeded to the National Finals in Canada, Toronto. She was also one of the winners of the Monroe Young Concerto Competition and Southeastern Concerto Competition. She played as a soloist with the State Academy Symphony Orchestra-Sofia, Bulgaria, Monroe Symphony League, Southeastern Chamber Orchestra, Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra,Jackson State University, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Milena has participated in chamber music festival Reichenay- Austria,Aspen Music Festival,performances in Germany,Czech Republic and Bulgaria in a different concert series. She played with the Symphony Orchestras of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sinfonietta, Acadiana, Mobile, Gulf Coast, Louisiana Philharmonic, and in Bulgaria: Chamber Orchestra “Orpheus” and New Symphony Orchestra.
