Michael Jampolski was born in Baku in 1973 and now lives and works in Nuremberg, Germany. From an early age, he was engaged in academic illustration, architecture, and painting, completing several projects for university. At the age of thirteen, he received his first commissions for ink drawings and created his first oil paintings.

After graduating from university, Jampolski moved to Moscow, where he studied under local painters — masters of the art movement known as the “Severe Style.” While in Moscow, he took part in various artistic projects, fulfilled numerous private commissions, and developed designs for jewelry. Later, he returned to his homeland, Azerbaijan, where he continued his creative work and produced a series of oil paintings.

In 2003, Jampolski moved to Germany, where he continued to work intensively, creating series of graphic works, photographs, and, most importantly, oil paintings. Through this extensive work, he began to shape his own artistic concept. His participation in numerous cultural projects has made him a recognized figure in the German art scene. Jampolski’s works have been exhibited in many art shows, galleries, and cultural centers across Germany and Italy, as well as in exhibitions in Monaco, Hamburg, and Milan.

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Born in Moldova, Diana Volman holds a master’s degree in piano performance from the Moldova State Conservatory of Music. She is the winner of the Sixth International Čiurlionis Competition and was awarded first prize in the Rachmaninoff All-State Competition. She finished conservatory with the highest honors, and was offered a place on the faculty upon graduation. During her tenure, she was highly regarded as an interpreter of contemporary Moldavian and Ukrainian composers, and was frequently asked to debut their pieces and serve as editor of their published music. Her teachers include such eminent pianists as Vitaly Margulis, Dimitri Bashkirov, and Yevgeny Shenderovich.

In 1990, Diana immigrated to Los Angeles where she has taken on an active role in the cultural life of the Russian community. As Music Director of the Unity and Diversity Arts Foundation, she has spearheaded myriad events comprising many internationally distinguished artists. A sought-after accompanist, she has given highly acclaimed performances in such venues as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Thousand Oaks Civic Auditorium, and the San Gabriel Auditorium, collaborating with such eminent artists as Anatoly Berkovich, Daniel Smith, Mariana Popzlateva, and Timur Abdikeev, among numerous others. She has organized many fundraisers within the Jewish community which bring the sacred art of cantorial music into modern life.

In 2013, she was elected president of the Russian Advisory Board of the City of West Hollywood. In March 2013, she was invited to Jerusalem to record a solo CD of her repertoire, which is set to be released at the end of this year. She enjoys a career as a respected piano teacher whose students have gone on to attend prestigious music conservatories such as the Berklee College of Music, and is frequently asked to judge national competitions for young performers.
She is a proud mother of three successful children.

Farida Goychayeva is a Professor of Slavic Languages at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington. She holds Master of Arts degrees in Education, Linguistics, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

An experienced educator, Farida developed her own approach to foreign language teaching, which she has successfully applied in her classroom. In 2000, she organized and taught ESL classes for low-income immigrant families. While teaching ESL at Jewish Family Services, she also created an ESL theater program for her students, using performance as a creative tool for language learning.

Farida also has a background in music. As a singer, pianist, and composer, she has been an active performer with the Ethnic Heritage Council of Seattle and the Cantorei Choir in Bellevue, Washington, for many years. She and her students have participated in numerous international festivals in the Seattle area.

Farida was the founder and director of Carabaras Musical Theater, which staged original musicals in English and Russian written by Farida herself. In 2010, the theater received a diploma from the American Association for Russian Language, Culture and Education and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States.

In 2012, Farida organized and directed Tanzania in My Heart, a six-hour international musical charity marathon.

As a composer, Farida has written music set to classical poetry in nine languages: English, German, French, Russian, Turkish, Azeri, Spanish, Italian, and Polish. She also translates poetry from English, German, Russian, and Azeri.

Farida is the author of three songbooks for children in English, Russian, and German. Her English songbook for children has become popular among English teachers in Israel.

