You've heard her in the Carolina Balleet's 'Picasso', now hear her in her own solo recital! The debut of Olga Kleiankina with Dr. Paul Garcia, percussion, in An Evening of Piano Transcriptions.

 

Olga Kleiankina’s talents, both as a pianist and composer, were marked at an early age. At age ten she won Moldova’s national composition contest, having already performed her own works in public for a full year before. From such early successes, she received degrees from respected schools in Moldova and Romania, followed by a Masters Degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan.
Olga has received various awards and prizes for her performance, accompanying, chamber music, jazz, composition and arrangements including the Bradshaw & Buono Piano Competition and a First Prize in the Xith Pro Piano Competition in Romania. After her orchestral debut with the State Philharmonic of Moldova in 1997, she continued her concert appearances with theTransylvania, Satu-Mare and Oradea Symphonies from Romania with conductors Emil Simon, Robert Houlihan, and Zsolt Janko. She has presented numerous solo and chamber music recitals in Moldova, Romania, Hungary, France, Greece and United States, and her playing praised as a “brilliant, clear, logical, sophisticated and pure.”

Dr. Paul D. Garcia is the Director of Bands at North Carolina State University. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from New Mexico StateUniversity, a Master of Music in Conducting from The University of Tennessee,and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from The University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Garcia is active as a marching band, wind band, and jazz clinician/adjudicator throughout the region. In addition to engagements in the United States, He has twice been a guest conductor for La Banda dell’Esercito, the Italian Army Band in Rome, Italy. In 2007 Dr. Garcia conducted the NC State Wind Ensemble in the world famous Sydney Opera House. Dr. Garcia is also an active percussionist and drum set artist throughout the United States, and holds endorsements from Vic Firth and Sabian. His professional credits include recording with the brass ensemble, United Brass and performing with entertainers such as Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Jim Walker, Dave Pietro, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, and Bob Newhart. He also performed, recorded, and produced for Sea World of San Antonio, TX and Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. In addition, Dr. Garcia has performed with several regional symphonies including the North Carolina Symphony and the Knoxville Symphony. During his studies, he was fortunate enough to work with John Wooton, Keith Brown, Ed Soph, Bob Breithaupt, Steve Houghton, and Gary Chaffee.