Concert by Russian cellist Ian Maksin

On Aug. 6, the evening before my birthday, I had the pleasure of attending an exclusive, private concert featuring Russian cellist Ian Maksin, along with pianist Paul Dystra and violinist David Lisker.

Held at a private residence in Highland Park, the concert was a warm-up for their Eastern European tour, “The Effect of the Holocaust on the 20th Century,” which kicked off later in the month.

Ian astounded the audience with his gorgeous performances of new music by Weinberg as well as pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Russian composer Ilya Levinson.

Like me, Ian is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, who immigrated to the United States, yet still holds a love in his heart for Russia. Ian started playing the cello at the age of six at the special School for Gifted Children at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. A truly gifted musician, he has performed at concert halls all over the world and has collaborated with such artists as Andrea Bocelli, Gloria Estefan and Snoop Dogg.

Ian also recently performed at Russia Day in Chicago in June, and it was such a treat to hear him again. I look forward to Ian’s next concert!