Sergei Czerewko

Sergei started playing violin at the age of ten on a three quarter size instrument which his brother had given up for guitar. He took lessons from Merle Wegner during grade school and later played in junior and senior high school orchestras. In 1973 he spent one year majoring in music at Western Illinois University, played in the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras and studied under the direction of Doris Prucell. His love of classical music was discouraged by the strict vigorous rules and training of applied performances, although he later played with the Webster Symphony Orchestra outside St Louis. In 1980 he started experimenting with acoustical amplification to develop his own skills with new-age ideas and classical foundations. His influences range from English and Italian baroque to modern players such as Jerry Goodman from The Flock, and Jean-luc Ponty and David Cross from King Crimson. Sergei's constant quest for new sounds and ideas led to a friendship with Eric Jensen of Seattle, who custom built him a five-string electric violin. He's played with INTENSITY! for the last three years.