ELIZABETH BOROWSKY
pianist · teacher · composer
Elizabeth Borowsky enjoys a vibrant musical career as soloist and collaborative pianist, educator, composer, speaker, and recording artist.
With performances spanning distinguished venues and festivals in over thirty countries, Elizabeth is equally at home performing as a soloist on the stages of Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center as she is getting up-close-and-personal with audiences in community venues, from Cuba to Lithuania. She is lauded as a sensitive and dynamic collaborative pianist, having performed with renowned soloists Amit Peled, Cecylia Barczyk, James Stern, Erick Friedman, Chin Kim, and Teresa Kubiak among others.
As founder and director of Piano Prodigies LLC, a unique approach to private piano instruction that focuses on the artistic and personal development of each student, Elizabeth has earned a reputation as a dedicated and effective teacher. She has presented workshops on yoga for musicians, stage presence, artistry, and improvisation at high schools, colleges, conferences, and summer festivals. She serves as Executive Director of the Intermuse International Music Institute and Festival USA, an annual solo and chamber music program.
Elizabeth has written and published music for piano, trio, and orchestra. She frequently writes custom compositions for her students, blending her passion for performance, collaboration, and storytelling, with nurturing the next generation of music lovers.
Inhale Life, Exhale Music…
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As soloist, Ms. Borowsky has performed in over thirty countries, at distinguished venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Beethoven House, Penderecki European Music Center, Concerti di Primavera, Klavierwoche International, and UNESCO's "Local Music Heritage in the Age of Globalization.” Her performances as soloist with orchestras have included the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, St. Christopher Orchestra, Šiauliai Chamber Orchestra, Young German Symphony Orchestra, Israeli Soloists Orchestra, Lublin Philarmonic Orchestra, Oregon Pro-Arte, and Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra. She was among the pianists selected to participate in the 10th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw and was awarded the Acte Preable Prize for Outstanding Interpretation of Chopin's Music, resulting in her solo album, “Chopin Recital.”
Elizabeth Borowsky is represented world-wide by Intermuse Performing Artists Bureau.
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Elizabeth Borowsky has earned a reputation as a dedicated and effective teacher. She has taught at Indiana University Bloomington, Morgan State University, Towson University and the Maryland Conservatory of Music and has presented masterclasses in the USA, Lithuania, Germany, Cuba, Japan, and Poland.
As founder and director of Piano Prodigies, a unique approach to private piano instruction that focuses on the artistic and personal development of each student, Elizabeth has been recognized for her work by the Music Teachers National Association.
Borowsky is a frequent adjudicator at piano festivals and competitions and has presented workshops at high schools, colleges, conferences, and summer festivals.
She serves as Executive Director of the Intermuse International Music Institute and Festival USA, a summer chamber music program for exceptional young musicians.
Borowsky holds degrees from Towson University and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM).
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Borowsky’s compositions have been performed by international ensembles including The Tianjin Philharmonic (China), Šiauliai Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania), King David String Ensemble (Israel), and Cumanayagua Concert Orchestra (Cuba).
Her composition "In Memoriam" was premiered at the 2013 Pažaislis Music Festival in Kaunas, Lithuania on June 14 (The Day of Mourning and Hope) under the patronage of the President of Lithuania.
She has received commissions from the Madrona Duo and Music Teachers National Association and served as the New Hampshire Commissioned Composer for 2021.
Borowsky’s collection of pedagogical works for piano, 100 Solos for Piano Prodigies, has been lauded as an invaluable addition to the modern repertoire of young pianists.
“When I’ve left the audience feeling like they have traveled a journey through time, space, history, and explored a range of moods and feelings, I know I’ve done my job well.”
In her own words
“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.
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.”
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
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.”
Making a new friend on a day off from concerts (Vietnam)
Performing in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
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.
#InhaleLifeExhaleMusic
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.
