Artistic Board

The Artistic Advisory Board has a number of well-known musicians from the greater Seattle area. The Advisory Board aids the Artistic Director in identifying appropriate artists, developing programs and general support to the artistic side of the organization.

• Natalya Ageyeva
• Allan Park
• Lisa Bergman
• Deborah Dewey
• Alexei Girsh
• Jerry Kracht
• Sean MacLean
• Alyce Rogers
• Gerard Schwarz

Natalya Ageyeva, Russian Chamber Music Foundation Founder, Artistic Director – Natalya Ageyeva, Russian Chamber Music Foundation Founder, Artistic Director – Natalya Ageyeva has dazzled audiences throughout the United States and internationally, including Italy, Austria, and Israel, as well as on tour in her native Russia. Her performances have also been broadcast several times locally on KING-FM in Seattle and televised in Moscow and Chicago. She has appeared at a broad range of venues, including the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia, Carnegie Hall in New York, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and the Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow. Her pianism prompted one reviewer to write “Immediately apparent was a tremendous technique at the command of a sharp musical intelligence and fingers of steel.” Her artistry has earned her awards and recognition around the world, including the Young Artist Competition in Moscow, Rotary Club Scholarship in Chicago, Brechemin Scholarship at the University of Washington, Solo Competition Award from the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle, the Green Lake Music Festival Competition in Wisconsin, Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in New-York, and the Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Italy. An artist of great versatility, Ageyeva has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestras internationally. She has also been an active participant in many music festivals, including the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Summer Festival, Methow Valley Music Festival in Winthrop (WA), Mostly Nordic Chamber Music Series in Seattle, Second City Chamber Series in Tacoma (WA), First Sunday at the Commons Series in Bainbridge Island (WA), Seattle Symphony Chamber Music Series in Seattle (WA), and Green Lake Music Festival (WI).  Ageyeva began formal piano lessons at the age of thirteen when she was accepted by the prestigious Special Music School for Talented Children in Moscow, and graduated with honors in the Masters Program from the world-renowned Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, where she studied with Valeriy Kastelsky. While at the Moscow Conservatory, Ageyeva was offered extensive solo and orchestra appearances throughout the former Soviet Union. She completed her doctoral degree at the University of Washington with distinguished pianists Bela Siki and Robin McCabe. She has also worked with well-known pianists John O’Conner, Victor Merjanov, and Helene Grimaud, and collaborated with conductors Vladimir Vais, Alexander Rudin, and Peter Erös. Ageyeva previously taught at Moscow Conservatory and University of Washington, and has adjudicated piano competitions in Chicago, Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Ageyeva is the Founder (founded in 2008) and Artistic Director of the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle. 

Allan Park, Russian Chamber Music Foundation President -Allan Park has been a premier piano instructor in Seattle, WA since 1990. He received his undergraduate studies with his primary teacher, professor Menahem Pressler, and Summer intensives with Leonard Hokanson, James Tocco and Michel Block at Indiana University. He then received graduate studies with Bela Siki at University of Washington. He is the Founder and President of Bellevue Symphony, Past President for Chopin Foundation of the United States, NW Council and Music Advisory Member for Seattle Young Artist Music Festival. He has given various lectures for WSMTA and Seattle Piano Institute. Allan Park’s students have won top medals and prizes from various regional, national and international piano competitions including: Seattle Symphony Young Artist Competition, Steinway Piano Competition, Canadian International Music Competition, U.K. International Music Competition, Pacific International Piano Competition, Chicago International Music Competition, San Francisco International Piano Competition, Cliburn Junior Competition, International Grande Music Competition, Bellagrande International Piano Competition, Aloha International Piano Competition, Chopin NW, WMEA Solo and Ensemble, MTNA, Russian Chamber Music Competition, PAFE and SYAMFA. His top students have performed with many symphony orchestras and have featured on KING FM, Ten Grands, Carnegie Hall, Benaroya Hall, Meydenbauer Center and Luther Burbank Park.  Allan loves all animals and enjoys teaching his studio of 52 piano students. He also enjoys conducting chamber orchestras and spending time with various non profit organizations.

Lisa Bergman – King FM’s radio host, a passionate promoter of classical music, Bergman is also founder and Artistic Director of the Mostly Nordic Chamber Music Series presented at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle as well as Executive Director of NOISE (Northwest Opera in Schools, Etcetera). She also currently serves as Classical Music Program Advisor of the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth, Washington, where she was a classical music host on KOHO FM for 10 years.
An experienced musician, Bergman is a concert pianist specializing in the fields of collaborative piano and chamber music. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School, the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Washington, cum laude. For 10 years she served as an Artist in Residence and faculty at the University of Washington School of Music (1989-1999). Bergman is a member of the Hall of Fame for the Washington State Music Teachers Association for “extraordinary service, outstanding musicianship, dedication and leadership … in the state of Washington.”

