Press
On Ka Ao: Works for Guitar (2022)
“This disc, bringing eleven of her works together, makes a very potent statement: she is at the very forefront of composers writing for the guitar today. I do not say this lightly. The range of musical thought, aesthetic depth, textural variety, and not least the ability to create virtuoso showpieces is exciting. It is brought to us by an "all-star" cast of players from the Americas and Europe.”
— Soundboard. View The Full Review Here
On The Heaven’s Hundred
“Brilliantly weaving together the sounds of Cossack rural and religious tradition with those of anger, civil disturbance, people’s desperation and the destruction of innocence, this Chaconne-sized piece releases encroaching patterns of chaos which proceed to overwhelm its own underlying structures.
This is a grim metaphor for the plight of the Ukraine.
I also think that what we heard here is the birth of a new major work, important in its way as Picasso’s Guernica.”
— The Royal Gazette
“Olga Amelkina-Vera, brillante guitariste et compositrice belarusse installée aux Etats-Unis depuis 20 ans, nous offre une ample composition, dont le thème initial, tonal, relève d’une écriture traditionnelle. Les variations qu’il suscite, virtuoses à souhait, font appel aux techniques les plus démonstratives, en plus des ressources naturelles de l’instrument.”
— Classiquenews.com
On Pulsar
“Olga Amelkina-Vera composed an amazing piece for the students at Harrison which challenged and excited them equally. Her expert coaching of the ensembles, the insightful thoughts that she shared with our student composers, and her conducting at the concert made for a phenomenal residency.”
— Robert Phillips, D.M.A., Guitar Instructor, Harrison School for the Arts
On Submerged Worlds
“In four movements and lasting nearly half an hour, Submerged Worlds is a very serious, sophisticated work creating a sound-world of its own. Its length alone shows how well the composer is able to develop and grow her material…Time and time again, the composer shows that beautiful moments need not be fancy or superfluous. One such sublime, highly expressive place occurs in movement 1 (from rehearsal letter B to C). Whenever extended techniques are used, such as in movements 2 and 3, it is always to serve the musical function. Very impressive.”
— Helena Michelson, composer, judge for The American Prize
On Ode to Thalassa
“I cannot thank you enough for the amazing piece your delivered both by writing as well as bringing it to life in the premiere performance. Ode to Thalassa is a magical work of great power and it shows that by writing it, you poured your utmost creativity into conveying the message of the subject. This piece uses lyricism and drama in an original and vivid way that mesmerizes the players and the listeners and captures their full attention and focuses it on the message of the piece. Various symbolisms of the piece are masterfully portrayed in each section of the piece and they reach directly for the listener’s heart. Ode to Thalassa is a piece that leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Olga, you brought the best out of my students in those two days and for you, they rose far beyond their musical comfort zone as the music transformed them to another level altogether. The whole experience was amazing, almost unbelievable.”
— Dr. Miroslav Lončar, Park View High School
On Emily’s Garden
“The composer sets these much-loved poems with a sense of lightness and fun. This audible twinkle in the compositional “ear,” and the many changes of meter remind me of the spirit of Barber’s Hermit Songs…These art songs…are exquisite and charming settings of lovely verses by “the poet at Amherst.”
— Anne Harley, Scripps College, judge for The American Prize
On Beings
“Of two recent compositions by Amelkina-Vera, subtle effects defined the three character pieces in “Beings:” the low, menacing huff of the mysterious Minotaur; the harp-like strums of incandescent Sylphs; the hypnotic patterns unraveling across Salamander.”
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram
On multiple works
“Several works by Olga Amelkina-Vera fill out the disc, and they are a pleasure to hear…Her writing is often pleasantly exotic, perhaps inspired by her Belarussian heritage. Other duos would do well to take note.”
— Soundboard
“The real discovery of the evening were three original compositions by Olga Amelkina-Vera, who gently stretched the expectations sharing her delightful musical imagination.”
— Sarasota Herald-Tribune