“If you ask me how old I was when I started playing piano, I might hesitate for a moment. It’s not that I don’t know (I started taking lessons at age four); it’s just that I can’t remember life before music. ”
In the Beginning…
If you ask me how old I was when I started playing piano, I might hesitate for a moment. It's not that I don't know (I started taking lessons at age four); it's just that I can't remember life before music.
Growing Up a Musician
Between performing, teaching, collaborating, and composing, my work as a professional musician has always been so much more than a career. Hasn't it always been a part of my existence?
Between performing, teaching, collaborating, and composing, my work as a professional musician has always been so much more than a career. Hasn't it always been a part of my existence?
My mom is a cellist and on weekend mornings I would wake up to the sound of her practicing (by far the best way of waking up that I have ever experienced). As a kid, I was the flower girl for her concerts: running up on stage after the last notes had finished to present her with a bouquet from our garden. My dad, a social scientist, has always been ready to share a song, either with his booming voice or his virtuosic harmonica playing. He champions the power of music holds in bringing people together.
Legend has it that as a toddler I reached out to touch a piano and played it with curved fingers.
Of course, the journey becoming a musician was quite a process. But there were early signs that gave me encouragement: by age nine, I was performing for audiences in my hometown of Baltimore and as far away as Bulgaria, Poland, and Germany.
You could say that music runs in the family…
My two younger siblings took up violin and cello: perfect instruments for our family ensemble. We started touring early on: I was fourteen and my brother was ten when we recorded our first CD and embarked on a 40-concert tour of Europe. As a family, we performed concerts worldwide as “The American Virtuosi.
As a teen, I was featured as a performer in concerts at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall
I was then invited to perform in prestigious music festivals including Klavierwoche International (Germany), Concerti di Primavera (Italy), the International Festival of Music and Architecture in Torun, (Poland) and UNESCO’s International Conference on Local Music Heritage in the Age of Globalization (Jordan).
One early highlight was when my live performance of the Haydn D-Major Concerto with the Polish Camerata was internationally broadcast by Pol-Sat TV.
My favorite concertos include Rhapsody in Blue, the Chopin F minor, and Beethoven's Triple Concerto.
I was thrilled to perform these with orchestras including the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra (China), St. Christopher Orchestra, Šiauliai Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania), Young German Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Israeli Soloists Orchestra (Israel), and Lublin Philarmonic Orchestra (Poland), among others.
Piano became my super-power; and a ticket to a journey “around the world on 88 keys.”
Performing in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Music gave me the amazing opportunity to learn about the world by seeing it, meeting people, and experiencing living history. From Jordan to Japan, Israel to Iceland, and Cuba to China, I logged 30 countries before I was eighteen.
In 2005, I was among the pianists invited to participate in the International Chopin Competition
Making a new friend on a day off from concerts (Vietnam)
This is one of the biggest competitions in the world; essentially the Olympics of the piano world. I didn’t win it (it’s humbling to look back in the schedule line-up and see that the pianist who played just before me was Rafal Blechacz - aka the winner that year!). But, I did receive the Acte Preable Prize for Outstanding Interpretation of Chopin's Music, resulting in my solo album, “Chopin Recital.”
Speaking of recordings…
Recordings include Pearls of Music, Musical Favorites of All Times, Postcards from Dilsberg, Jewish Joys & Sorrows, Music for Peace in the Middle East, and PRIME. The music includes classical standards, contemporary music by living composers, and my own original compositions.
Performing with my Mom - a truly incredible cellist, and my role model as a musician.
Today, my life in music continues to explore a variety of passions and interests.
I perform as a soloist, and very often, as a collaborative pianist. Performances with other musicians are soul-deep conversations without words.
I continue to perform as part of “The American Virtuosi” and Borowsky Trio. Highlights include performances in China under the theme "One World, One Dream, One Family,” a three-week tour of the Baltics, and a visit to Cuba as cultural ambassadors. We have also been recipients of an Artist-in-Residence grant from the Rhein-Neckar Kulturstiftung and recipients of the Erick Friedman Prize.
As a composer, I have published works for piano (100 Solos for Piano Prodigies), trio, and even orchestra. Get the music here!
Working with young musicians is a passion of mine.
I serve as Executive Director of the Intermuse Music Institute and Festival, an annual summer music program for strings and piano. This program is a reflection of my belief in holistic musical education. During the intense 10-day program, students study both solo and chamber music, receive guidance from faculty and guest artists, participate in workshops on topics crucial to technical and artistic development, and explore interdisciplinary activities that encourage communication and expression with more freedom.
Throughout the year, I teach talented young pianists at my private studio, Piano Prodigies. Weekly private lessons balance technical development and theoretical knowledge with artistry: how to construct communicative, engaging, and expressive performances. In addition to lessons, students participate in workshops, recitals, masterclasses, and festivals and competitions.
I have been thrilled to serve as faculty, guest clinician, and adjudicator for music programs in the USA and abroad. My signature workshops include “Own the Stage” and “Yoga for Musicians” as well as presentations on a variety of pedagogical topics.