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Violinist Dr. Maria Bessmeltseva has performed in the concert halls of Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, and the United States of America. Dr. Bessmeltseva’s solo career has taken her from the celebrated stages of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C and Carnegie Hall to the Glinka Philharmonic Chamber Hall and St. Petersburg State Capella in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has appeared as a soloist with the Symphony of the Mountains in Tennessee, the Firelands Symphony in Ohio, and the Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra in Arkansas. Dr. Bessmeltseva is a frequent prizewinner in competitions, including the International Mazur Youth Chamber Music Competition (Russia), Elizabeth Harper Vaughn Concerto Competition (USA), Eighth Annual Hellam Young Artists’, Competition (USA), Tuesday Scholarship Musical Competition (USA), Firelands Symphony Concerto Competition (USA), Lima Young Artists Competition (USA), and Joan and Daniel Rutenberg International Chamber Music Competition (USA), Medici International Music Competition (London), American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music and American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition (USA), World Chamber Music E-Competition “Napolinova” (Italy).
Dr. Bessmeltseva earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Gregory Fulkerson and Alla Aranovskaya. Here, she gained invaluable chamber music experience in master classes with Jennifer Koh, Richard Goode, and Menahem Pressler. As a member of the Graduate String Quartet at Bowling Green State University, Dr.Bessmeltseva accomplished further chamber music study, and completed her MM under the tutelage of Vasilie Beluska. She achieved her DMA at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, under the direction of Yehonatan Berick. Currently, Dr.Bessmeltseva is teaching violin at University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) and University of Findlay (Findlay, OH). She is also a member of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (Toledo, OH).
Phoebe Gelzer-Govatos holds degrees in violin performance from Stetson and Austin Peay State universities, where her principal teachers were Routa Kroumovitch and Alvaro Gomez. She subsequently received instruction in historical performance through workshops and festivals such as the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, Oberlin’s Baroque Performance Institute, and the Berwick Academy of the Oregon Bach Festival. Since 2008, Ms. Gelzer-Govatos has performed with a number of orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Michigan, including the Detroit Opera, Lansing Symphony, and Kalamazoo Symphony orchestras, and presently holds the position of principal second violin in the Adrian Symphony Orchestra. As a specialist in historical performance, she is a member of period instrument ensembles l’Invenzione and the Michigan Bach Collective, and also plays with Louisville-based Bourbon Baroque and Chicago’s Ensemble Affect. In addition to her work as a performer, Phoebe maintains a private violin studio and teaches chamber music at the Rudolf Steiner High School in Ann Arbor. She enjoys playing and listening to a wide variety of music and likes to involve herself in creative endeavors of all kinds.
