Piano Noir 2024

Olga Blagulyak

Olena Blagulyak is a distinguished Ukrainian pianist currently based in Houston, with a dynamic career in performance and education. She holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of Houston, where she studied under the guidance of Tali Morgulis and Timothy Hester. Olena is an adjunct piano faculty member at Lone Star College, Kingwood, and serves as the artist-in-residence and artistic director of the Concert Series at Kingwood Methodist Church.

As a versatile artist, Olena co-founded several chamber music ensembles, including the Gavril-Blagulyak Piano Duo and the Knight-Blagulyak Duo. She has showcased her distinctive musical voice in local venues such as the Hobby Center, Candlelight Concert Series, Kawai Piano Gallery, Moores Opera House, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among others. Her most recent solo engagement featured a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Third Piano Concerto, conducted by Franz Anton Krager, at the Moores Opera House in March 2023.

Olena’s musical foundation was shaped in Kyiv, Ukraine, at the Lysenko Special Music Boarding School. She holds two Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (2009) and Sam Houston State University (2018). A recipient of numerous national and international competition awards, Olena has performed at international festivals such as Ciudad Jamilena (2008, 2009, Jaén), Málaga Clasica in Spain (2016), and the Amelia Island Opera Company in Florida (2024). Her concert career has taken her across the United States, Europe, and South America.

Outside of her musical career, Olena finds joy in nature, yoga, exploring new cultures through travel, and relaxing with her family, friends, and her beloved pug, Daria.

David Craig

Houston’s Top Call Bassist Over the past 30 years, David has played, recorded and/or toured with greats such as: Dizzy Gillespie, Arnett Cobb, Richie Cole, Bob Moses, Herb Ellis (Aspen Jazz Festival, Lewiston Jazz Festival), Kenny Warner, Art Lande, Bob Dorough, Jewel Brown (Ascona New Orleans Jazz Festival), Tom Harrell/ Randy Brecker/ James Moody (Kemah Jazz Festival), Conrad Herwig, Billy Harper(Houston Jazz Festival), Billy Harper with Dianne Schuur/ Delfayo Marsalis/ John Faddis (Trinity Jazz Festival), Marvin Stamm, Debbie Boone, Vivalda Dula (Montreal Jazz Festival, Kitchener World Music Festival), Michael Feinstein, Bernadette Peters and Neil Sedaka, just to name a few. A 1986 graduate of Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, David studied under the direction of Dr. Robert “Doc” Morgan. In 2017 he was inducted into the HSPVA Jazz Hall of Fame. As a leader, David writes, records and plays his original music with an individual, modern style. Many of his compositions are performed by local jazz artists. His album The David Craig Quartet The Mystery is available on all streaming platforms. Also a teacher, he has taught countless students (including several HSPVA graduates), many of whom have gone on to successful careers in music in NYC and other parts of the country.

St. John Flynn

Born and raised in Coventry in the U.K., St. John came to the U.S. to attend graduate school. He has a B.A. with honours in French from the University of Liverpool and an M.A. in French from the University of Georgia. He taught in the UGA Comparative Literature department while working on his Ph.D., but left academia before completing his dissertation.

He has worked for top U.S. public TV and radio stations for more than twenty years including as host of the award-winning book show Cover to Cover for the Georgia Public Broadcasting radio network, as classical music director for KUHF/88.7FM and KUHA/91.7FM, and as Arts & Culture Director for Houston Public Media (TV 8, News 88.7 & Classical 91.7) where he hosted the daily radio arts show The Front Row; the Opera Cheat Sheet podcast; the Houston Symphony weekly radio broadcasts; and various TV arts programs including the Houston Symphony Season Announcements and the Skyline Sessions. He was also a cast member of Manor of Speaking, TV 8’s Emmy award-winning syndicated Downton Abbey after-show. He is the longtime host of the Houston Grand Opera Guild’s Opera Night Live series and has appeared on stage as host or narrator with the Houston Symphony; Texas Music Festival Orchestra; Houston Youth Symphony; Houston Heights Orchestra; Symphony North of Houston; Valdosta (GA) Symphony; Piedmont College Orchestra; Houston Pride Band; WindSync; METdance; Queensbury Theatre; and Lone Star Lyric Theatre, among others.

Victor Kendall

Mr. Kendall has spent his entire career as a teacher and administrator in the performing arts and public media. He received his B.A. in Music from John Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He was an instructor of Music at Grinnell College, Franconia College, and Dickinson College. In 1979 he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Music Fellowship grant, in 1980 won the American Symphony Orchestra League’s coveted Orchestra Management Fellowship and in 2010 his KUHF chamber music ensemble was awarded a National Endowment for Arts Chamber Music grant. In 2015, Mr. Kendall founded the American Zeitgeist Chamber Ensemble.

Mr. Kendall has served as Production Assistant for the National Symphony Orchestra, Administrative Assistant to Lena Horne in “Lady and Her Music,” Orchestra Manager for the Long Island Philharmonic, General Manager for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Executive Director for the Queens Symphony Orchestra, President and CEO for the Texas Institute for Arts in Education (TIAE), Development Director for the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and Director of Philanthropy and Major Gifts for KUHF-FM 88.7 Houston Public Radio, Director of Development for UNCF, Director of Development for  Texas ACLU, Vice President of Advancement for LiftFund and he has recently accepted the position of Chief Advancement Officer for the Florida Grand Opera.

