Maksim Velichkin

Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Maksim Velichkin

Maksim Velichkin is an accomplished cellist, pianist, and harpsichordist who has been active as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra artist among an international circle featuring venerable conductors and headlining classical stars. He has worked with James Levine, Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, Yuri Temirkanov, Wolfgang Sawallish, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Sarah Chang, Maxim Vengerov, Yuri Bashmet, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Bobby Mc Ferrin, Joshua Bell, Martha Argerich, Gabriela Montero, Renaud Capucon, Lynn Harrell, Misha Maisky, Frans Helmerson as well as many others. Maksim’s performances have been featured on Radio Swiss Romande, WQED FM in Pittsburgh, National Radio and Television of Uzbekistan. Moreover, as an improviser and interpreter of contemporary and popular music Maksim’s performance and recording career includes credits with noted musical celebrities Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Billy Childs, Burt Bacharach, Bobby McFerrin, Dwight Trible, Bitter:Sweet, Chris Botti, Bob James, Josh Groban, Red Elvises, Bernadette Peters, Natalie Cole, Alan Silvestri, Richard Thompson and many others. He performs and tours frequently with the Verbier Chamber Orchestra throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Maksim Velichkin has also been active as a collaborative pianist having performed numerous recitals with instrumentalists and singers. As a duo pianist, he has performed J.S.Bach's Concerto for Two Pianos in c minor at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh, and Saint-Saens's Carnival of the Animals in Sydney, Australia.

Maksim has also collaborated with Los Angeles Sacred Fools theatre on the production of "Claire Z" , the music for which he had created and performed on both cello and piano. As a film composer, Maksim has participated in the creation of the soundtrack for the short film "Through The Air To Calais Or The Wonderful Cruise Of Blanchard's Baloon", the music for which he improvised on the harpsichord and the cello.

Maksim’s recent projects include a recording project for EMI with Maxim Vengerov and Verbier Chamber Orchestra, participation as a harpsichordist at the Bachwoche festival in Berlin, where among other pieces he performed Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #5 with members of Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, USA tour with the Hutchins Consort, European tour with Martha Argerich and Verbier Chamber Orchestra. He has released 3 albums of his piano improvisations, one of which was recently featured on KPFK’s Global Village show.

Maksim is a member of the Hutchins Consort and the Divan Consort.

Concert Dates

Homage to Bach

  • May 4th, 2014 - The Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale California

2013

  • August 28, 2013 - Music@Mimoda - Los Angeles, California
  • July 22, 2013 - Los Angeles, California