Described by the Time Out Chicago Magazine as "Thrilling and beautifully executed", Ian’s new album “SOLO FLIGHT” is an eclectic compilation of works for cello solo ranging from the Solo Suites by J.S. Bach to a piece written by a Chicago-based composer Ilya Levinson in 2005, as well as a passionate work by Spanish composer Gaspar Cassado exploring the flamenco style on the cello. Ian’s performance career encompasses many genres besides classical music: he has collaborated with such artists as Andrea Bocelli, P.Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan and many others. Besides having appeared at many prestigious festivals of classical music all over the world such as Ravinia, Spoleto, and the White Nights Festival in his native St. Petersburg, Russia, Ian has also performed at Lollapalooza in 2008 with Swedish singer Sofia Talvik and at the 2004 VMA award ceremony with P.Diddy and Snoop Dogg. Ian describes his biggest goal in life as “Closing the gap between the audiences, generations and societies. “ In his own words: “There is a misconception that classical music is not accessible for everyone. I don’t believe it’s true. I’ve played hundreds of concerts for people all over the world who had never seen or heard a cello before and they absolutely loved it and wanted to hear more. They fell in love with the sound of the cello, my music made difference in their lives. My mission is to make sure everybody gets to hear it at least once to decide for themselves whether they like it or not…”