GUEST ARTISTS

ADAM GOLKA

Polish-American pianist Adam Golka (born 1987) first performed all of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas when he was 18 years-old, and in 2020-2021 Adam Golka performed the complete cycle of Beethoven's 32 Sonatas at the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park (Florida) and at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (NYC), in socially-distanced and live-stream formats. Adam's performances of each Sonata were complemented by 32 short films he created, known as 32@32 (available on YouTube), documenting his preparation for climbing the Everest of piano literature and featuring an amalgam of distinguished guests, from an astrophysicist to Alfred Brendel.

Adam Golka's principal teachers have been José Feghali, with whom he studied at Texas Christian University, and Leon Fleisher, at the Peabody Conservatory. Since finishing his formal studies, Adam has continued to develop his artistry through mentorship from Alfred Brendel, Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, Evelyne Crochet, Ferenc Rados, Rita Wagner, and Sir András Schiff, who invited Adam to give recitals at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr and Tonhalle Zürich, for the "Sir András Schiff Selects" concert series. Adam has also given solo recitals in Tokyo's Musashino Hall, Osaka's Nakanoshima Hall, Amsterdam's Kleine Zaal in Het Concertgebouw, Paris' Jardin du Luxembourg, Berlin's Piano Salon Christophori, and New York's Alice Tully Hall (presented by the Musicians Emergency Fund), as well as countless other venues around the US and Europe.

As a concerto soloist, he has appeared with the BBC Scottish Symphony, NACO (Ottawa), Warsaw Philharmonic, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, Orquesta Sinfónica de Colombia, as well as over fifty orchestras in the US, including such well known ensembles as the San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, New Jersey, and San Diego symphonies. Adam has enjoyed collaborations with conductors such as Joseph Swensen, Donald Runnicles, Pinchas Zukerman, Mark Wigglesworth, JoAnn Falletta, and often with his brother, conductor Tomasz Golka. Adam gave his Carnegie Stern Auditorium début in 2010 with the New York Youth Symphony.

Chamber music is an integral part of Adam Golka's life, and he has performed repeatedly at the Krzyżowa-Music "Music for Europe" Chamber Music Festival, which has included tour performances at the Penderecki European Music Center in Lusławice (Poland) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Beethoven Bonn festivals (Germany), as well as Konzerthaus Berlin. He also performed at the Marlboro, Ravinia, Caramoor chamber music festivals in the US. Adam collaborates regularly with the Manhattan Chamber Players and in recital with baritone John Moore, cellist Jonathan Swensen and violinist Itamar Zorman, with whom he is scheduled for a third recital at the The Wigmore Hall in London 2026.

Adam's professional life began when he was awarded the first prize and audience prize at the 2nd China Shanghai International Piano Competition. In 2008, Adam won the Gilmore Young Artist Award and in 2009, he won the Max I. Allen Fellowship as part of the American Pianists Awards. Adam has recorded works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms for London-based First Hand Records, and in 2025 he will release two new albums for First Hand Records: Brahms' early piano works plus a world premiere recording of a piano work by Brahms biographer Jan Swafford, and also an album named "Chopin Sans Chopin," a personally curated selection of works inspired by Frédéric Chopin, including a world premiere of an 1894 Mazurka by Natalia Janotha.

As a pedagogue, Adam acted as Artist-in-Residence for six school years at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has premiered works by Michelle Barzel Ross, Richard Danielpour, Michael Brown, and Jarosław Gołębiowski, and most recently Adam also performed and recorded the world premiere of the Piano Quintet by Andrea Casarrubios. Adam currently serves as Artist-Teacher at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA, and is also an Artistic Advisor to the Krzyżowa-Music "Music for Europe" Chamber Music Festival.

When Adam is not making music, he loves to read classic literature, visit art museums, swim, and he is passionate about somatic learning and movement awareness, especially the Feldenkrais Method.

John Jensen

Classical and Jazz recording artist John Jensen is known for his gift for improvisation and exceptional musical memory. He received his musical education in Los Angeles, where he attended Occidental College and the University of Southern California, studying with pianists John Crown, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, and composers Ingolf Dahl and Halsey Stevens. After graduating, he served as accompanist on US tours for Columbia Artists Management and joined the Mirecourt Trio with cellist Terry King and violinist Ken Goldsmith.

The Mirecourt Trio subsequently became artists-in-residence at Grinnell College, commissioning upward of 30 works for the piano trio and recording albums for the Music & Arts label. The trio also toured Europe and, through the efforts of composer Paul Reale, toured China, presenting concerts and masterclasses. In 1990, Jensen left Grinnell for the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) where he worked for many years with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and was the collaborative pianist at St. Olaf College. He also held the position of director of music at the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis for 22 years.

