FORT LAUDERDALE — Precocious, 14-year-old musician Anna Litvinenko has earned the title prodigy.
Born in 1993 in Kherson, Ukraine, Anna immigrated to the United States at the age of three with her parents, Cuban-born pianist Sahily Cánovas, and Ukrainian-born cellist Konstantin Litvinenko.
At five, her innate musical talents led her to begin studying piano with her mother. The following year, she began playing the cello with her father. Two years later, she was playing the cello with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, and the following year won first place in their concerto competition, playing Haydn’s Concerto in C Major.
By the age of 11, she had performed with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall in New York. She has since gone on to win numerous awards and honors for her performances.
On Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Litvinenko will join high school, college and professional musicians from the The Walenstein Symphony Orchestra to perform ‘A Romantic Evening with Tchaikovsky.’
The program will include some of the Russian composer’s greatest works including “Capriccio Italien,” “Symphony No. 6 in B Minor” and “Variations on a Rococo Theme.”
As part of the Arts Access initiative by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the orchestra will have the opportunity to perform to a room full of classical music enthusiasts. The Broward Center’s Arts Access Program is designed to help small community groups stage performances using the Broward Center’s facilities and resources. Arts Access participants receive a credit toward the cost of renting Broward Center facilities, as well as professional advice from Broward Center staff members.
Romel Joseph, executive director of The Walenstein Musical Organization, is excited about the chance to perform live in South Florida, a dream he has had since he was 13.
“I think we are very fortunate to do this performance. The Broward Center offered a lot of support through the whole process from planning to marketing and even technical support. We are very grateful,” Joseph told the South Florida Times.
As a professional violinist, Joseph received a Fulbright scholarship and attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where he earned his master’s degree in violin performance.
He later created the Walenstein Symphony Orchestra as the newest entity of The Walenstein Musical Organization, a non-profit organization that was founded in 1996 to provide music education and performance opportunities to the Haitian community. It later expanded its mission to include other communities in 1999.
“It’s going to be a very special concert because we’re going to have guest artists from out of town and we are expecting a wonderful performance from the diverse musicians. I’m looking forward to the South Florida community coming out and enjoying a romantic evening of music,” Joseph concluded.
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Photo: Romel Joseph
IF YOU GO
WHAT: The Walenstein Symphony Orchestra’s A Romantic Evening with Tchaikovsky
WHERE: The Broward Center for The Performing Arts; Amaturo Theater, 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale.
WHEN: Saturday September 20 at 7:30pm
COST: Tickets are $10, $22, $37 and $52.
CONTACT: Broward Center’s Box Office at 954-462-0222 or online at www.browardcenter.org or www.walenstein.org
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