Most people do not realize it, but Charlotte has a full-service network of Russian–speaking professionals.  Apparently, one can get medical help, shop for groceries, get a house mortgage, read the Sunday morning newspaper, go to church, sue one’s spouse for divorce, take the girlfriend out to a fancy dinner, buy an insurance policy, sue the insurance company, buy high art, have a portrait painted, attend a book signing, worship one’s God – all without speaking a word of English.  And if one contacts the UNC, the Department of Slavic Languages will make sure that there is no need to learn English to understand the kids.

Charlotte Symphony and Russian Carolina Newspaper made this point quite vividly by organizing a two day long Russian Festival to open for the Symphony’s concert.  If you were not one of the 2759 people there, imagine a violinist performing Tchaikovsky in the atrium.  That is Tatiana Karpova.  Glass-domed three-floor atrium is lit with Christmas lights, dangling their way down to the perfect circle of marble floor – a spotlight which you will cross to enter the audience chamber.  On the marble, under the Christmas lights, suddenly you are in a spotlight - a star – pause for a moment. Belk Theater received its name to mark the large amounts of money the Belk family donated and of the fact that you are standing on the land that used to belong to the Belks. Charlotteans have a complicated relationship with the Belk family – the theater honors the name and the newspapers praise the donations.  They recently tarred and feathered one of the Belks, though, for trying to continue managing a business while serving his county as a judge.  Apparently donating the money is a good thing, but trying to make it is not.  Back at the Belk Theater the crowd could not care less about politics and, frankly, seemed a little tipsy.

The wines of Armenia and Georgia -- the best wines produced by the former Soviet Union – are also the best kept secret of sophisticated sommeliers and hostesses with more taste then money.  Pomegranate wine, touted by USA Today as “both trendy and hark[ing] back to ancient aphrodisiacs” may no longer be a secret -- thanks to the wine-tasting team headed by Fred of Ararat Import-Export Co, www.araratimport.com.  Our sources say that a few Symphony patrons returned to the wine sampling table to confirm that their first taste was as good as it seemed.  And returned again.  And again.  We heard a young lady lamenting unavailability of sale by the bottle.  It may be time to buy a case of that Pomegranate.  Or a little stock in Ararat Import. 

To go with the wine, we had chocolates and snacks from five Russian grocery stores.  Did you know there were five Russian grocery stores?!  For those of us who prefer to have others cook, the new restaurant in town is Kavkaz, a family oriented place serving Russian and Mediterranean fare.  Speaking of new things, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Church In the name of “Derjav­naya” (meaning “Reigning”) Icon of the Mother of God established its new home this month. Side by side with the “Derjavnaya” Russian Orthodox Church, the St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church has set its display, featuring information about the country of Armenia.

Back at the make-shift stage the folk dancer Alex Bouriak was doing things with his knees that mortals can not.  We were sure that he was a hologram until he grabbed Olga Zhitomirskaya-Muller, the editor of this newspaper, out of the crowd.  Apparently he is human, just very advanced.  Did you know he is also an accomplished painter?

Speaking of paintings, large crowd was drawn to the portraits by Valentina.  They were recognizing Charlotteans on the portraits, pointed, gossiped and admired. Portraits by Valentina are of people coming into sharp moments of clarity. Waiting for the street light to change late at night, in a powder room at a party, before a looking glass, brushing hair.  Portraits of the moments when a decision changing your life comes effortlessly and lingers undiluted. If Valentina paints you, look at your face in the portrait for a long time, and you may learn who you really are.

Paintings of every style transformed the theater.  Most hip is Svetlana Baklanova, the creator of a new art movement of Pixelpointillism. Squares of color of different sizes swirl together, and all of a sudden you see a street, a face, a building, a place you pass on your way to work every day. Stop by the Red Sky gallery to see Svetlana’s artworks. You have to see the Speeding Ticket – you will never feel sad over getting one again.

Natalia Moroz, an award-winning graphic artist combines her passion for reading and art by creating illustrations. Natalia calls engraving a “poetry of art” – each line in linocut, she says, as expressive as a line in poem. A few words rhyme to bring the magic which pages of prose can not describe.

   Natalia is married to Sergey Zhiboyedov. If your corporate job confines you inside artificially lit buildings and if the last time you touched a tree was in high school, I think you can still save your soul if there is a Zhiboyedov over your desk. Catch a glimpse of Distant Sunset while on a conference call; take a minute in front of Still Water before meeting with a difficult client. After a day when everything that could go wrong did, I recommend Leaves on a Pond. I wanted to meet Sergey, but his art came unaccompanied. Apparently, the author was busy winning the First Prize at the Matthews’ ArtFest.

   Your admiration for Sergey will likely heighten when you learn of the incredible challenge he had to live up to. Sergey’s father is Anatoly Zhiboedov, whose paintings earned gallery representation of the Moscow Tretiakov Gallery – that is a hard distinction to match. Spring Valley is my personal favorite. I think Rerikh is Anatoly’s classical influence.

   Downstairs by the Russian Carolina newspaper display Russian author Ekaterina Skorodinskaya was available for the signing of her novel Half-blood. Ekaterina holds a degree in journalism from Moscow University.  She has the uncanny ability to gain quick insight into emotions and thoughts of others. Ekaterina writes with equal perspicaciousness of famous actors and people living next door, of writers, school teachers and serial killers. Some of the short stories from the book were translated into English and presented to non-Russian speaking guests of the Festival, proving that the true talent has an international value. Perhaps we will soon see a book of the short stories by Ekaterina Skorodinskaya in English.

     One could not miss the silhouette of a woman dressed in startling flowing robe.  Greek?  Next Generation StartTrek? Ludmila Skorodinskaya (mother of the writer) is a Renaissance woman.  Her paintings are naïve realism.  Her singing voice is mezzo soprano, professionally trained.  After finishing a high school, Ludmila enrolled herself in a higher education musical institution by gathering a crowd at her first singing exam. People who know her do not believe that she grew up since that day. She paints icons with the eyes of children and expresses her vision of the world with passionate brushstrokes, in vivid colors only the children see.

Have you ever seen lace made of wood?  Me neither.  I could not imagine it possible. Apparently it’s just a regular day at the office for Roman Pinkiv, the scroller-woodworker from Ukraine. He is able to realize any of your creative ideas in wood.

Before you leave, do not forget the “man behind the curtain.” Actually, it is two women. Olga – the one you already saw dancing. Meg Freeman Whalen - the Director of Public Relations for the Symphony.  She looks delicate, almost elf-like.  Do not let her looks deceive you – she is the one charged with the impossible task of assembling the chimes, lights and talents into the Swiss clock-like functioning of the Festival.  She teaches music history in Queens University of Charlotte. Although the Russian Festival was her idea Meg only speaks two words in Russian – “thank you” and “good bye.” One could probably get around Charlotte without speaking any English, but it makes sense to learn the language, to hear what Meg has to say.

As for all Russian, you can start with the Russian Tidbits that are published every month on pages 75 and 76.