The Las Vegas Sinfonietta in concert with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society

The Las Vegas Sinfonietta

A New Classical Baton in Town

BY KENDALL HARDIN / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS SINFONIETTA

The new kid on the local musical block is the Las Vegas Sinfonietta (LVS), a professional chamber orchestra founded by a passionate group of local musicians who perform extraordinary classical repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary works.

Since its founding six years ago in 2019, the chamber orchestra has delivered nearly 50 performances throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The Sinfonietta has grown to 30 members, all accomplished musicians in their own right, who pursue parallel careers as principals or section leaders of nationally recognized orchestras, as eminent chamber musicians or as master teachers of music.

The chamber orchestra strives to attain the highest standards in performing an array of classical repertoire for diverse audiences while regularly featuring outstanding soloists and guest conductors. As part of its active performance and touring schedule, the Sinfonietta has partnered with many other musical organizations, such as the Vegas City Opera, the Las Vegas Master Singers, the UNLV Chamber Chorale, the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society and the Las Vegas Academy.

At the center of this musical hubbub is the founding artistic director and conductor, Taras Krysa. The Ukrainian-born, American-based conductor has established a reputation for innovative and inspiring music-making throughout the United States and Europe. Krysa was appointed in 2016 as the music director and conductor of the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest professional orchestra in Ukraine, and serves as UNLV’s director of orchestras since moving to Las Vegas in 2006.

Born in Kyiv into a dynasty of professional musicians, Krysa was destined to become a distinguished violinist and conductor. His father, Oleh Krysa, is a prominent concert violinist, while his mother, Tatiana Tchekina, was a concert pianist. His grandfather, Pavel Tchekin, was a tenor at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

Krysa attended the Gnesin School of Music in Moscow before emigrating with his family to the United States in 1989. There, he continued his studies in conducting and violin at Indiana University and Northwestern University. He also received a prestigious fellowship to the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival.

His conducting and performance credits are far too long to list. Still, music lovers will note his work with esteemed groups, such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the New World Symphony, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Orchestra, the St. Louis Orchestra, the Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. In addition, he led the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and the Slovak Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra on several European and Asian tours.

Locally, Krysa played a critical role in developing the Henderson Symphony Orchestra in Nevada as its music director for nearly a decade. Under his leadership, the ensemble’s audience expanded tenfold, and its concerts became a treasured part of the cultural life of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Sinfonietta now marks an important new chapter in his career—one that aims to further expand and enhance the musical landscape throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Chic Compass: Now that the Las Vegas Sinfonietta has been established, how do you see it developing over the next decade?

Taras Krysa: We wanted to play chamber music, so we “morphed out of madness.” We began to perform informally. As we grew, we pieced together the organizational structure of the board, administration and funding support. We’ve kept our core values and high-quality programming over the last five years and created a unique musical energy that attracts audiences who respect our work.

We’re intent on filling a void in the city with a relatively unknown classical chamber repertoire in our town. We want to continue in that direction by challenging our musicians and audiences. I can see us expanding our educational reach into the schools, working collaboratively with other musical organizations and perhaps creating “edgier” cross-over programming with elements of jazz and rock, and even touring in the long run. All this will take additional logistics, funding and boots on the ground.

Chic Compass: What’s it like to be a Ukrainian-born, American-based conductor with one foot in Europe and another in the States, especially here in Las Vegas?

Taras Krysa: The logistics of working on two continents are brutal and exhausting these days, given tough travel logistics and the full-time demands of artistic direction. Of course, the opportunities and challenges afforded me have enriched my career. I’m now focusing more of my time in Las Vegas, as the Sinfonietta is a major venture for me.

Chic Compass: How do you approach conducting and artistic direction with the Sinfonietta, especially as an accomplished violinist?

Taras Krysa: We have several constituencies. First, our duty is to honor the will of the composer, so the conductor has to do due diligence and work on interpretation. The second group involves the musicians who bring the music to life with each other in trust with the conductor. The third constituency, of course, is the audience. We have to make critical choices in choosing composers, repertoire and performance venues that engage our audiences.

Mind you, highly skilled musicians have their own strong opinions as well. It’s a little like a democracy. The musicians entrust the conductor to lead, not as a dictator, but as a trusted ally and collaborator. Everything we do has to serve these three constituencies. The challenge here in America is how arts organizations are funded primarily through philanthropy rather than government funding, as is the embedded tradition in Europe. Ticket prices alone can’t sustain the Sinfonietta.

As we grow the Sinfonietta by developing new funding sources and hands-on support, we can’t give in to a lack of artistic vision or political will.

Chic Compass: What do you share with students who want to be conductors?

Taras Krysa: I tell them I don’t do it (laughter). Conducting is a very peculiar profession. It requires a lot of time, perseverance and inner strength. You don’t have an instrument at your disposal; you have to summon a live orchestra to practice your skills. You have to take a lot of criticism and rarely get feedback.

Most of what you learn is from accumulated experience acquired after you leave school with basic skills. Basically, you have to learn how to manage people, with all the differences in ages, cultures, egos and experiences. It helps to have a gifted, seasoned conductor as a mentor. Plus, you have to develop an ear for orchestration and love music. The good news is that we all want to play music, so we work at getting along to produce the best artistic outcome we can create together!

Chic Compass: What are your thoughts about what’s happening today in Ukraine with the country’s musicians and treasured orchestras?

Taras Krysa: Ukraine is a country where young democracy has taken place just over the last 25 years. I have observed a split between the younger generation, which embraces Western ideals, and the older generation, conditioned under Soviet rule, who doesn’t trust losing power. To see all of this while working in Ukraine is fascinating, and then come back to the States and witness the current polarization in our own country. It’s a great learning experience. Russia’s horrific aggression must be stopped, not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe and the West.
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Las Vegas Sinfonietta
Taras Krysa, Artistic Director
Alex Dzyubinsky, Concert Master
Gabriella Benavidez, Media

For more information on the Las Vegas Sinfonietta and upcoming events, visit www.lasvegassinfonietta.com.