Deborah Dewey has earned a reputation throughout the United States for her pianistic talent. Critics have praised the “sparkling passage work,” “warm operatic lyricism,” “thoughtful interpretation,” and “sense of dramatic urgency” in her playing. Dewey has performed extensively as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician. She was guest soloist with the Oakland Symphony, Flint Symphony, Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia and Peter Britt Festival Orchestra, among others. She has performed at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Methow Chamber Music Festival and with the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet in addition to participating in duo-recital tours. National Public Radio stations in Connecticut, Michigan and throughout the West have broadcast many of her performances. Together with pianist Lisa Bergman, she formed VENTIDITA (twentyfingers), the celebrated four-hand duo that has performed throughout the state of Washington.

Alexei Girsh – Eastside Symphony conductor who came to Redmond from Russia, where he was born and educated, attaining his Bachelor’s Degree at the Glinka Conservatory in Novosibirsk and a Master’s Degree-Conductor of Symphony and Opera-from the Mussorgsky Conservatory in Ekaterinburg. Included in his portfolio are a number of published arrangements and recordings. He was highly acclaimed as principal conductor of the Radio-Television Symphony of Vladivostok, Music Director of the St. Petersburg Youth Symphony and a professor at the Institute of the Arts in St. Petersburg. Since moving to the United States, he has been Music Director of the Washington Wind Symphony (Redmond, 1993-96), the Youth Philharmonic Northwest (Redmond, 1994-96), the Bellevue Ballet Orchestra (1996-99), and currently the Eastside Symphony (Redmond, 1992-present.) He is also Music Director of the Renton Youth Symphony orchestra and conductor of the Boeing Concert Band. In 2000 he was honored with the city of Redmond’s Patron of the Arts Award. He also founded the Concert Opera of Seattle where he is Artistic and Music Director.

Jerry Kracht – Artistic Director Emeritus, served as Second City Chamber Series artistic director for twenty-five years—from 1982 to 2007—and as frequent clarinetist on the Series from it inception in 1977 through the close of the 2006-2007 season. During that time he oversaw the programming and production of nearly 150 concerts, performing on some 80 of them himself. Under his leadership, Series offerings were more than doubled over the years, with venues added at Lakewold Gardens and First Lutheran Church in addition to the original Annie Wright School—all of which are still home to the Series. He also led the Series to awards for artistic excellence by both the Tacoma Arts Commission and the Pierce County Arts Commission and established an educational adjunct for young musicians, the Young Chamber Players.
Dr. Kracht taught clarinet and conducted the University Symphony Orchestra at Pacific Lutheran University for over thirty years. He is now emeritus professor of music there, where he was also a founding member of the Camas Wind Quintet and the Regency Concert Series. In addition to his many performances in the Northwest—both for Second City Chamber Series and Pacific Lutheran University—he has performed in Canada, Japan, The Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, Australia, Norway and Germany. He begins his new advisory role as
artistic director emeritus at Second City Chamber Series in 2007.

Sean MacLean is a pianist and composer, whose international award-winning works have been performed by choirs and orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic, including London’s BBC Symphony. He got his masters from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Pulitzer Prize winners Lukas Foss and Jacob Druckman. Determined to understand each link in the chain of music production, from composition, through performance and recording, to listener, he formed a recording business, Standing Wave Audio, while living in Paris for five years. He followed with radio production for WGBH in Boston.

After life-altering visits to Seattle, where he had run barefoot in rainforests and paddled with otters, he made the move to King FM in 2005. In his free time, Sean plays guitar, flugelhorn, and Remora™, an electroacoustic harp-guitar of his own invention. He is a published travel photographer, but now concentrates on his Northwest surroundings, where he takes his camera on moonlight kayaking, telemark skiing, and kitesurfing adventures. While standing on top of Mt. Rainier in 2006 he screamed so loudly that he lost his radio voice for a few days.

Alyce Rogers is American mezzo-soprano and alto, studied with Gibner King, and began her career on the East Coast as an actress. Later she turned to opera and light opera, becoming well known for her interpretations of the mezzo and contralto riles in the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, and Menotti. Moving to Portland, Oregon, she appeared with the Oregon Symphony and the Portland Opera.

Alyce Rogers has also been a guest artist with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Portland Junior Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver, B.C., Opera Company. She is also accomplished recitalist, and a frequent performer on educational television. For several seasons recently she has been a soloist in Oratorios under the baton of Helmuth Rilling, performing major works of J.S. Bach, Schubert, Mozart and L.v. Beethoven. She has received accolades for her style, diction, and feeling. Her debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was in 1976. In 1980 she performed at the Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival. In 1982 and 1984, she performed at the Carmel Bach Festival under Sandor Salgo.

Gerard Schwarz is internationally recognized for his moving performances, innovative programming and extensive catalogue of recordings, American conductor Gerard Schwarz serves as Music Director of the All Star Orchestra, an ensemble comprised of musicians from America’s leading orchestras who will collaborate in a public television series designed to encourage a greater understanding and enjoyment of classical music. He is Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina and Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony.