Concert - Milena Dawidowicz & Elena Panova

We are excited to announce that this free concert series returns in 2024, and features a diverse lineup of entertainers, representing the many cultures that make up central New Jersey. They all start at 2:00 pm. Please note that all performances are indoors.
 
Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
 
Additional funding is provided by the East Brunswick Friends of the Library.

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Gypsy duo Milena Dawidowicz (violin) and Elena Panova (piano) have been playing together for over 25 years. We perform music of Eastern European gypsies from Hungary, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Slovenia. We played at many venues around the state of New Jersey: Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer Counties Public Libraries, Alquankum Theatre, West Windsor Chapel in Princeton and numerous venues in New York City, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, National Arts Club, Baruch College, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Columbia University Arts Center.
In addition to these performances Milena Dawidowicz played gypsy music as a featured soloist with Battleground Symphony Orchestra and with Monmouth Symphony Orchestra.
Our concerts gear toward families, we talk about the music, its origins and history during our concerts.
The name of our duo refers to the illusive and ever changing  music of Roma people.
About the performers

Milena Dawidowicz – violinist, moved to this country in 1995 from Israel, where she and her family emigrated from Ukraine. Milena started to collect and record folklore music in Ukraine, as a soloist with Kiev Yiddish Theater. When she moved to Israel, Milena continued to play folklore music and performed at the numerous festivals and folklore events throughout the country. In the United States Milena plays classical music with various symphony orchestras and performs gypsy music in the Duo Sky Caravan with Elena Panova.  Currently Milena is employed by South Brunswick School District as a String Orchestra Director.

Elena Panova – pianist, moved to this country from St. Petersburg, Russia in 1997. Elena earned a Master Degree in piano from Sverdlovsk Teachers College in Russia.
Elena has been a Master Faculty at Westminster Conservatory of Music at Rider University, Princeton NJ since 1997. She is also a music faculty at The Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ. In addition to her teaching career Elena performs extensively around the state of New Jersey. She participates in numerous chamber groups and plays gypsy music with duo Sky Caravan.