Oleg Sulyga

Native of Moscow, Russia with Ukrainian roots and Belarusian family; Oleg Sulyga began his music education in Moscow Central Music School; later continuing it at SMU in Dallas; Paris, France; and the University of Houston under guidance of professor Emanuel Borok. 

Mr. Sulyga was a member of world-renowned ensemble “The Moscow Virtuosi” led by Vladimir Spivakov; with which he traveled extensively and performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls. 

As a chamber musician he performed with the principals of the Wiener Philharmoniker and The Kopelman Quartet. As orchestral musician he has performed with the Chicago Symphony, the National Symphony, and the Houston Symphony orchestras. In addition, Mr. Sulyga has been a participant of numerous international festivals worldwide; such as Ravinia, Prague Spring Festival, Pacific Music Festival, Colmar International Music Festival, Schlezwig-Holstein Festival and Grand Teton Music Festival.

Currently Mr. Sulyga is a violinist of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, Houston Ballet, Mercury, the Bach Society of Houston and is a frequent chamber musician, teacher, clinician and adjudicator. Previous positions include being an Affiliate Artist at the University of Houston where he taught violin and assisted in the quartet in residence program s an Affiliate Artist. 

Oleg is also passionate about his other career as a Realtor Associate at the REALM Professionals and is an avid recreational cyclist. 

Matthew Carrington

Violist Matthew Carrington enjoys a diverse performing career, from chamber ensembles to large orchestras. He currently is a member of the Mercury Chamber Orchestra, which performs music of all eras on period instruments to enthusiastic audiences. Prior to joining Mercury, he has performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic and the New World Symphony. As a chamber musician he has shared the stage with members of the Borromeo, Attacca, and Argus quartets, as well as exploring folk music from around the world with the Apollo Chamber Players. A native of Fresno, CA,  Mr. Carrington holds degrees from UC Santa Cruz and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and counts Roy Malan, Mimi Zweig, and Atar Arad among his principal teachers.

Matthew Dudzik

Since joining the Apollo Chamber Players in 2009, Matthew Dudzik has
contributed to the ensemble’s creation of over fifty commissioned works
and seven commercial albums. His versatile performance career includes
appearances with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Houston Grand
Opera and Ballet Orchestras, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Houston Early
Music, Bach Society, and Theater Under the Stars.
A frequent performer in Japan, Mr. Dudzik has performed alongside
acclaimed violinist Takayoshi Wanami at the Yatsugatake Summer
Concerts and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo.
As a dedicated and enthusiastic educator, Mr. Dudzik serves as a cello
instructor at the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program at Rice
University’s Shepherd School of Music, Chamber Music and summer
festival coach for AFA and maintains a vibrant private studio at his home.
Mr. Dudzik began his cello studies under the guidance of Minnesota
Orchestra cellist Sachiya Isomura. He continued his education with Ko
Iwasaki at Southern Methodist University and Norman Fischer at Rice
University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he earned both his
undergraduate and master’s degrees in music.

Luke Hubley

Luke Hubley is a freelance drum set artist and percussionist who specializes in music theater and contemporary music.  He has performed with several Houston-area theater companies including Theater Under the Stars, Queensbury Theatre, AD Players, Alley Theatre, and HITS.  He has performed contemporary music with Aperio, MUSIQA, Foundation for Modern Music, and Da Camera’s Young Artists.  Luke has performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Midland-Odessa Symphony, Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, and has performed opera with Opera in the Heights, Houston Grand Opera’s HGOCO, and Opera Vista. Luke can regularly be seen performing country, jazz, cabaret, and praise and worship music throughout the Houston region. Luke teaches at the University of Houston and San Jacinto College.  He is an in-demand percussion educator and clinician in the Houston area.  He also teaches with AFA, a nationally renown Houston music education and community outreach organization. Luke holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music degree from the University of Houston, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Texas State University.

Anabel Detrick

Mexican-born violinist Anabel Ramírez began studying the violin at age six in her native country with Ukrainian violinist Gari Petrenko and Russian professor Natalia Gvosdetskaya. By 1991 she had twice won the National Violin Competition in Mexico. At age 16, she came to the US to study at the University of Houston under the sponsorship of the Starling Foundation Scholarship Fund, where she completed her Bachelor’s of Music Performance under the supervision of the eminent violin pedagogue Fredell Lack. She subsequently completed her Masters Degree at the University of British Columbia under the guidance of Andrew Dawes and upon returning to Houston she worked towards a pedagogy degree with former Dallas Symphony concertmaster Emanuel Borok. Anabel has been a core member of the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet Orchestras since 2008. She also serves as core violinist of Apollo Chamber Players and assistant concertmaster for Mercury Chamber orchestra and frequently performs with Ars Lyrica and Bach Society Houston. Ms. Ramírez has participated in music festivals throughout the world, including the Aspen Music Festival and the Mozarteum of Salzburg. She was the winner of the 1998 American String Teachers Association regional competition as well as the 1999 Musicorda Concerto Competition. She has appeared as soloist with all the major orchestras in her home country, including the National Symphony, Querétaro Symphony, Mexico City Philharmonic and Mineria Symphony, and with the Galveston, Clear Lake, Woodlands, Ludwig and San Antonio Symphonies in the U.S. Ms. Ramírez performs on a violin made by Frank Ravatin and a Robert Morrow bow. In her spare time, Anabel enjoys cooking and road cycling.

Music Box Theater

Rebekah Dahl, Brad Scarborough, Austin Biel

More information on upcoming shows at www.themusicboxtheater.com.