Elena Klionsky will never forget where it all began.
As a concert pianist, Klionsky has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the White House, earning the coveted title of Steinway artist along the way. And she has performed, recorded, and released music with some of the top artists in the world.
Ahead of next week's release of her newest album, Formas Del Tiempo, Klionsky took a moment to look on her most memorable performance: her professional orchestral debut right here in Chattanooga.
“The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was celebrating its 100th anniversary concert at the UTC Arena which seats 15,000 people," Klionsky remembers. "It was my orchestral debut, so it was both scary and of course exhilarating at the same time. At that moment, I felt as though I had made it.”
Klionsky was still a student at the world-renowned Juilliard School at the time. She performed with the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Vakhtang Jordania, in the first half of the concert, while Itzhak Perlman performed in the second.
“With such a huge audience seated all around me and sharing the program with Perlman, this concert was an honor of my lifetime,” she recalls fondly.
Klionsky’s professional debut, and the city of Chattanooga, proved to be even more special than she had originally imagined. In fact, it was at her debut performance that Klionsky met the then production coordinator for the Chattanooga symphony, who later became her manager and friend.
Klionsky has been invited back to Chattanooga numerous times, both for solo recitals, and performances with the Chattanooga symphony. She says she can’t wait to be back soon, where it all began.
These days Klionsky is excited to focus on the release of her new CD and hopes that the gift of music helps those who are suffering during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In the last two years, music has evolved so much, from simply being an entertainment luxury to a necessity as now, more than ever, music can heal our hearts,” she says.
Formas Del Tiempo features the music of composer and fellow Juilliard alum, Martin Matalon, and goes on sale on Tuesday, April 19th.