Aviva Chertok

Description

Russian American violinist Aviva Chertok has performed around the U.S. as well as in England, Israel, Canada, China, and Italy (virtually). An avid string quartet player, Aviva won numerous awards, including 1st place at the Discover National Chamber Competition and the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, and silver medal at the St. Paul International String Quartet Competition. She has been featured on radio stations across the U.S., including Chicago’s WFMT, The Public’s Radio in Rhode Island, and on NPR’s From the Top.

Aviva earned her M.M. in violin performance in 2018 from the Royal College of Music, studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Michal Cwizewicz. While in the U.K., Aviva served as assistant concertmaster of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, and performed at the Austrian Cultural Forum and the V&A Museum. Aviva holds a B.M. in violin performance with Honors from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Andrew Jennings.
Aviva lives in the Chicago area, where she is currently performing two programs: "Travel Diaries" with classical guitarist Liel Amdour, and her original work, a theatrical concert of Jewish classical music titled "Meet Me in a Moment."

Work Sample

"Travel Diaries" invites audiences to take a trip around the world, with music for classical guitar and violin from Argentina to America, and across the ocean to France, Romania and Spain. The program includes music by the revolutionary Argentine tango composer, Astor Piazzolla and the trailblazing adventurer Béla Bartók. Other composers include the eclectic Frenchman Jacques Ibert, the innovative American Lukas Foss, and Israeli Daniel Akiva. We tell stories about the composers while introducing audiences to beautiful and unique music from many cultures. An engaging and fun program for kids, adults, schools, and community centers.

1-Hour program:
- Piazzolla - Dernier Lamento, Detresse
- Lukas Foss - 3 American Pieces (1944)
- Jacques Ibert - Entr’acte, Histoires
- Daniel Akiva - Desielda à la Morena  3min
- Bartok - Romanian Folk Dances 7 min

"Meet Me in a Moment" - a theatrical concert of Jewish classical music, written and directed by violinist Aviva Chertok.
Running time: 65 minutes. Cast: 2 musicians (piano, violin), 1 actor

"Meet Me in a Moment" presents a unique fusion of classical music concert and theatrical play. Opening the door to the lives of four great Jewish composers, each musical selection is followed by a scene from the composer's life. Step back in time to the living room of Ernest Bloch, join a rehearsal with Paul Ben-Haim, and attend a meeting of the Society of Jewish Folk Music in St. Petersburg with Lazare Saminsky. The program also features a special screening of an interview with modern-day GRAMMY-nominated composer, Jonathan Leshnoff. 

Written and directed by violinist Aviva Chertok, "Meet Me in a Moment" is a unique show that brings audiences the beauty of Jewish classical music while immersing them in Jewish history and culture.
Ms. Chertok was awarded the Jewish United Fund's 2021 Tikkun Fellowship Grant, which sponsored the first performances of "Meet Me in a Moment". More showings are planned for 2022.

"Travel Diaries" is a solid example of my extensive experience as a chamber musician. Essentially the artistic director of our duo, I decided on a marketable program title, researched and planned out our repertoire, and acted as a booking agent to find us opportunities to present the program in our community. The sample of Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances highlights our technical abilities as a duo, and our choice of celebrating cultures around the world with music like this Hungarian folk piece.
The trailer for "Meet Me in a Moment" gives a brief look at a special program that I researched, organized, and performed to introduce audiences to Jewish culture, history, and music while presenting classical music in a totally fresh way. This showcases my desire to include and engage new audiences, think outside of the box, and educate and inspire listeners through music. 

History

I have performed around the U.S. as well as in England, Israel, Canada, China, and Italy (virtually). An avid string quartet player, I won numerous awards, including 1st place at the Discover National Chamber Competition and the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, and silver medal at the St. Paul International String Quartet Competition. I have been featured on radio stations across the U.S., including Chicago’s WFMT, The Public’s Radio in Rhode Island, and on NPR’s From the Top.

I earned my M.M. in violin performance in 2018 from the Royal College of Music, studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Michal Cwizewicz. While in the U.K., I served as assistant concertmaster of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, and performed at the Austrian Cultural Forum and the V&A Museum. I hold a B.M. in violin performance with Honors from the University of Michigan, where I studied with Andrew Jennings.
I currently live in the Chicago area, where I was a Regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 2020, and now currently perform as a soloist for weddings, corporate events, and recitals, and as a chamber musician in multiple ensembles around the city. I am also an avid teacher with a private studio of over 25 violin students.

Artistic Vision

I want to bring the joy of live classical music to a wider audience through educational, approachable, and beautiful programs. I love collaborating with others in small chamber ensembles, such as a my guitar and violin duo and the "Meet Me in a Moment" theatrical show. This allows me to forge strong connections with fellow artists and also make my programs affordable and logistically easy to organize, so that we can share performances more frequently and in diverse community spaces. I hope to be able to share my love of classical music, and my recent research into Jewish music with many people all around Chicago and the state.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

"Travel Diaries" for classical guitar and violin is a program well suited to schools, community centers, and retirement homes. With guitarist Liel Amdour, we have performed this program around Chicago, including at the Northbrook Public Library, the Weinberg Community for Senior Living, and for the Russian community through the EZRA Multi-Service Center. As professional musicians, our duo has extensive performance experience and knows how to engage an audience by telling stories from the stage, choosing meaningful and beautiful repertoire, and performing with energy and joy.