November 6, 2015
SVSU concert to feature Michigan State String Quartet
Flutist Townes Osborn Miller and the Michigan State String Quartet will perform at Saginaw Valley State University's Rhea Miller Recital Hall Monday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature the work of musicians such as Joseph Haydn, Francois Devienne, Amy Beach and Mozart.
Miller, a flute instructor at SVSU, has an extensive background both teaching and playing music. She is currently an instructor at SVSU and Mott Community College, and has taught at various universities such as Northwest Missouri State University and Washburn University.
As a musician, Miller has traveled across the United States, performing as a soloist with the St. Matthias Chamber Orchestra in North Carolina, the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association Guild in Tennessee and with the Midland Adventist Academy in Kansas. She has been featured with groups such as the St. Joseph Symphony, the Overland Park Orchestra and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.
The Michigan State String Quartet is made up of four musicians. They are:
• Oleg Bezuglov, an award winning violinist from Russia. He has won prizes at numerous international competitions, including the First Prize and the Special Prize "For the Best Performance of Shostakovich's Piece" at the First International Chamber Music Competition in 2008. In 2013, Bezuglov won awards at the Michigan State University College of Music Honors Concerto Competition and the Highly Commended Award at The World Competition in Australia. He currently holds positions in six symphony orchestras across Michigan, including the Kalamazoo and Flint Symphony Orchestras.
• Samvel Arakelyan, a violinist from Armenia. He has performed at famous venues such as Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall in New York. Arakelyan is currently a part of the International Chamber Soloists, and is pursuing a Ph.D. degree at Michigan State University.
• Yuri Ozhegov, an award winning violist from Russia. In 2006, he was the second prize winner of the International Festival "Flowers of Saxony" in Prague, Czech Republic. He served as a member of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra from 2010 to 2013. Ozhegov is currently the principal violist in the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra.
• Igor Cetkovic, an internationally acclaimed cellist from Belgrade, Serbia. He has played with numerous orchestras across Europe and the United States, such as the Bergen Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Belgrade Philharmonic. He has also served as the principal cellist of the Serbian chamber orchestra and the St. George Strings. Cetkovic is currently an assistant principal cellist with the West Michigan Symphony, and is finishing his doctoral studies at Michigan State University.
The concert is open to the public; admission is free of charge.