Ania Helwing & Guests Present FEELINGS: CLOSED IN SCULPTURE AND A MUSICAL MOMENT

“FEELINGS: CLOSED IN SCULPTURE AND A MUSICAL MOMENT”

Ania Helwing – soprano
Katarzyna Helwing-Osuch – violin
Bartlomiej Helwing – guitar
Marina Roznitovsky Oster – harp
Tom Callahan – narrator
David Foster – sculpture

Local soprano, Ania Helwing, is joined by a talented group of guest musicians: her siblings from Poland, and a Reno harpist to present an American premiere of this special production that the Polish audience called “mesmerizing”.

The concert theme is feelings which are the universal motive through ages among the creators of music and art. This concert will take the audience on a journey through joy, sadness, and hope, through the vehicles of voice, guitar, violin, harp, and sculpture.

The sculpture’s lifeless material is transformed into harmonious figures thanks to the imagination and the soul of the sculptor. The presented artist is late eminent David Foster, known in the Lake Tahoe community for his fabulous marble, and bronze sculptures.
These figures, which are closed in a moment, have inspired us to tell an incredible musical story about feelings ever-surrounding love. The magical voice of Ania Helwing, and the instrumentalists: Katarzyna Helwing-Osuch (violin), Bartlomiej Helwing (guitar), and Marina Roznitovsky Oster (harp), together with a narrator, Tom Callahan, will magically blend sound and feelings to enliven the sculptures.

The repertoire encompasses Renaissance up to contemporary music in a variety of vocal and instrumental settings. First, the audience will hear Kreisler’s happy march, Dowland’s lyrical love songs, Handel’s operatic depiction of sadness, Mozart’s opera vernacular, Massenet’s romantic, expressive tone, contemporary harpist’s, Henson-Conant’s sad song for harp and voice, and “Habanera Gris” with a Latin soul. This emotional storm gets calmer in the second half of the concert when music soothes in a poetic song by the 20th century Brazilian Villa-Lobos, and the melodies of the Argentinian tango king – Piazzola. The happy tone is set for good with “Sambinha” by Machado, Piaf’s “Le Vie En Rose,” and Denver’s “Annie’s Song.”

• Ania Helwing, Soprano
  Born and raised in Poland, Ania Helwing is a classically trained soprano whose rich artistic journey reflects both deep academic grounding and global performance experience. She holds a Master’s degree in English and American Literature from the University of Wroc?aw, Poland, and is also a graduate of The School of Organ in Wroc?aw, where she began her formal musical studies with piano and organ.

  After immigrating to the United States in 2002, Ania pursued her lifelong passion for singing. She earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2008, studying under Dr.Katherine DeBoer. Since then, she has built a dynamic performance career, collaborating with orchestras, opera companies, and chamber ensembles throughout the Reno/Tahoe region, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and across Europe—including Poland, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, and Italy.

  Her repertoire spans opera, oratorio, cantata, and art song, with a special interest in crafting theme-based recitals that blend music with other artistic media such as visual art, dance, and light to enhance theatricality and emotional impact.

  In addition to her performance work, Ania has served as an adjunct faculty member at Lake Tahoe Community College, a choral conductor, and co-author of The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal, reflecting her commitment to vocal pedagogy and choral excellence.

  KATARZYNA HELWING-OSUCH, Violin

  Katarzyna started to play violin at 6 in Poland where she resides with her family.

  She holds a Master’s Degree in Violin from the Chopin Music University of Warsaw, Poland, and in Baroque Violin from Accademia Internazionale di Musica in Milan, Italy. She is a Laureate of many Violin competitions, e.g. First Prize in National Bach Competition in 1996, and Third Prize of International Chamber Ensembles Competition in Bruggie in 2003.

  She has collaborated, as a co-concertmaster, with such chamber orchestras as: „Concerto Avenna” and „Il Tempo” in Warsaw, Poland, as well as with United Europe Chamber Orchestra in Milan, Italy (as a principal second violinist). Currently, she performs with early music ensembles all over Poland and a local Jurassic Orchestra.

  Her achievements also include the recording of two Chopin Piano Concerti with Polish Festival Orchestra under the solo and conducting leadership of Krystian Zimerman with which she toured Europe and United States.

  Katarzyna is not just passionate about performing, but also teaching. She has been teaching violin in the music school in D?browa Górnicza, Poland since 2006. Her students win prizes in National and international competitions. Most recently, her student, Matilda Konarska, has won third prize in the International Competition, “Musical Orpheus”.

  MARINA ROZNITOVSKY OSTER, harp

  A native of Ukraine and raised in Israel, Marina started musical training at the age of 5. She focused on the harp at the age of 12, giving her first concerto performance just a year later. While a student, Marina won multiple competitions and received numerous awards, which led to her performing for the Israeli prime minister, Mr. Peres. Since then, she has performed with many professional orchestras in Europe and in the US, including a world tour with WED Orchestra under Mr. Barenboim. Some of her performances were broadcast on national television and radio.

  Marina studied with several world-renowned harpists and received her three degrees in Harp Performance from Indiana University. She is currently teaching at UNR and TMCC and is a principal harpist with the Reno Philharmonic and the Reno Chamber Orchestra. Marina is engaged in community outreach, promoting the harp in the Northern Nevada schools and leading a very active harp studio.

  BARTLOMIEJ HELWING, guitar

  He holds a Master’s Degree in Guitar from the Conservatory of Music in Wroc?aw, Poland. He has been a recipient of many awards at international and national guitar competitions (in Koszalin, Gda?sk, Cracow, Fuggi).

  He has performed in Poland, Italy, Germany, and United States among the others. Bart?omiej is a member of Wroc?aw Guitar Quartet. He also collaborates regularly with Wroc?aw Opera, and in a role of a mandolinist, with a Bluegrass band, “Bluegrass Destroyers”.

  Besides an extensive performing career, he has been a guitar instructor at one of Wroc?aw music schools.