Ian Maskin To Perform at Le Poisson Rouge To Celebrate ZARIA, 5/7

Ian Maksin, cellist, composer and vocalist, celebrates the release of his most recent CD, "Zaria" - Where the Earth Ends and Music Begins. Maksin, internationally renowned for his unique ability to blend different and unusual genres and styles, takes this concept to yet another orbit with the release of "Zaria". The CD showcases an eclectic mix of traditional music from throughout the world, from Persia to Macedonia and from Armenia to Belarus. Maksin describes his CD, "A ("Zaria") one-of-a-kind fusion of Balkan, Middle Eastern, Slavic, Sephardic, tango and R&B, all brought together by the magical power of the Cello!"

In addition to instrumental playing, the CD features Maksin singing vocals in six languages as well as his own versions of Jacques Brel's iconic "Amsterdam" and Bill Wither's classic, "Ain't No Sunshine". His compositions "Pensando en Ti", written in the style of the Argentine Milonga, is dedicated to Astor Piazzolla and "Firebird" is a mix of Slavic chants, Flamenco Arabe, blues and Balkan beats.

"Zaria" is minimalistically orchestrated using percussion, acoustic bass and occasional cameos by the oud (a Middle Eastern string instrument), with the CD's sound blended together by the cello as the leading common element throughout.

"Zaria" is to be released on iTunes on Tuesday, April 25; go to https://itun.es/us/Vpkfjb

"Zaria" will be showcased in a concert in Chicago on Sunday, April 30 at Tickets are priced at $25, $22, $18 and $15 at www.citywinery.com/chicago/tickets/ian-maksin-4-30-17.html. The doors open at 7pm. City Winery is located at 1200 Randolph Street.8pm at the City Winery.

About Ian Maksin

Ian Maksin, cellist, composer and vocalist, Russian-born and is based in Chicago, is renowned internationally for his beautiful tone, his own unique innovative style of playing and for taking the cello well outside its conventional role. As a soloist, he performs more than 200 public performances annually throughout North and South America, as well is Europe and Asia, performing in many of the world's most prestigious concert halls. As of April 1, 2017, he has played more than 80 live performances on 4 continents including a major Trans-Siberian tour of Russia with 20 concerts from Moscow to Ulan-Ude. His recently released album of original music for solo cello titled, "Soul Companion" has garnered great acclaim from critics and audiences alike worldwide.

Apart from being highly regarded as a classical artist, Maksin collaborates with other artists in a variety of music genres: jazz, blues, flamenco, rock, R7B and world music, blending many styles together using cello as the common denominator. He can often be heard and seen in collaborative projects with artists from different corners of he globe including from Morocco, Cuba, Serbia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Spain, Mexico,and Japan. Among the artists that he has performed and recorded with include Andrea Bocelli, P.Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan and Barry Gib. He has opened performances for Sting and his guitarist Dominic Miller.

Ian Maksin was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and started his cello studies at age six at the Special School for Gifted Children of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. At 17 he came to the United States to attend Manhattan School of Music later becoming the principal cellist of the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. During that time his mentors included such artists as Lynn Harrell, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Bernard Greenhouse among others.

Ian Maksin describes his main goal as an artist "to close the gap between genearations and societies through art, and make the beauty of cello music accessible to everyone." Maksin is currently on the artist roster of the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation and plays on a 1780 Giacomo Fiorillo cello on private loan.