Child Prodigy Cellist to Join Moscow Ballet Soloist on Stage

Moscow Ballet will present a special collaboration at the December 2 performance of the Great Russian Nutcracker at the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont... Child prodigy cellist, 16-year old Ben Solomonow, will open the performance playing Saint Saens' "The Dying Swan," accompanied by a Moscow Ballet ballerina dancing the time-honored choreography.

Click here to see legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya dance Saint Saens' "The Dying Swan."

Moscow Ballet celebrates Ben Solomonow and his many achievements! Currently a sophomore at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Ill., he began playing the cello at age 5. And at just 16 years old, he has already earned top prizes in several competitions, including at the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers, the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra Competition, the junior and senior divisions of the Society of American Musicians Competition, and the junior and senior divisions of the Walgreens National Concerto Competition. Solomonow's past chamber music groups have won awards, as well, such as a bronze medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music competition, and honorable mentions at the Rembrandt Competition and the Discover National Chamber Music Competition.

Solomonow is a member of the Midwest Young Artists (MYA), where he is the principal cellist of the Symphony Orchestra; he has soloed with the MYA Concert Orchestra and the MYA Symphony Orchestra, as well as with the Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Oistrach Symphony Orchestra, the Knox-Galesburg Symphony Orchestra, and the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he performs regularly as a chamber musician and soloist in and around the Chicago area. Since 2009, Solomonow has been a summer scholarship student at the Meadowmount School of Music in New York, and has also participated in the Young Artists Program at Canada's National Arts Centre.

Featured twice on the WFMT radio show Introductions and NPR's From the Top radio program (pictured above, performing on From the Top), Solomonow has also collaborated with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Pacifica Quartet. He has performed Gregor Piatigorsky’s "Variations on a Paganini theme"—a first in the U.S., aside from the famed musician's premier of the piece. Solomonow, currently playing on a cello made by William Whedbee, has also played in master classes for Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Shmuel Ashkenasi, William Preucil, Josef Silverstein, Alice Shoenfeld, and the Avalon Quartet.

Another accomplishment of which Solomonow was a part...

Under the direction of Maestro/Director of Orchestras Charles Abplanalp (pictured left), Evanston Township High School was one of 14 schools nationwide to be named a 2009 Grammy Signature School for Excellence in Music Education.

Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker is Returning
To the Chicago Area with 20th Anniversary Production!

The special 20th Anniversary production of Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker in 2012 overflows with a spectacular new "Dove of Peace," where 2 dancers become one stunning bird, inspired by the early works of Stanislov Vlasov, original choreographer and director of Moscow Ballet's inaugural Great Russian Nutcracker. The production also features a Christmas tree that grows to 7 stories tall; falling snow and Troika-styled sleigh escorted by Russian folk characters Ded Moroz (Father Christmas) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden); towering hand-made silk puppets; 200 all new, lavish costumes; and 9 hand-painted backdrops, all set to Pyotr Tchaikovsky's complete Nutcracker Suite score.

For 20 years, Great Russian Nutcracker performances have featured the finest Russian ballerinas and danseurs. From former Bolshoi soloist Stanislov Vlasov and partner Lilia Sabitova (People's Artist of Russia) in 1993 to the classic Marina Alexandrova and Vitaly Zabelin in 1996; danseur and upstart choreographer Anatolie Emelianov and Honored Artist of Russia Tatiana Predenia in 2002; Varna IBC Gold Medalists Cristina and Alexei Terentiev in 2006; and award winning partners Karyna Shatkovskaya and Vladimir Tkachenko in 2011. Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker celebrates 20 years of soaring holiday spirit!