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Alaska Airlines' Autumn Classics in Ketchikan

  • Holy Name Catholic Church 433 Jackson Street, ket Sitka, Alaska 99835 USA (map)

Tickets on sale August 5

Join our Grammy-winning Artistic Director, Zuill Bailey, alongside Yuriy Bekker, Concertmaster and Artistic Director of the Charleston Symphony, and Eduard Zilberkant, pianist and conductor of the Fairbanks Symphony, for a captivating evening of piano trios.

About the Artists

Zuill Bailey
Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has made him one of the most sought after and active cellists today.

Mr. Bailey has been featured with symphony orchestras and music festivals worldwide. He won the Best Solo Performance Grammy Award in 2017, for his recording of Michael Daugherty’s “Tales of Hemingway,” with the Nashville Symphony led by Giancarlo Guerrero. His extensive discography includes his newest release – the world premier recording of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Cello Concerto with the Santa Rosa Symphony. In 2021 he released his second recording of the Bach Cello Suites for PS Audio’s Octave Records label, recorded and mixed in stereo and multichannel sound.

He appeared in a recurring role on the HBO series “Oz,” and has been heard on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “Tiny Desk Concert,” “Performance Today,” “Saint Paul Sunday,” BBC’s “In Tune,” XM Radio’s “Live from Studio II,” Sirius Satellite Radio’s “Virtuoso Voices,” and his latest disc of Bach Suites was the disc of the week on Sirius’ Symphony Hall.

Mr. Bailey received his Bachelor’s Degree from the Peabody Conservatory where he was named the 2014 Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumni, and received a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School. He performs on the “rosette” 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet.

He is the Artistic Director of El Paso Pro-Musica (Texas), the Sitka Summer Music Festival/Series and Cello Seminar, (Alaska), Juneau Jazz and Classics, (Alaska), the Northwest Bach Festival (Washington), Classical Inside Out Series- Mesa Arts Center (Arizona) and is Director of the Center for Arts Entrepreneurship and Professor of Cello at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has secured his place as one of the most sought after and active cellists today.

A consummate concerto soloist, Mr. Bailey has been featured with symphony orchestras worldwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Indianapolis, Dallas, Louisville, Honolulu, Milwaukee, Nashville, Toronto, Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, Israel, Cape Town, Philharmonia (UK) and the Bruchner Orchestra in Linz, Austria. He has collaborated with such conductors as Itzhak Perlman, Alan Gilbert, Andrew Litton, Neeme Jarvi, Giancarlo Guerrero, James DePriest, Jun Markl, Carlos Kalmar, Andrey Boreyko, Krzysztof Urbanski, Jacques Lacombe, Grant Llewellyn and Stanislav Skrowaczewski. He also has been featured with musical luminaries Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, the Juilliard String Quartet, Lynn Harrell and Janos Starker.

Mr. Bailey has appeared at Disney Hall, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St. Y and Carnegie Hall, where he made his concerto debut performing the U.S. premiere of Miklos Theodorakis’ “Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra.” In addition, he made his New York recital debut in a sold out performance of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bailey also presented the U.S. premiere of the Nico Muhly Cello Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. World premieres include works by composers such as Lowell Lieberman, Phillip Lasser, Roberto Sierra, Alistair Coleman, Benjamin Wallfisch, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Jeff Lippencott and Michael Daugherty.

His international appearances include notable performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in its 50th anniversary tour of Russia as well as concerts in Ukraine, Korea, Australia, the Dominican Republic, France, Israel, Spain, South Africa, Hong Kong, Jordan, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom. Festival appearances include Ravinia, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Manchester Cello Festival (UK), Wimbledon (UK), Consonances- St. Nazaire ( France), Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Deia Music Festival- Mallorca (Spain), Montreal (Canada), Santa Fe, Caramoor, Chautauqua, Bravo!, Vail Valley, Maverick Concert Series, Brevard, Interlochen, Cape Cod and the Music Academy of the West. In addition, he was the featured soloist performing the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Bard Festival in the World Premiere of the Doug Varr

Yuriy Bekker
Yuriy Bekker is a critically acclaimed conductor, violinist, and passionate community ambassador. He has led the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as Artistic Director since 2021, while concurrently serving as Concertmaster since 2007 and Principal Pops Conductor since 2016. Bekker previously served as the orchestra’s Acting Artistic Director from 2010 to 2014 and has long demonstrated vision and dedication to the CSO. In 2011, he received the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award from the City of Charleston in recognition of his cultural contributions to the community.