Throughout her career dramatic soprano Alla Markovich who hails from Belarus has enjoyed roles of Salome, Iolanta, Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zemfira (Aleko), Mimi (La Boheme), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin) and other roles performing with St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Opera, Opera Idaho, Opera Cultura, Belarus Music Academy Opera Studio. A winner of Jāzeps Vītols International Competition, Latvia and Bettina von Bernstorff Award, Germany, she performed in Verdi’s Requiem and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder on concert stage with Boise Philharmonic (Boise, ID) and One World Symphony (New York City) orchestras, as well as on stages of St. Petersburg Grand Philharmonic Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, San Diego H&M Artist Foundation and Peterhof Palace in Russia. She championed contemporary music performing works by Prokofiev and Shostakovich, premiering songs by Russian composers S. Slonimsky, V. Uspensky and S. Oskolkov.

Alla Markovich has studied voice at Belarus Music Academy, Berlin Hans Eisler Hochschüle für Musik and St. Petersburg Conservatory where she received Doctor of Music Art degree. She also studied with great singers Fedora Barbieri, Galina Vishnevskaya and Vladimir Atlantov.

The life of Evgenia Gennadia-Willis has not followed the traditional path often found in the art world. Serving as an inspiration to those that seek to realize their dreams and desires Evgenia has not only enjoyed professional success in Architecture but has now realized her lifelong dream of becoming a professional artist and educator. 

Born in the Russian city of Archangelsk Evgenia attended both regular and art schools. She then continued her education in Warsaw, Poland where she completed High School with Summa cum Laude. Returning to Russia she obtained her degree in Architecture. Thereafter she supervised major government construction projects all the while continuing her art education on her own. 

After moving to the United States, she had the opportunity to dedicate herself entirely to art. In 1999 she received her Degree in Graphic Design from Platt College in Newport Beach, California. The computer knowledge served as a great support as her education continued in Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, California. In 2009 she completed bachelor’s degree with Summa cum Laude and in 2013 master’s in fine Art. 

From 2003 until 2007 Evgenia exhibited her artwork at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, California. She is also a cofounder of United Society of Pastel Artists (USPA), 2006 and an active member of various professional societies including Russian-American Art Foundation in West Hollywood. 
Evgenia has experience working as an Art Teacher in “Russian Kids’ Studio,” located at the University of California, Irvine and giving private art lessons to people of various ages, artistic abilities, and cultural backgrounds. From year 2014 she is an associate faculty member and an art show curator at the Emeritus Institute of the Saddleback College. Her art studio is located at the Open Market OC, 24000 Laguna Hills Mall, California.

Looking back on her long path in life and ongoing dream of becoming an artist she believes that her versatile education and life experiences form the basis of her artistic success today. 

Vladimir Derkach (b. 1964, Lyubertsy, near Moscow) grew up in Crimea before studying at the prestigious Surikov Institute in Moscow. After several years teaching and directing art schools in Russia and Crimea, he immigrated to the United States in 1996, settling in Santa Monica, California.

Derkach is recognized for his vivid landscapes and evocative portrayals of historic architecture. Working in oil, acrylic, pencil, and printmaking, he combines realism and impressionism within a strong plein air tradition. His career spans teaching, exhibitions, and the creation of works held in international collections.

Rooted in his Russian and Crimean heritage yet shaped by the California light, his art bridges cultures while celebrating the beauty of nature and architecture.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tatiana Khmilinina earned her MFA in Environmental Design from the Academy of Art and Design. While working with the St. Petersburg Institute of Design, she participated in projects related to the preservation and development of St. Petersburg’s historic center.

In 1991, Tatiana moved to Los Angeles, where she earned a certificate in Multimedia Design from UCLA and worked with many talented creative professionals, including Susan Summers.

In 2007, she joined Farmers Insurance, where she continues to work today. Over the years, she has held a variety of creative and design roles, including web designer, visual and creative designer, and UX designer.

Tatiana’s artwork has been exhibited in various art shows in the United States, including the 2004 Russian-American Art Exhibition II: Unity in Diversity, as well as in Russia and Hungary.

In 2011, Tatiana was recognized by the United States Congress and the House of Representatives for her participation in the 2nd Annual W Art Exhibition.

