Daniel Pollack
Audiences worldwide recognize the pianism of Daniel Pollack for its signature colors in sound, coupled with over-the-edge thrilling virtuosity, giving his performances an electrifying element that catches the imagination of concert goers.
As in Washington Post, “his astonishing pianism”, was featured; in New York Times “Piano Man, Winning Russian Hearts and Minds” was headlined; Pollack has received numerously high reputation. His recent highlights include appearances as soloist with conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia and as soloist with such major international philharmonics as London's Royal, Seoul, Korea, Hong Kong, Kiev, Ukraine, and in the U.S. Pollack is a graduate of the Juilliard School. He has held several artist faculty positions including The Juilliard School, Columbia University and Yale's School of Music. He is now on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Pollack has participated on major international competition juries such as the Tchaikovsky in Moscow; Queen Elizabeth in Brussels; Leeds, England; and among others.
Nancy Weems
As a concert pianist, Nancy Weems has performed extensively in the United States and in Europe, Asia, Mexico, Central America, and the former Soviet Union. Selected as a United States Artistic Ambassador, Ms. Weems represented the United States in three international concert tours, and presented a solo debut recital at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She has appeared as guest artist with numerous orchestras, and has given master classes in conservatories in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the West Indies. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Texas, Ms. Weems was an exchange professor and guest performer at the Royal Academy of Music in London; at Sungshin Women's University in Seoul, Korea; and in 2008, for the Kuala Lumpur International Master Classes in Malaysia. Ms. Weems has recorded for the Albany and the Bay Cities labels. The recording, "Classical Hollywood" was nominated for a Grammy award in 1990. In addition, she has been featured in recordings of American composers Arnold Rosner and Chris Theofanidis.
Currently, Nancy Weems is the Madison Endowed Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Area at the University of Houston Moores School of Music in Houston, Texas. Her students have won top awards in numerous state, national, and international piano competitions and many of her current and former students are now professional performers and teachers worldwide. Professor Weems was named the Outstanding Collegiate Teacher of the Year in l99l by the Texas Music Teachers Association, received a University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award in 1995, and was named the Moores School of Music Faculty of the Year in 2004.
Nancy Weems regularly presents lectures, recitals and teacher workshops and has been a featured MTNA convention artist for the states of New York, Washington, Minnesota, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Texas. In addition, Ms. Weems has been a frequent presenter at the Music Teachers National Association Convention and the World Piano Pedagogy Conferences.
Robert Hamilton
An internationally respected pianist and recording artist, Robert Hamilton has had the unusual distinction of being enthusiastically reviewed by two Chief Music Critics for The New York Times. Harold C. Schonberg (who also authored The Great Pianists) wrote: “He is a very fine artist. All of Hamilton’s playing has color and sensitivity…one of the best of the million or so around.” And Donal J. Henahan reported: “It was an enthralling listening experience. We must hear this major talent again, and soon!”
Hamilton studied at Indiana University with the first winner of the coveted Levintritt award, Sidney Foster, and graduated summa cum laude. A move to New York City brought studies with Dora Zaslavsky of the Manhattan School, additional coaching from legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz, and a host of monetary awards from the Rockefeller Fund and U.S. State Department, launching a strong career here and abroad. Five prizes in major international competitions added more concerts.
He has made countless concert tours of four continents, appearing in the major halls of most music capitals, like the Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, the great hall of the Moscow Conservatory, etc. He has been heard over numerous radio networks including NPR, ABC, BBC, VOA, Armed Forces Network, DRS Zurich and Radio Warsaw.
A piano professor in the Arizona State University School of Music, Hamilton featured in the book The Most Wanted Piano Teachers in the USA. Hamilton also served as Artistic Director of the London Piano Festival during the 1990s.
Larisa Rakhmanova
Larisa Rakhmanova is a graduate of the Tashkent State Conservatory and holds Master Degree in piano performance and teaching. She started her music career as accompannist for conducting classes at the Tashkent State Institute of Culture. Larisa has been serving as Director of Orchestra (Concert Manager) of National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan.
Larisa has been the head of Keyboard Studies at the University of Putra Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur for five years, from 1998 to 2003. Many of her students have been invited to perform at performance showcases by the British Council, and also have been there, winning performance scholarship in their further piano studies overseas in the UK at postgraduate. Numbers of her students have won the national, international piano competitions.
Currently, Larisa maintains her piano studio in Winnetka, Northridge area, California. She is a member of MTAC and is one of the directors at board members of San Fernando West Valley Branch, California.