January
3, 2002
Nikolai Massenkoff and the Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival will perform in concert in Hesston College's Yost Center at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15. The concert will feature Russian dances and vocal and instrumental music, including selections on balalaika and accordion. The program is the third event in the 2001-02 Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts (HBPA) series.
The Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival, a festival of Russian song, dance and music was created by Nikolai Massenkoff as an expression of a lifelong love for his heritage and culture. Schooled in classical music, dance and drama, Massenkoff specialized in voice and studied with such masters as Tito Gobbi, Alexander Kipnis and George London in Italy, Austria and the United States.
Nikolai Massenkoff's story began in northern China where he was born of a Russian mother and a Russian/Mongolian father. Nikolai found his passion for the music of Russia in a Russian Orthodox orphanage. His rich voice was discovered while he was chanting ancient religious chants. Massenkoff took these childhood songs with him on his journey to artistic maturity.
Nikolai Massenkoff has since performed on concert stages worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, with symphony orchestras in the United States and abroad, for an audience of 90,000 at Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Korea, and on national and international television. In the Soviet Union Nikolai participated in the Fourth International Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow.
Tickets range from $11 to $14 with discounts available for students and senior citizens. Call 620-327-8158 for reservations or more information. Upcoming HBPA events include Preservation Hall Jazz Band (7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5, Memorial Hall, Bethel College, North Newton, Kan.) and Borromeo String Quartet (3 p.m., Sunday, April 14, Memorial Hall, Bethel College, North Newton, Kan.).