Symphonic Workshops
Workshops and professional development opportunities for conductors and other musicians since 1991

Varna International Piano Master Class 2008

Faculty (alphabetic listing)

Joseph Banowetz  Co-Director (U.S.A.)
Joseph Banowetz has been described by Fanfare Record Review (U.S.A.) as "a giant among keyboard artists of our time." He has performed on five continents, and his recordings of concertos by Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Anton Rubinstein and d'Albert, as well as numerous solo repertoire, appear on Naxos and Marco Polo, two of the world's most widely distributed CD labels. Mr. Banowetz's teachers include Carl Freidberg (himself a pupil of Clara Schumann) and the legendary Gyorgy Sandor. Banowetz's book "The Pianists Guide to Pedaling" has been translated into several languages.

Mr. Banowetz has lectured and taught master-classes at such renowned schools as The  Julliard School in New York, the St Petersburg Conservatory, London's Royal College of Music, the Chopin Academy of Warsaw, the Beijung Central conservatory, and the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. He has served on many international competition juries, including the Gina Bachauer International Competition (U.S.A.), and the Arthur Rubinstein Master Competition (Israel). He is a Steinway Artist.

Milko Milkov (Bulgaria)
Born in 1965 in Varna    Milkov is a graduate from the Music school in his home town and Public Music Academy “P.Vladigerov”- Sofia , in the Julia and Konstantin Ganevy’s piano class.

In 1993 he received a scholarship from the Italian ministry of culture for specialization in the Master Class of the Music Academy “Santa Cecilia” in Rome where, he studied piano with Maestro Sergio Petricaroli and chamber music from Maestro Felix Ayo (founder of chamber ensemble “I Music” and quartet “Beethoven”). He participated in Master classes of interpretation with Maestro Marcello Abado ( Italy ) and Professor Germain Mounier ( France ).

Milko Milkov is a laureate of the National contest “Svetoslav Obreshkov”- Provadia, International contest “Senigallia”-Italy, International contest for young musicians “Trofeo di Tortona”-Italy. He participated in the International music festival “Trintia dei Monti” in Rome in 1994. He has been a soloist with symphonic orchestras in Varna , Burgas, Ruse etc. and has toured successfully in Austria, Italy , Southern Africa , and Russia (where he played in the prestige hall “Rahmaniniv” in Moscow). He has recorded for the Bulgarian National Radio, as well as a compact disc recorded in First studio in Bulgarian National Theatre. In 1998 he was invited to teach piano at Kwangju Women’s University, Southern Korea, where he gave concerts and led Master classes in Seoul and Kwangju .

Currently Milko Milkov is a piano teacher and director of the program “Music Arts” at the New Bulgarian University-Sofia.

Joseph Stanford (South Africa)

Cape Town (South Africa) born Joseph Stanford is Professor of Music at South Africa's largest residential university, the University of Pretoria.  After his studies at the Universities of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, and Vienna, he returned to South Africa where he has held various senior positions at different institutions.  Since he stopped his performing career, he has devoted himself exclusively to his teaching.

He has served on juries of many national and international competitions.  His students include many winners of both national and international competitions.  He is the proud and youngest ever recipient of a Honorary Licentiate in Music which has only been awarded to six people by the University of South Africa (UNISA).  This award has been made to him as a result of his directive and innovative influence on piano teaching in South Africa, the excellence of his work that results in his pupils' outstanding achievements, and his intense and enthusiastic involvement in the UNISA music examination system.

Adam Wodnicki Co-director (Poland/USA)

Described by the critics as a “stunning virtuoso” and a “musical star”, Polish-born artist Adam Wodnicki has concertized and taught on five continents. He has appeared at prestigious international music festivals such as Arundel Festival in England, Les Rencontres Internationales Frederic Chopin in Nohant, France, Chopin Festival in Marianske Lazne (Marienbad), Czech Republic, International Shenyang Piano Festival in China, and others. Wodnicki has recorded extensively for various labels, CENTAUR and ALTARUS among others, and made numerous radio and TV recordings in different countries, as well as concerto recordings with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Adam Wodnicki studied with Jan Hoffman, Guido Agosti and Gyorgy Sebok, and his artistic roots can be traced to the traditions of Fryderyk Chopin, Franz Liszt and Ferrucio Busoni.

Guest Lecturer

Professor Hee - Won Shin (South Korea)

Hee –Won Shin is a Professor of the Piano Department, College of Music, Keimyung University Daegu, Korea where she is currently Chief of the Piano Department. Professor Shin received her B.A. in piano performance from the College of Music, Keimyung University in 1970 and her M.A. in piano performance there in 1972. She began her teaching career as a full-time instructor at Daegu College of Education and taught at the College of Music, Keimyung University where she began as a full-time instructor and eventually became the Chief of the Piano Department. Prof. Shin was a visiting Professor, at the Conservatory of Music, U.M.K.C. Kansas City, MO in 1987/88

Professor Shin is The Chairperson of the Korean Society of Modern Piano Music, a Member of Korean Chopin Society, a Board member of Korean Society of Piano Music and a Member of The Music Society of Korea

Professor Shin has performed a number of solo recitals and Solo Performances including Solo performance for College Graduates sponsored by The Chosun Ilbo, Solo Performance for College Graduates, sponsored by The KBS-TV, Solo Concerto Performance, with Busan Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a number of performances with Daegu Philharmonic Orchestra, joint recitals, piano duo performances and chamber music concerts

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