Jensen is also in demand as a chamber music partner for recordings with many exceptional classical solo artists. He taught at the University of St. Thomas, including students interested in jazz improvisation. The music of Paul Reale has been a constant in his pianistic life, and Jensen has recorded solo piano music of Reale on the Music & Arts label along with his landmark solo recording of Charles Ives' tour de force "Concord Sonata". John Jensen will be featured in the upcoming release of the Martinu Clarinet and Piano Sonata with Clarinetist

Featured in the upcoming release of the Martinu Clarinet and Piano Sonata with Clarinetist Russell Harlow and Hindmith's Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano and has also performed and recorded as a jazz piano soloist throughout his career.

CLEMENT CHOW

Clement Chow has studied at Rice University and Cleveland Institute of Music where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music. He has been to music festivals around the world which include the Aspen Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival in Japan, as well as Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in Germany. He made his solo debut with the Houston Symphony at the age of 16. He has also studied with some of the greatest chamber music groups around the world. The groups include Tokyo, Cleveland, Alban Berg, and Amadeus String Quartets.

RYAN WHYMAN

Ryan Whyman was born at the tender age of 3 to parents who make occasional references to the "real parents in a different solar system." Those parents put Ryan in classical piano lessons at age 6, and he quickly discovered a gift for composition and improvisation. Being the curious and well-rounded musician he is, Ryan has toured with metal bands, performed with orchestras at the Hollywood Bowl, MD'd for musical theater productions, played accordion for Oktoberfest celebrations, and more. On the composition front, he has written works for collaborative dance performances, composed for film/ TV/ video games, received commissions for sacred choral and orchestral music, and released albums of art music under his own name. This wealth of experience has made Ryan an invaluable creative asset in every project he is a part of. Ryan is also father to his 1025 day old son Julian, who is currently yelling while he should be napping. Julian particularly enjoys his toy piano and looks forward to a career as a composer as well. Or an astrophysicist.

IGOR KOGAN

Igor Kogan is a music artist, bassist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He has performed at prestigious venues and festivals in U.S., Canada and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Steinway Hall (New York), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Toronto Music Festival (Canada), Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel); and appeared at renowned jazz clubs in NYC (Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Smalls, Zinc, Fat Cat), Los Angeles (Herb Alpert’s Vibrato, Catalina, Blue Whale, Vitellos, The Lighthouse) among other venues. Born in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, he started to play violin at age seven. He immigrated to Israel at the age of fifteen where he simultaneously pursued his interest in music and science, and started to play bass and compose music. Later, he attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, from which he graduated with honors and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Performance and Composition. His teachers included legendary bassists Reggie Workman, Ben Street and Mike Richmond. After spending several years in New York, working as a performing and recording musician, he relocated to Los Angeles in 2014, where he keeps busy composing and performing music for variety of projects and live concerts, and leading his own Jazz Quintet and 17 piece Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. He recently recorded his debut jazz album "In a Big City" of original compositions and featuring 9-time Grammy Award nominee jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton. Besides leading his own groups and recording projects, Igor stays busy performing and recording with various artists, orchestras and projects in a variety of genres, including classical, jazz, pop, rock, Klezmer, world music, Broadway musicals, film/TV scores. In 2024 he completed a U.S. tour with Kyiv Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra, and performed with Sarah Brightman's "Christmas Symphony" production. As a sideman jazz bass player he has performed with Plas Johnson, Jerome Jennings, Joey Morant, Valery Ponomarev, Leonid Ptashka, Oleg Butman, Anat Cohen, Mike Price, Mitch Manker, Shlomo Gronich, Alon Oleartchik, Maya Avraham and others. After spending several years in New York, working as a performing and recording musician, he became involved in Broadway productions as an arranger/orchestrator, and later as a composer. This led to develop his composing skills and to work on films, TV and media projects, as well as stage productions and live shows. He relocated to Los Angeles in 2014, where he continues to work as a composer, arranger and orchestrator on variety of projects including jazz and orchestral concert music as well as commercial projects, film/TV scores and trailers, recording sessions and Broadway musicals. Being inspired from both jazz and classical traditions, he combines these two musical worlds in his writing.

