News
- 2024 - a year in reviewDear Friends, Yet another year passed since I wrote on this wall. It's been a good year, with busy concert and festival schedule, rewarding teaching experiences, and students triumphs. Some of the highlights of the past year include performing Mozart K. 466 Piano Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic under the baton of Jherrard Hardeman, coming back as Guest Artists to the Southeastern Piano Festival, where we performed a piano duo concert, and judged the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition, unforgettable concerts at the Vivace Music Festival and many other memorable and important moments. The many accomplishments of mine and Joe's wonderful students make us extraordinarily proud. Caleb Borick (ESM BM), Joe's student since Caleb was 13, has swept Bonn Beethoven International Piano Competition, gathering the First Prize and several more and embarking on a busy concert tour in Europe and Asia. Ke'er Wang (USC BM, ESM MM, DMA) has won GOCCA grand prize and a tour engagement in China, where she performed in 8 cities to major critical acclaim. Nick Zehao Bai (USC BM, ESM MM, DMA) has just received his first faculty position at the University of Toledo. Xiaoliang Qian (ESM MM, DMA) won Lewisville Symphony Grand Prize and will perform full concerto with them in 2024-2025 season. Jiaxi Li (ESM BM, MM) was named Yamaha Young Performing Artist winner. Anduo Chen (ESM MM, DMA) was busy judging major piano competitions in China this summer. Ana Maria Otamendi (USC Artist Certificate) has accepted the position of collaborative piano at the University of Michigan, following in footsteps of her teacher and legendary pedagogue Martin Katz. The achievements of our students are too numerous to recount in full, but needless to say that we love, support and cheer each and every one of them. We will start the new academic year by performing as part of Eastman Artist Faculty Series, a piano duo recital on September 8 at 3:30 PM in Kilbourn Hall of the Eastman School of Music. We would love to see all our friends there and say hello![ read ]
- Catching up in 2023Hello friends, It's been a while since I posted anything on the site, but meanwhile Joseph and I have been busier than ever in the last few years. A lot has happened, much too much to put into this news update. Here are some highlights: We took on the role of Artistic Directors of Vivace Music Festival since it was founded by John Holloway and Ludovica Punzi in 2020. We also released a new piano duo disk called Fusion with music by John Adams, William Bolcom, Man Fang, John Corigliano, and John Fitz Rogers. After 20 years, we passed on the baton of leadership of Southeastern Piano Festival, but will continue to be involved as Guest Artists, coming back in 2024 to perform and judge. During the past three years we have participated in dozens of festivals, judged and played around the globe and devoted countless hours to teaching our amazing students at Eastman. Some of the festival we have visited include Amalfi Music Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, Chicago International Music Festival, Flagstaff Piano Festival, LSU Piano Festival, Philadelphia Young Pianist Academy, and Texas State International Piano Festival to name a few. We performed solo concerts and together as a duo at Charleston International Piano Series, Eastman Centennial Prism Concert at Kodak Hall, Seattle Chamber Music Society, judged E-piano competition, Hilton Head, YoungArts National Foundation, Ronald Sachs, New Orleans and other international and national competitions, and our jointly taught students have gathered prized at Bach-Leipzig, MTNA National, National Society for Arts and Letters, GOCAA, Seattle and many others.[ read ]
- New Piano Duo CD by Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo releasedDear friends, Joseph and I are proud to share the release of our new CD with music for two pianos by John Adams, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, and recording world premieres by John Fitz Rogers and Man Fang. This was a labor of love ever since the world shut down in 2020. It took us two years to record, edit and produce it. Click on the image to learn more about the recording and how to purchase it.[ read ]
- Eastman faculty recital - livestreamDear Friends, Sharing the details of my upcoming faculty recital at Eastman here - December 4, 2021 7:30 PM - livestream only (no archive) https://www.esm.rochester.edu/live/kilbourn/. While things have been returning to normal, I've been amiss updating my site with new posts. This feels like a good intro back into "normal" new life. The concert halls have been opening back up to embrace live music and live audiences. This concert is free and open to the audiences. On the program is Schumann Kreisleriana, the world premiere of Three Rhapsodies by Carter Pann and showpieces by Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Bolcom. Tune in, drop me a note - would love to hear from you! [ read ]