MUSIC

February 27th is the 200th anniversary of Frèdèric Chopin’s birth, a monumental event which is being celebrated around the world. The Chopin Society of Houston presents Chopin's 200th Birthday Celebration, an opportunity for Houston to shine as a cultural center and celebrate the birth of one of the great masters of Romantic music. Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 8pm, in Stude Concert Hall, Rice University.  The program will feature Adam Golka, piano, Tomasz Golka, conductor and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra performing Chopin's two piano concerti.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Adam Golka The concert will feature pianist Adam Golka, winner of the 2009 Max I. Allen Classical Fellowship Award of the American Pianists Association, the 2008 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and the 2003 China Shanghai International Piano Competition.

Adam has appeared as soloist in recent seasons with major orchestras such as the BBC Scottish, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis symphonies. Currently, Adam resides in Baltimore, Maryland, where he is studying with the legendary Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute.

Tomasz Golka  Conductor and older brother Tomasz Golka is the winner of the 2003 Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition, and Music Director of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra in Texas and the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania.

As a conducting fellow at the 2006 Tanglewood Music Festival, he worked with James Levine, shared the podium with Bernard Haitink, and conducted a historic performance of Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale with legendary composers Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, and John Harbison as narrators.

Maestro Golka has received critical acclaim from his performances in the Americas and Europe. His powerful and insightful leadership is sure to make this gala celebration a most memorable and moving performance.

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra brings together forty all-star musicians from throughout the U.S. and Canada, each an acclaimed artist and soloist, in a collaborative and inspiring environment dedicated to creating an extraordinary audience experience. Their innovative programs have been broadcast nationwide on NPR’s Performance Today.

ABOUT THE CHOPIN SOCIETY OF HOUSTON
The Chopin Society of Houston, celebrating it's 10th anniversary this year, was established by Anna Golka, the mother of the talented brothers, at the start of the millennium, after a very successful Chopin Youth Competition in 1999. The board made it their mission to provide performance opportunities for artists to come together to express without words what they have in their hearts as it relates to Chopin’s music. They do this thru regular youth competitions, workshops and masterclasses, adult amateur competitions , and other events.