Playing First Fiddle

FACT caught up with Olga Stsepanenka owner and CEO Four Quarters Events to learn about her musical career and future plans.
You are a professional violinist with classical training. How did you move from the orchestra pit to playing in a hospitality setting, such as at hotels in Qatar and at Universal Studios, Beijing, China?
As professional musician I always wanted to tour with an orchestra. I played violin with the symphony orchestra of the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theatre. It was an awesome experience to play not only masterpieces of classic music, but well known musicals and original productions. I was lucky to be a part of the friendliest orchestra in the country.
I was there for four years and I was absolutely inspired by the magic of shows coming together from scratch. I wanted to see more, to know more about shows and decided to start to work in hospitality in the Middle East as solo performer. But being a solo performer required new skills that I aimed to acquire. You have to move out of your comfort zone, think out of the box and you discover unexpected qualities in yourself.
My experience in China was absolutely spontaneous. It was during covid and I had to go back to Belarus. After a few months, I got an invitation to one of the most exciting places in the world – the new Universal Beijing Resort in China. It was an important and fateful step in my career which led me to where I am today.
Part of Universal Studios, it’s one of the biggest parks in the world with a lot of shows. The majority of the performers are from the USA and Australia. I was part of a violin trio show which required not only playing but dancing, singing and interacting with the audience. We got great lessons from the best teachers in the world to create one of the most exciting shows. This opened up new possibilities for me, taught me how to interact with the public and how to be a stage artist. That kind of place plus performers who had experience in the best cruise liners, Cirque du Soleil and Universal Studios in Orlando, is very inspiring.

In August 2022, you created the Four Quarters Electro show quartet, the first of its kind in Qatar. Please tell us about that, how it came about and some of your most exciting performances.
The idea of Four Quarters electro show quartet came up during my work at Universal Studious. I saw a lot of positive and negative things involved in the procedures of show production and I already knew what I needed to do and how. Coming back to Qatar involved a completely different set of activities such as running the show, not only performing. Choosing the musicians, creating the music and costumes and dealing with suppliers took a lot of effort and time. The only one thing I knew for sure was who I wanted to work with.
The idea for our first costumes (gold roses) was inspired by a quartet group in Las Vegas but actually, I was more excited about the possibility of making my own musical arrangements.
Now we are a well-known company and creative team in the Qatar market. Anything you want to create, from a bridal entrance to a full show performance, Four Quarters’ team can take care of it. Electro show quartet is our calling card and pride.
The most exciting performance is, of course, always the first performance. There’s a mix of flurry and excitement. Audience emotions are the greatest reward for any musician. But, discussing that question with the team, we came to the conclusion that our performance for H.H. the Amir at the opening of Qatar Economic Forum was the most exciting one.
You’re also the owner and CEO of Four Quarters Events – did this follow on from the electro show and what does the company do?
Being a part of many events I noticed a lack of entertainment in the country. Qatar is a young country and we are just blazing a trail into the world of highquality entertainment. We want people to understand that it’s possible to witness a good sound and not only at a symphony orchestra concert. Playing jazz or pop also requires sound culture and techniques. At the same time, we sincerely want to preserve the culture of the country performing Khaliji and Qatari music. We are going to fully implement this in our new project – the orchestra of Four Quarters that you will be able to check out soon on our social media.
Four Quarters Events provides entertainment for events with instruments such as violin, harp, cello, piano and saxophone as well as singers. It includes our shows with a mix of musicians from duos to a full orchestra. Qatar is a conservative country and there can be suspicion of new acts but we persistently instill an understanding of the existence of different instruments. For example, we were first to bring a professional concert pedal harp and our bestselling project ‘Burj Khalifa’ – a four-metre-high violinist – started a trend.
Our second field is dance performance. We provide high-end direction in art with talented ballet dancers.

On a more personal note, when did you first start playing the violin and what is it about the instrument that attracts you?
I started to play violin really late – at 11 years. Yes, for musician’s that’s already late! I’m from Belarus and in our culture it’s usual to go to music school. Choosing the instrument was a spontaneous decision. Violin is a hard instrument and, professionally, you’ll keep learning all your life. That’s why it requires so long in school, then college and academy and it’s always good to get a master’s degree as well. Our policy is working only with qualified people to have respect for the occupation as it takes a lot of effort, time and financial input. Violin is the most popular instrument in Qatar and we have done an excellent job of dividing the market into high-quality standards and the rest of the field.
And what first brought you to Qatar? What do you enjoy most about the country?
To my shame I didn’t know anything about Qatar before, only that it is a Middle Eastern country. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. It is modern, active, friendly and a beautiful place. Only after a noisy metropolis can you understand the value of a calm and family-oriented country. Every country has its own special features and Qatar has its own charm as well. If we speak about Qatar as a state, the power of the law is the most important thing as for a business owner. ✤