Nazim Hajiyev is an Azerbaijani painter, art director, production designer, and muralist.
Born in Azerbaijan, he is a visionary scenographer and visual artist whose career spans more than four decades.

In his early years, Mr. Hajiyev studied scenic art and painting in Azerbaijan, developing a strong interest in the visual arts from a young age. He continued his artistic career at the Azerbaijan State Cinema Studio, where he worked as a chief artist on various film productions. In 1988, he served as chief artist for the film Naughty, shot in Baku, which was later ranked among the world’s top 35 films. In 1991, he was awarded the Azerbaijan State Prize.

With a solid foundation in fine art and a deep passion for visual storytelling, Mr. Hajiyev has helped define the look and atmosphere of numerous award-winning films and international productions. His practice brings together cinema, painting, and spatial design, positioning him as a uniquely influential creative force across both screen and built environments. Among his major achievements are 11 film productions as art director, including the Emmy-nominated miniseries Arabian Nights (2000).

As an artist, Nazim Hajiyev introduces Esotericism, a visionary art movement that merges religious symbolism, mystical philosophy, and abstract form.
First realized in his 1997 oil paintings, Mr. Hajiyev’s work transforms spiritual and philosophical ideas into layered visual narratives that invite reflection, interpretation, and exploration.

Dr. Maxim Kuzin
Lecturer/Conductor, UCSB Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir
University of California, Santa Barbara

Ukrainian-born conductor Dr. Maxim Kuzin serves as Lecturer and Conductor of the UCSB Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also serves as Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, and has earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting from UCLA, where he studied with Professor Neal Stulberg.

Before arriving in the United States in 2014, Dr. Kuzin held several prominent positions in Ukraine, including Music Director of the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras at the Reinhold Glière Kyiv Institute of Music and Head of the Opera Preparation Department at the Dnipro Glinka Conservatory of Music. He has also served as Music Director of the Kryvyi Rih Music Theatre and the Ricochet New Music Ensemble of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine. In addition, he has worked as a conductor with the President’s National Orchestra of Ukraine, the Kyiv National Operetta Theatre, and the Opera Theatre of the National Tchaikovsky Music Academy of Ukraine.

Dr. Kuzin has toured Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia, and has appeared as a guest conductor with orchestras in Eastern Europe and the United States. His guest conducting engagements include the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in Kyiv, the Georgian National Symphony Orchestra in Tbilisi, the Vladivostok Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia, the UCLA Philharmonia and UCLA Symphony, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, and others.

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dr. Kuzin began his musical studies at the age of seven at the Lysenko Boarding Music School for Gifted Children, specializing in choral singing and conducting, with piano as a secondary area of study.

Dr. Kuzin is a recipient of the Elaine Krown Klein Fine Arts Scholarship Award and was designated an “Emerging Artist” by Symphony magazine, published by the League of American Orchestras.

Pianist Alla Konviser began her professional career in Russia after receiving her Master’s degree in Piano Performance. She held the position of concertmaster and piano coach at the Minsk State Musical and Pedagogical Academy.

For more than 20 years, Alla has been an accompanist and musical collaborator for many Los Angeles-based musicians and performers, including international star Aida Vedischeva, Bulgarian National Musical Theatre soloist Mariana Popzlateva, Romanian singer Carina Cheriach, Russian opera singer Gregory Rusanovsky, award-winning classical vocalist Veronica Bell, and many others.

For the past 15 years, Ms. Konviser has also worked with legendary violin virtuoso Daniel Shindarov. She has appeared in numerous music festivals, concerts, and television programs.

Alla’s broad musical interests, versatility, and exceptional technical skills allow her to move seamlessly between different musical styles, from classical to pop and jazz, making her an invaluable collaborator for the musicians she works with.

In addition to her active performing career, Ms. Konviser serves as a faculty member in the music and ballet departments at Santa Monica College, the Joffrey Ballet Company, and Idyllwild Arts Academy. She also teaches and coaches private piano students.