Orchestra Iowa hires concertmaster with Iowa ties

CEDAR RAPIDS — Violinist Julia Sakharova will rosin up her bow Saturday night to rock out as Orchestra Iowa’s new concertmaster, during a pops concert celebrating the music of Elton John and Billy Joel.

Sakharova fills a position that has been empty since before the pandemic set in. Orchestra Iowa Maestro Timothy Hankewich announced her appointment at 5 p.m. Friday, during a Happy Hour with Maestro Tim over Facebook Live from the Opus Concert Cafe, next to the Paramount Theatre.

“Julia brings tremendous talent to the Orchestra Iowa stage,” Hankewich said in a statement, “and we’re thrilled to have her. She’s filled in a couple of times as guest concertmaster, so I already know she’s going to be a great fit with our musicians, and our patrons will love her, too.

“The concertmaster is a critical leadership position that directly affects the sound of the entire string section,” he said. “The role requires a unique combination of skill, experience and personality. Julia has those in abundance, and we welcome her enthusiastically.”

A native of Zheleznovodsk, Russia, Sakharova debuted at age 8 with the Moldavian Symphony Orchestra. Now on the violin faculty at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, she has studied at prestigious institutions in the United States and abroad, earning a master’s degree at Juilliard in 2006.

Eastern Iowa ties

Among her many achievements, she has won major competitions and performed at festivals and recitals nationally and internationally; has conducted master classes at the University of Iowa School of Music and in Alabama; and performs with the Arianna String Quartet in St. Louis. See more at juliasakharova.com/biography.html

She also has a tie to Eastern Iowa. As a child in Russia, she performed for several visiting Cedar Rapids Rotary members. So moved by her artistry and potential, they arranged for her to come to the United States to receive needed medical care, and have forged a close friendship through the years.

“I’m honored to be welcomed as concertmaster for Orchestra Iowa,” she said. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to join Maestro Hankewich and the incredible musicians of Orchestra Iowa. The personal connections with Eastern Iowa make it all the more meaningful and energizing. I look forward to becoming a part of the community.”

Saturday night’s pop concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 123 Third Ave. SE. Find details at artsiowa.com.

She’ll later take a classical step forward during Masterworks concerts April 20 at the Paramount and April 21 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.

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