Adam Golka, 2008 Gilmore Young Artist

 

Twenty-year-old Adam Golka, a 2008 Gilmore Young Artist, is a first generation American. Born of Polish parents in Houston, Texas, he began studying both the piano and the violin at the age of four and continued with both until deciding to become a pianist at the age of nine. He gave his first recital at age nine and first performance of a concerto with orchestra at ten.

Golka moved to Fort Worth at age 15 to study in the Artist Diploma Program at Texas Christian University. In Spring 2005 he completed his studies there under the guidance of Brazilian-born pianist José Feghali, whom Golka still considers his most important mentor. His other main teachers were Dariusz Pawlas and his mother, Anna Golka.

Golka’s international career began at age 16 when he won the gold medal and audience-favorite awards at the 2nd China Shanghai International Piano Competition. He has performed with the symphonies of Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Milwaukee, San Diego, Fort Worth, Albany, Mobile, Missouri, Lubbock, Key West, York (PA), and Acadiana in the US, and abroad with the Shanghai Philharmonic, Orchestre Poitou-Charentes, Orquesta Filarmonica de Jalisco (Guadalajara), and Sinfonia Varsovia.

Golka's solo performances have taken him to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Nakanoshima Hall in Osaka, Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) and Merkin Hall in New York, the Ravinia Rising Stars Series, the Gilmore Rising Stars Series, Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, Hobby Center in Houston, Barge Music in Brooklyn, and the Music@Menlo, Newport and Duszniki-Chopin music festivals. Throughout 2006, Adam gave his first performance of Beethoven's complete 32 piano sonatas cycle in Fort Worth, in nine concerts, which were also viewed via live internet webcasts.

Highlights from Golka's upcoming schedule include subscription performances with the BBC Scottish Symphony under Donald Runnicles, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra under Michael Christie, the Lansing Symphony under Timothy Muffitt, Riverside Philharmonic under Patrick Flynn, and solo recitals at Mannes International Keyboard Institute and Festival, and at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

Golka has a large and diverse solo repertoire and possesses a particular interest in piano transcriptions, which he composes and performs following in the tradition of many of the great Nineteenth Century keyboard masters. Playing chamber music is another musical love.

Golka recently completed his participation, as one of four selected participants, in the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop with Leon Fleisher on Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. Last summer, he took part in Ravinia's Steans Institute for Young Artists, where he studied solo and chamber music with Leon Fleisher, Claude Frank, Pamela Frank, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, John O'Connor, Menahem Pressler, and Arie Vardi, among others.

Biographical information supplied by artist's management.