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"My name is Gennady Filimonov (alumni of Performing Arts High School class of 1979 alumni of Manhattan School of Music  BM 1984 and MM 1985) Fulbright Recipient 1986-1987.
When Alan Parker visited our school (Performing Arts) in 1978-79, he took a picture of me practicing my violin in the stairwell, which was an excellent BW photo. It became the original poster of what then was called "Hot Lunch" and later renamed "FAME". When it was decided to rename the film, they re-did the poster in which I am the violinist  with the white head band playing my violin along with Irene Cara singing "Shady Sadie.... Hot Lunch" sequence. This was an amazing experience to work professionally while we were finishing school and looking forward to further our studies in conservatory etc. For me, it was an eye opening experience in seeing people like myself totally committed to their art. It reaffirmed my conviction of the  path I had chosen in life. It also provided me the opportunity to work with a great director. Since then I have worked in the "Equalizer" (TV show), first episode of FAME the TV series, and I have become a highly sought after musician, in that I have  been soloist/concertmaster in collaboration with Rod Stewart, Linda Rondstatt, Tony Bennett, "Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber", "Heart" and many others."

 "I am also a prolific studio recording artist. To date, I have performed in over 850 soundtracks including "HEART" Road Home album. Currently I am a  member of Seattle Symphony Orchestra since 1994, 1st violinist of the Odeon String Quartet in Residence at Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle), http://www.odeonquartet.org/,   member of classical music committee of Pacific NW Chapter of NARAS (Grammy)."

 "And I forgot to add, that when Alan Parker heard me playing in the stairwell, he told me about his project and had invited me for an audition....which I took and won! Originally I was to have a character of a Russian Violinist (playing myself), but because the film was long as it was, several characters were cut out. You can hear me playing my violin in "FAME":  Sonata for violin and piano by Cesar Frank, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto 2nd mvt. and in the final moment of the film when we are  all playing in the orchestra, the film ends with my face."
 
 

Other Information
Provided by Gennady Filimonov

Among his numerous awards, Mr. Filimonov has been a recipient of the first prize at the National Arts club of New York Competition, the Pythias Young Artists Competition, The Friends of Mozart Competition, Arthur Schorr Award, Margaret Lowe Award, Jane Gardner Prize, Lusk Memorial Fellowship and Maurice Ravel Prize (France).

Recently Gennady created and produced "Playing The Game-Music for Interactive Entertainment".
This event was sponsored by Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences / GRAMMY and was hosted by Cornish College of the Arts / Seattle Composer's Alliance. This venue was designed to promote music / composition in interactive video. We had lots of on hand experts to discuss the ins-outs of the business where the audience can get the insider's perspective on the process. The event will be featured in the upcoming NARAS quarterly publication. Majority of the Guest Speakers were SCA board members. Moderator for the event was Hummie Mann - Two time Emmy-Award winning Canadian composer.

Guest Speakers included the cream of the crop in the gaming industry:
Alistair Hirst - award winning composer "Need For Speed", President of Omni Interactive Audio
Marty O'Donnell - award winning composer "Halo", Audio Director for Bungie Studios at Microsoft
Jeremy Soule - award winning composer  "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
Ben Houge - award winning composer "Arcanum", Sound Designer for Sierra Entertainment
Scott Selfon –  Audio Content Consultant XBox, Manager on the MSN Creative Audio team, which focused on the sonification of web content using interactive soundtracks

Currently, the Odeon String Quartet is the Lehmann Ensemble-in-Residence at Cornish College of the Arts, a residency made possible by a generous gift from Thelma Lehman.
"Just a few seasons old, this young, vibrant group has made a Kronos-like commitment to a 20th century music all over the artistic map - from serialism, evocations of folk and pop music from around the world, American classics and European neo-romanticism, " writes music critic Gavin Borchert in the Seattle Weekly.

Other Recent Press:

Game music gaining interest, money, respect.
"Playing The Game"- Music for Interactive Entertainment  & 2nd link
"The Russians are here: Immigrants enrich classical-music scene"
"The Odeon Quartet has received a $5,000 grant from the King County Arts Commission and has been appointed as the Lehmann Ensemble in Residence at Cornish College of the Arts."

August 30, 2002  Seattle:
"The Odeon String Quartet signs an exclusive artist endorsement agreement with Thomastik-Infeld comp."
The Odeon String Quartet has signed an exclusive artist endorsement agreement with Connolly & Co., Inc on behalf of Thomastik-Infeld  company (manufacturers of superior strings for the violin family). Accomplished professionals and masters prefer Dominants/Thomastik-Infeld strings, often citing their superior feel, string to string consistency and legendary tonality. The Odeon String Quartet joins the roster of accomplished professionals which include the legendary Pinchas Zukerman, Ann-Sophie Mutter, Modern String Quartet, Turtle Island String Quartet, Chee Yun, American String Quartet, Hilary Hahn among others.

Based in Seattle, the Odeon String Quartet is comprised of distinguished artists who are dedicated to presenting concerts of the highest artistic quality and building new audiences for chamber music through performances and educational outreach programs. The ensemble features works that reflect the diversity of American and International musical styles including fresh and imaginative performances of standard and lesser known masterpieces as well as new works and unusual repertoire, performing music that weaves in threads of tango, American prison blues, Persian folk music and jazz.

In January 2002, the Odeon String Quartet was appointed as the Lehmann Ensemble-in-Residence at Cornish College of the Arts. They have been re-invited for the 2002-2003 season. The residency is made possible by a generous gift from Thelma Lehmann, who sponsored the Cornish residency of world-renowned Russian pianist Vladimir Feltsman last year.
As the Lehmann Ensemble-in-Residence, the Odeon String Quartet  offers an exciting expansion of Cornish College's chamber music activities, with several concerts planned; they  provide support to the composition program by offering a series of readings, workshops and student performances.
The Odeon String Quartet has received a prestigious King County Arts Commission grant, and are regular guests of the Seattle Chamber Music Festival's "Under Forte" series. Other appearances include the Gala opening of Experience the Music Project,Seattle Chamber Music Festival with composer/narrator Bruce Adolph, Lopez Center for the Arts in San Juans, Under Forte Series, KING FM, KUOW/NPR, Benaroya Hall, as well as performances at PONCHO Concert Hall at Cornish College of the Arts. The Odeon String Quartet is dedicated to nurturing the human spirit by promoting and perpetuating greater understanding through music.

http://www.myspace.com/gennadyfilimonov