Jennifer Chernick
All my life I’ve immersed myself in music, art, theater, dance and literature. My fondest memories center on music – composing for my highschool choir, giving lecture recitals at the piano, touring with the Stanford Chamber Chorale around the world, and playing chamber music. Being a musician enhances my experience of life in countless ways, especially by allowing me to connect with others in a unique and personal way.
Also, I’ve always loved creating new things – composing, writing, art projects, starting clubs, bringing new ideas together to solve problems. Creativity is a quality that I value highly and I believe that everyone has it! iCadenza allows me to combine my passions for music and creative thinking.
Studying Russian literature in college played a huge role in motivating what I do now. I’ve always been fascinated by individuals who saw the value of great art in times of unbearable political oppression and tyranny. For a rare few (for example, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Boris Pasternak), the arts served as the basis for a moral compass, and for defending the importance of individuality in the face of total repression. I believe exposure to and appreciation of the arts is a powerful way to bring out the good in humanity.
Julia Torgovitskaya
I was born in Moscow, Russia and moved to Los Angeles when I was five. I started piano lessons soon thereafter and enjoyed composing, singing in choirs, taking dance lessons, and surrounding myself with music. In my early teens, I discovered opera and by the time I started college, I was certain that I wanted to be an opera singer.
In college, I studied music and sang many lead roles with the Opera Ensemble, as well as a number of solo concerts. Meanwhile, I also felt called to explore other ways of reaching people, of impacting change in society. I had multiple internships and jobs in market research and consulting.
I am a stronger believer in the timeless nature of art. The commentary on human nature, social norms and limitations, and life’s fleeting nature often expressed in great art can be applied to any time period. Furthermore, I believes that fine art is a universal language that transcends politics and race and penetrates through one’s very identity to unify people in a way that no other medium can. It is critical that this force be kept alive, that people take opportunities to be moved by great music that stimulates them to reconsider their life’s choices, to feel something differently. By empowering artists to stand in the value of their abilities and to identify creative ways of sharing their talents, not only do they themselves benefit, but I believe society as a whole grows.
Greg Kastelman
Public Relations Manager
Greg Kastelman, Public Relations Manager at iCadenza and Booking Assistant at Cadenza Artists, was singing as soon he was talking. Beginning his career in music at a young age (in staged musicals!), he soon thereafter discovered what would become a life-long love of jazz and classical singing. When he was 12, he won a talent scholarship to study voice at the Hartwick Summer Music Festival in New York. He later honed his skills at Lincoln High School (performing arts magnate) and at Tufts University where he then discovered a new love: opera. He sang in the Tufts Opera Ensemble all four years, where he met Julia Torgovitskaya. The rest is, as they say, history.
Greg began his interest in pubic relations as a PR Assistant with the Tufts Music Department box office, assisting with the promotion of music concert programs in the then-brand new Granoff Music Center. At Tufts, he studied Psychology and Child Development, an inquest into the human condition and consciousness. Greg’s study of psychology gave him a deep appreciation for the way the behavior of performers, audiences and organizations shapes the world of professional music. Greg also lived in Madrid, Spain, for a total of fifteen months, where he had the opportunity to sing in front of King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero. After coming back to the state, Greg moved to New York City and joined Essential Voices USA, a choral group conducted by Judith Clurman. His most memorable experience there was singing at an 80th birthday celebration for Steven Sondheim at Carnegie Hall (where the man himself made an appearance).
Greg is thrilled to be back in his home state of California, where he can bring his passion for music, the arts, and public relations to iCadenza and Cadenza Artists. Greg believes whole-heartedly in the popular interpretation of the Shakespearian quote from Twelfth Night: “if music be the food of love, play on.”
Maria Elena Altany
Manager of Operations
Maria Elena Altany has been extensively involved in the arts from an early age. She began as a student of Spanish flamenco dance in the San Francisco Bay Area, eventually studying and performing with Emmy Award-winning dancer Yaelisa. She went on to receive her Bachelors of Music in vocal performance at Loyola University New Orleans after evacuating from Hurricane Katrina. She performed two lead operatic roles at Loyola and performed for 2 years with the New Orleans Opera Association as a chorus member and promotional soloist. Returning to California, she received her Masters of Music from Cal State Northridge, where she performed 3 roles, including the title role in The Ballad of Baby Doe. Since graduating in 2011, she has made her professional debut at Opera San Luis Obispo and will be heard this spring in Crescent City, a production of director Yuval Sharon’s new opera company The Industry LA.
Maria Elena has over 7 years of experience in staffing, where she developed her keen editorial eye for presentation in written materials and her strong sense of professionalism. A proud AGMA member, she believes strongly in the rights of artists and their professional obligations to each other and their craft. Since joining iCadenza, she helped launch the YouCadenza YouTube competition, one of the first-ever YouTube competitions for classical musicians. She most enjoys helping singers refine their materials and self-presentation and helping musicians of all kinds find new opportunities. Her blog “The Good Colleague” is a popular forum for artists to discuss what it means to be professional in artistic environments. She is also an active Yelper, and you can read her reviews from all over the country at mariaea.yelp.com.