Home Away From Home

The Sibelius Violin Competition participants have throughout the years been able to rely on the warm atmosphere and hospitality of Finnish families.
Moscow-based Lev Solodovnikov and his pianist wife Daria Novokreshchenova were joyfully surprised to be welcomed in their native Russian, and they were even more surprised to hear that the "mom" and "dad" of their host family were both graduates of their own alma mater, the Moscow Conservatory. It wasn't a coincidence - the Roozeman family had asked to host a Russian competitor.
Inside the cozy Roozeman house in Olari, Espoo, the first thing Lev and Daria's eyes caught was the beautiful grand piano. Lev found some interesting sheet music right away and was eager to start practicing, but that could wait till after a cup of tea and some delicious apple pie baked by Maarit Kyllönen, who herself is a violinist with the Tapiola Sinfonietta. Robert Roozeman is a chemist and a pianist, and all three children have music careers coming along. This family knows everything about getting prepared for competitions; all children have won some, and this year the cellist of the family, Jonathan Roozeman, played in the finals of both the Tchaikovsky Competition in St. Petersburg and in the Naumburg Cello Competition in New York.

Lev Solodovnikov ranks the Sibelius Violin Competition as one of the big ones, and he has seen how winning the 1st prize in 2010 has helped his fellow-violinist Nikita Boriso-Glebsky's career.
Lev is fortunate to be married to his accompanist. He met Daria Novokreshchenova at the Moscow Conservatory, as did the Roozeman couple, and at present Daria is working at the Conservatory as accompanist for the violin class.
The next task at the Finnish home-away-from-home is to grant rehearsal peace for the Solodovnikov couple, and to show them the bus route to the Helsinki Conservatory, where Lev will begin his 1st round on Monday.