The former violist has played in top county orchestras, most notably the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and has played alongside members of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the now rededicated Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 23, 2024, – Former violist and now actress, star Michelina Kozhakova has decided to return to the world of classical music. And this time, with a brand-new orchestra. Michelina has decided to play with the “Orchestra Concordia”, located in Wayne, PA.
The former violist has played in top county orchestras, most notably the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and has played alongside members of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the now rededicated Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA.
At 16 years old, Michelina traveled to Italy to perform viola by herself with the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County. She has performed for thousands of people all over the world, and was recognized as one of the best young violists in the Philadelphia community.
As to why she decided to leave the profession to begin with, Michelina stated that “The stakes were too high for a child performer. Although I loved the serious atmosphere and competition, it was straining on my mental health. I would have teachers that would highly scold me if one little thing was off. Think the movie, “Whiplash”. My training was like that.”
Unlike most violists, Michelina did not start off playing the violin. A natural-grown violist at seven years old, Michelina pursued the career all the way up until her time at conservatory at the Boyer College of Music in 2018.
During a recent press event, Michelina made these comments, “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been prancing around the idea for a while now, but finally have come to the realization that music was the destination for me all along, no matter how hard I tried to fight it. I had a few bad experiences in conservatory that really put me down, so I decided to leave my passion behind.”
“But ever since that first day, all the way back to when I was seven years old, I’ve felt the same excitement and joy when I pick up my viola. It’s like the world stops, and all that matters is me and my instrument. It’s a form of meditative practice for me.”
She goes on to say, “I’m really excited to be starting the new venture with my old flame. It’s going to be a challenge getting up to the level of where I was at so many years ago, but I’m sure it’ll come with time and practice. Conservatory drained me, it was the final straw. I did not have a great experience at all. Maybe if I went somewhere else, or even took a gap year, things would be a lot different.”
After leaving conservatory and joining the acting and modeling world, Michelina began to pursue the respective crafts, gaining a higher level of confidence and falling in love with the professions. She joined an acting class in 2021, and absolutely fell in love with it. She blossomed in front of a group of people and started taking classes and lessons, and booked a few gigs.
Michelina intends to pursue her role as a model, as well as attend school for acting and the arts, alongside playing her viola. “I’ve just always been a creative. Before I could walk, I was drawing in my high chair as a baby. I always excelled in the arts growing up. That was where my focus was constantly at.”
“I’m so excited to share my variety of artistic ventures with you all!” She says. “I’m finally ready to begin living my life again after a terrible couple of years post-pandemic. I would love for anyone reading this to consider joining me and following my journey. Let’s see where this takes me!”
For more info on Michelina, please visit: www.michelinakozhakova.com
Follow her for more adventures on her Instagram @mickozh
Media Contact:
Michelina Kozhakova
Attn: Media Relations
Philadelphia, PA
484.501.1898
michelinakozhakova@gmail.com
