Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene: New conductor for 'Messiah'

This year marks the Music Conservatory of Coeur d'Alene’s fourth annual production of the beloved classic oratorio Handel’s "Messiah" at the Schuler Performing Arts Center on the North Idaho College campus.

The matinee concert performance will be at 3 p.m. Nov. 16.

This year, Maestro Kent Kimball is passing the baton to the conservatory's new conductor, Yevgeniy Grechko. While Kimball has played a vital role in the preliminary planning for this year’s event, he is ready to step back from directing and will enjoy the performance from the audience.

In a Sept. 1 news release, the conservatory said it is deeply grateful to Kimball for launching the inaugural Handel’s "Messiah" oratorio with chorus, orchestra and soloists.

“It’s an honor to conduct Handel’s 'Messiah' here in Coeur d’Alene — a community where music truly brings people together," Grechko said in the release. "'Messiah' is a work that continues to move me with its depth, beauty and spiritual power, and sharing it with our local musicians and this incredible audience makes it all the more meaningful.”

Grechko holds dual Master of Music degrees in Cello Performance and Symphony and Opera Conducting. In 2003, he was selected for the prestigious Carnegie Hall Fellows Program. He has furthered his training through the Juilliard School’s Orchestral Conducting Intensives and the Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute. He has conducted the Kyrgyz National Broadcasting Company Symphony Orchestra, Bishkek City Symphony and Karaganda Symphony Orchestra in Kazakhstan. From 2011 to 2018, Grechko served as conductor of the State Chui Chamber Orchestra.

Since relocating to the U.S., Grechko has appeared as a cellist and conductor with the Coeur d’Alene Symphony and has played for the Eastern Washington University and Whitworth University orchestras and the Spokane Civic Theatre. He currently leads the string orchestra and the Oaks Philharmonic at the Oaks Classical Christian Academy and conducts the symphony orchestra and choir at Pilgrim Slavic Church in Spokane. His performance credits include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Istanbul City Concert Hall, high-level events in Washington, D.C., and concert halls throughout Central Asia and the Pacific Northwest.

Outside music, Grechko is passionate about reading, philosophy and fine art — interests that continue to inspire his creative approach on and off the podium.

Tickets will soon be on sale online at cdaconservatory.org/events.