Biographies

Violinist Ben Sayevich has established himself as one of the most distinguished violinists and teachers of his generation. Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, he studied violin in Vilnius from the age of 6 at the Churlonis School for the Performing Arts. At 12 he immigrated to Israel with his family and studied with Felix Andrievsky. At age 21, after serving in the Israeli Army, he went to the United States to study with Dorothy DeLay, later moving to the New England Conservatory to continue studies with her (1981-85) and with Eric Rosenblith (1985-87). He is a recipient of the prestigious artist diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he was Rosenblith’s teaching assistant.

Sayevich has concertized extensively throughout North America, Europe and the Far East and has appeared on radio and television as a soloist and chamber musician. He is featured as the soloist in a recording of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. At the New England Conservatory he was chosen to play the Violin Concerto by Alban Berg for the celebration of the composer’s centenary. Sayevich’s interpretation carries the tradition that comes down directly from the composer, through his work on the piece with the late Louis Krasner, the commissioner, dedicatee and the violinist at the work’s premiere.

His extensive activities with orchestras have included the concertmaster posts at the Kansas City Camerata and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, with both of which he made numerous concerto appearances, including Violin Concertos by Vieuxtemps, Glazunov, Mozart and Beethoven. He was also concertmaster of the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra during a five-week world tour of Japan, Singapore and Canada.

Sayevich also maintains a vigorous schedule as chamber musician. He is a founding member of the Park Piano Trio, established at Park University in 2006, and is violinist of the London-based Rosamunde Piano Trio. With the Rosamunde Trio he has performed widely in Europe, including appearances on BBC Radio London, Irish Public Radio in Cork and the Abbado Festival Bologna. He is also a founding member of Quartet Accorda, which began in the 1990s and was officially incorporated in 2002.

Sayevich has taught at the University of Kansas, the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway, at the New England Conservatory, the Hartt School of Music and the Yellow Barn Music Festival, in Vermont.

Sayevich is joined in concert by his wife, Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, a reputed concert pianist in her own right. Originally from Uzbekistan, Lisovskaya-Sayevich is part of the impressive faculty at Park International Center for Music. Serving as Director of Collaborative Piano, she works with students during the rehearsal process and accompanies them on piano during performances. Lolita was hired by Park ICM, her husband Ben said, because, “she had a special talent for musical collaboration . . . when you make music together with other people, you have to have a very similar imagination.” Lolita was born into a Tashkent musical family and began studying piano at the age of four. She won the first prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition. She entered the Tchaikovsky Special Music School and two years later was accepted to the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory under the tutelage of Vera Cornosteaeva, with whom she continued postgraduate study. She also studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park International Center for Music. Lolita has played as a soloist with orchestras all over the world.