JAMES YOSHIZAWA

James Yoshizawa is a versatile drummer, percussionist and educator living in Los Angeles, CA who is most known for blending unique percussion instruments from all around the world with the drumset to create unique and compelling rhythms and textures. He began his musical training at age 11 playing in a Japanese folk music ensemble as well as his middle school marching band and orchestra. He went on to earn a percussion performance degree at a university where he was awarded a number of accolades and scholarships. As a performer, he specializes primarily in jazz and Irish percussion but has extensive experience in Cuban, Brazilian, West African, Caribbean, and classical percussion. As a performer, he can be found on stages all over the world such as the Taipei National Concert Hall. Locally, he can be found at The Blue Whale, The Hollywood Bowl, Vibrato Jazz Grill, Vitellos, Sam First, The Segerstrom Center, The Greek Theater and many other venues. Some career highlights include being invited to the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival as a guest artist since 2013, winning 1st place at the All-Ireland International Bones Championships in 2022, performing for President Barack Obama, serving at the bodhran soloist and percussion for the Broadway musical “Come From Away” in 2016, and performing with KYGO at the Hollywood Bowl in 2024. As an educator, he has taught at nationally recognized high schools all over Southern California such as Arcadia High School and Woodbridge High School. He also teaches numerous workshops around the world, including a presentation of the Irish bones at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2022. Ensembles he currently performs with include The Nick Mancini Collective, Eric Rigler’s Celtic Hollywood, ELEW, Chris Norton, Dylan Meek, Adryon De Leon, and Stepwise.

DUO TURGEON

Born in Montreal and Toronto respectively, Canadian pianists Anne Louise-Turgeon and Edward Turgeon have been playing together since 1988, and performing professionally since 1996. Critically acclaimed as one of the top piano duos of our time, the Turgeons have given hundreds of performances, including a European debut at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, and a New York debut at Weill Recital Hall, to name a few. Festival appearances include Sanibel Chamber Music, San Francisco International Chamber Music, Montreal International Duo Piano, Duettissimo (Minsk), Novosibirsk International Duo Piano, Festival Miami, New York Summer Music Festival, Austin Chamber Music, Algoma Fall Festival, Chicago International Two Piano Festival, Norfolk Chamber and the World Piano Conference (Serbia), to name a few.

The Turgeons appear on seven compact discs, including "New Music for Two Pianos" (Vanguard Classics) "Romantic Dances" and "Latin American Journey" (Marquis). They were featured in the PBS documentary "Two Pianos — One Passion", and they have been heard in numerous broadcasts on classical music stations throughout the world including National Public Radio's "Performance Today", BBC, ABC, WNYC, WPR, MPR, WGBH, Dutch Public Radio, and numerous CBC programs.

The Turgeon’s prizes and awards include first prize in the Sixth International Schubert Competition for Piano Duos (Czech Republic, 1995) and first prize in the prestigious Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition (Miami, 1997). They received additional special prizes at the Dranoff, including the award for best performance of works for one piano, four–hands, and a special award for best performance of the commissioned work "Chiaroscuro", by John Corigliano. The latter prize included an opportunity to complete a world premiere recording of Chiaroscuro, which American Record Guide described as having "hypnotic intensity".

As soloists, the Turgeons took prizes in competitions such as the Canadian Music Competition, the CIBC National Competitive Festival (Canada), the Cleveland International and Sydney International Piano Competitions.

Anne Louise-Turgeon’s awards, prizes and scholarships include the University of Toronto Faculty of Music’s highest graduating award, the Eaton Scholarship (1989), and Yale University School of Music’s highest honor, the Dean’s Award for top graduate (1993). In addition she received Yale’s Charles Miller Award for best recital. She is a recipient of an Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Award for graduate studies with a master teacher, and the Harry Jerome Award for achievement in the arts. Edward Turgeon received the coveted Forsyth Memorial Scholarship from University of Toronto Faculty of Music. At Yale University he received the Catherine Winchell and Phillip Nelson Memorial scholarships, awarded to an outstanding piano performance major, as well as the prize for best chamber ensemble (1993).

The Turgeons are graduates of the University of Toronto and Yale University, where they earned doctorate degrees in the year 2000. They received the highest graduating awards and prizes from both institutions. Anne's teachers included Marietta Orlov, Boris Berman, Karl Heinz Kammerling, Marek Jablonski, Claude Frank and John O'Connor. Edward's teachers included James Anagnoson, Peter Frankl,Donald Currier and Claude Frank. Duo Turgeon received duo piano, and one piano,four-hand coaching from James Anagnoson, Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Peter Serkin.

The Turgeons have served on the faculties of Algoma University College, Algoma Conservatory, Mount Holyoke College, the HARID Conservatory and Florida Atlantic University. They currently serve as keyboard faculty and ensemble-in-residence at Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of the Arts, in Boca Raton.