Bekker is currently Distinguished Professor of Practice at the College of Charleston School of the Arts (CofC), serving as Director of the College of Charleston Orchestra, where he has engaged internationally renowned soloists such as Augustin Hadelich and Sarah Chang, leading to sold-out performances. In 2023, Bekker led the CofC Orchestra on its first tour, culminating in a Kennedy Center debut. He previously served as Music Director of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight Chamber Music Series and is co-founder of the Charleston Chamber Music Intensive, a summer program for high school and college-aged musicians. During the summer, he also regularly serves on the faculty of both the Gingold Chamber Music Festival in Miami, FL and the Nelli Shkolnikova Academy in the Loire Valley, France.

In 2025, a multi-year initiative reached its peak when the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Youth Symphony, and College of Charleston Orchestra shared the stage at Carnegie Hall in a gala celebrating Charleston’s vibrant cultural community — and marking Maestro Bekker’s Carnegie conducting debut. His vision, fundraising, and tireless advocacy made this extraordinary evening possible.

Yuriy Bekker has performed internationally as a guest concertmaster, chamber musician, conductor, and soloist. He has served as concertmaster of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, and has held positions with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Ballet. In addition to performing over a dozen violin concerti with the CSO, he has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Vancouver Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony. His festival and venue appearances include the European Music Festival (Stuttgart), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Spoleto Festival USA, Aspen Music Festival, The Kennedy Center, Chicago Chamber Music Society, and many others across the U.S. and abroad.

From the podium and in chamber settings, he has collaborated with artists including Itzhak Perlman, Augustin Hadelich, Gil Shaham, Sarah Chang, Joshua Roman, Alexander Kerr, Andres Cardenes, Robert DeMaine, and Ilya Kaler. As Principal Pops Conductor of the CSO, he has led performances with celebrated entertainers such as Ben Folds, Tony DeSare, Ellis Hall, Ranky Tanky, and Cirque de la Symphonie.

Bekker is a passionate champion of contemporary music. He has recorded new works by Edward Hart and Thomas Cabaniss to critical acclaim. His recording of Hart’s Under an Indigo Sky reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart. His debut CD, Twentieth Century Duos, received international praise and a nomination for the International Classical Music Awards.

Bekker earned a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Herbert Greenberg. He also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied violin with Nelli Shkolnikova and Ilya Kaler. His conducting teachers and mentors have been Christopher Wilkins, David Zinman, Imre Palló, and David Effron.

Born in Minsk, Belarus, Yuriy Bekker is now a proud U.S. citizen, husband to his wife, Jenny, and father to their children, Nathanael and Charlotte. He performs on the 1638 Franz Degen Andrea Guarneri violin, generously on loan from an anonymous patron.

Eduard Zilberkant
Eduard Zilberkant is an internationally acclaimed conductor, pianist, and educator.

Born in Russia, Eduard Zilberkant gave his first recital on Russian television at just 7 years old, and made his U.S. debut at age 12. He pursued advanced musical studies with prestigious mentors – including Jerome Rose, Vitaly Margulis, Theodore Lettvin, Robert Shaw, Robert Spano, Carl St. Clair and Louis Lane. He earned a Solisten Diploma from Freiburg Musik Hochschule as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, and completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Temple University in Philadelphia.

A Yamaha performing artist, Zilberkant has toured and performed across Europe, Canada, Asia, Middle East, and the United States in prestigious halls such as Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo, Academy of Music and Curtis Hall in Philadelphia, Merkin Hall in New York City, and the Volgograd Opera House in Russia. His solo piano CD, Zilberkant Plays Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, and Mussorgsky (ACA label), garnered critical acclaim for its depth and expressiveness.

For the past twenty-five years he has served as Music Director and Conductor of both the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra, ensembles that have grown in prominence under his leadership through innovative programming, international touring, and community outreach. Under his direction the orchestras have toured throughout Alaska, as well as in Canada, the U.S. mainland, Europe and Asia – including concert tours to Greece (Corfu, Samos), and International Gumi Music Festival (South Korea).

Zilberkant has conducted major orchestras across the globe, including the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic, Martinu Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini (Italy), Orchestra of Teatro di San Carlo (Italy), Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano (Italy), and Daegu Symphony Orchestra (South Korea).

Eduard Zilberkant is highly regarded as a teacher and clinician. Over the years he has held masterclasses at the Rubinstein Academy and the Cologne Musik Hochschule (Germany), International Keyboard Institute and Festival (NYC), Puccini Conservatory (Italy), Gumi International Music Festival (South Korea), Ionian Conservatory (Greece), and Tel Hai International Music Festival (Israel). His students have earned top honors in national and international piano competitions, and have international music careers.

Since 1997, Eduard Zilberkant has served as an Artist in Residence and Professor of Piano at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Eduard Zilberkant is a multifaceted force in the world of classical music: celebrated pianist, insightful conductor, dedicated educator, and community-builder. His artistic vision, technical finesse, and heartfelt performances continue to uplift audiences from Fairbanks to international stages. Under his leadership, the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and Arctic Chamber Orchestra flourish as vibrant cultural ambassadors of Alaska.

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July 12

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