Violinist Olga Yurkova
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Our dear friend and colleague Olga Yurkova, Principal Second Violin of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, has died from Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma. This is a serious form of cancer in which malignant cancer cells form in the soft tissues of the body.
Olga resided in Fort Wayne with her husband Alexander Klepach, son Emil, and daughter Alisa, but had no extended family or relatives in the United States who were able to help during her illness. Her friends and colleagues have started this GoFundMe page in order to raise monies to help Olga's family pay medical bills and assist with Emil's education.
Olga was born in Moldova and lost her sister when she was just 6 years old, her father when she was 10, and her mother when she was 24. Music was such a passion for this youngster who experienced so much loss in her life that she decided to pursue it as a profession.
Olga was exceedingly successful in her academic studies, earning a Doctorate of Music in Violin Performance from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. She subsequently toured extensively in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Turkey, France, Romania, Korea, and other countries. She is a first prize-winner of several international competitions and festivals and was Concertmaster of the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova and also a soloist and concertmaster with the Symphony Orchestra of Europe.
Olga joined the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as Principal Second Violin in 1998 when she moved to the United States from Russia. In the U.S., she had been invited to perform in many festivals as a concertmaster and principal violinist, including the Ash Lawn-Highland Festival and the Colorado Music Festival. She had served as Assistant Professor of Music at Grace College.
Olga's professionalism, grit, and determination were most notably on display last year when she completed a Freimann Quartet performance with a broken leg, only visiting the ER after the concert. She also performed J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and successfully finished the winter season while suffering from a major infection and concurrently receiving extensive chemotherapy treatments.
We thank friends, colleagues, and music lovers in advance for their generosity and compassion as we come to the aid of Olga's family during their time of grief and financial uncertainty.
Olga resided in Fort Wayne with her husband Alexander Klepach, son Emil, and daughter Alisa, but had no extended family or relatives in the United States who were able to help during her illness. Her friends and colleagues have started this GoFundMe page in order to raise monies to help Olga's family pay medical bills and assist with Emil's education.
Olga was born in Moldova and lost her sister when she was just 6 years old, her father when she was 10, and her mother when she was 24. Music was such a passion for this youngster who experienced so much loss in her life that she decided to pursue it as a profession.
Olga was exceedingly successful in her academic studies, earning a Doctorate of Music in Violin Performance from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. She subsequently toured extensively in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Turkey, France, Romania, Korea, and other countries. She is a first prize-winner of several international competitions and festivals and was Concertmaster of the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova and also a soloist and concertmaster with the Symphony Orchestra of Europe.
Olga joined the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as Principal Second Violin in 1998 when she moved to the United States from Russia. In the U.S., she had been invited to perform in many festivals as a concertmaster and principal violinist, including the Ash Lawn-Highland Festival and the Colorado Music Festival. She had served as Assistant Professor of Music at Grace College.
Olga's professionalism, grit, and determination were most notably on display last year when she completed a Freimann Quartet performance with a broken leg, only visiting the ER after the concert. She also performed J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and successfully finished the winter season while suffering from a major infection and concurrently receiving extensive chemotherapy treatments.
We thank friends, colleagues, and music lovers in advance for their generosity and compassion as we come to the aid of Olga's family during their time of grief and financial uncertainty.
Organizer and beneficiary
James Palermo
Organizer
Fort Wayne, IN
Alexander Klepach
Beneficiary
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