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Thursday, June 30 at 1 p.m. – Backstage Pass with Irina Lupines and Lyudmila Lakisova

(Rochester, NY) – Julia Figueras welcomes Irina Lupines and Lyudmila Lakisova for piano four-hands on Backstage Pass, airing Thursday, June 30 at 1 p.m. on Classical 91.5/FM-HD 91.5-1. Lupines and Lakisova will perform live in studio, while host Figueras asks them about the logistics of four-hands on one keyboard, and their histories being together and apart.

Natives from Belarus, Lupines and Lakisova graduated from the Special Music School for Gifted Children affiliated with the Belarus State Conservatory of Music, where they frequently performed as a piano duo. Lupines and Lakisova enjoyed their collaboration so much that after immigrating to the United States they found each other again and reunited in their music making in 2007. Since then they have performed for various venues in the Chicago and Rochester areas, including Summer Concerts at Eastman and the Northbrook Library Concert Series, where the Duo had appeared with Tutti Chamber Orchestra.Their performances have evoked enthusiastic responses by audiences, whose comments addressed "an exciting musical collaboration, mature artistry, bold, fresh energy, passion, personal warmth, and virtuosity".

Backstage Pass is a live, hour-long radio series that is committed to highlighting performing artists – giving Classical 91.5/90.3/FM-HD 91.5-1 listeners the opportunity to hear local and visiting musicians performing live. The series is made possible in part by a grant from the Gouvernet Arts Fund at Rochester Area Community Foundation. The program will repeat Sunday, July 3 at 2 p.m.on Classical 91.5.

Pictured: Irina Lupines and Lyudmila Lakisova
Credit: Sasha Andruzheychik

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