Bernadene Blaha‘s “brilliant command of the piano”, whether featured as recitalist, concerto soloist or chamber musician, has been heralded in performances throughout North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Mexico. Piano and Keyboard magazine has reviewed her as, “a pianist of integrity, with lovely sonorities and total clarity of line.”

Originally from Canada, Ms. Blaha first came to international attention as a prizewinner in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition; the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Masterplayers International Competition, Lugano, Switzerland; and the 11th Annual International Piano Competition, New York City. This latter award resulted in two highly acclaimed recital appearances, at Carnegie Recital Hall and the Lincoln Center Library. Soon afterward, Ms. Blaha was featured in the opening orchestra concert and a solo recital at the XXIX International Chopin Festival in Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, followed by performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and Disney Hall in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 1999, Ms. Blaha was invited by Canada’s “Piano 6” to perform with the group which included Angela Chang, Janina Fialkowska, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Angela Hewitt and Jon Kimura Parker in televised gala concerts in Lanaudiere and in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre. She remained an active touring member of the project through the completion of it’s ten year mandate in 2003.

A highly regarded chamber musician, Ms. Blaha has been a regular guest at international festivals including: The Newport Festival, Tucson Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Festival of the Sound, Bard Festival, Banff Festival of the Arts, Round Top International Festival, Academie de Fourviere, Lyon and Festival de San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Ms. Blaha is a founding member of the piano trio Latitude 41, formed in 2009 with violinist Livia Sohn and cellist Luigi Piovano. Their debut CD of Schubert’s monumental “Trio in E flat Major” and “Notturno” was released in 2011 on the Eloquentia label to rave reviews. The group followed this success with a recording of the Saint-Saëns Trios and has a forthcoming CD featuring the Brahms Trios. Ms. Blaha’s discography also includes recordings for the CBC, Centaur and Analekta labels.

Also in demand as a teacher, adjudicator and clinician, Ms. Blaha has received the National Arts Foundation’s Outstanding Teacher Recognition Award and the 2017 Thornton School of Music Dean’s Award for Excellence in Professional Activities. She has been invited to serve on the distinguished jury of the Gina Bachauer International Artist Piano Competition, Virginia Waring International Competition and the 2015 International E-Competition.

Currently residing in Los Angeles, Ms. Blaha has been a member of the Keyboard Faculty at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California since 1993 where she is a Full Professor.

Steinway Artist, Alexandre Dossin, is Professor of Piano and Chair of Keyboard at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance. Originally from Brazil, Alexandre Dossin is a graduate from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia) and holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (USA). Considered by Martha Argerich an “extraordinary musician” and by the international critics a “phenomenon” and “a master of contrasts,” he keeps an active performing, recording, and teaching careers.  

A prizewinner in several international piano competitions, Dossin received the First Prize and the Special Prize at the 2003 Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other international awards include the Silver Medal and second Honorable Mention in the Maria Callas Grand Prix, and Third Prize and Special Prize in the Mozart International Piano Competition, in addition to several prizes in Brazil.

An active recording artist, he has numerous CDs released with several labels, including 9 CDs with Naxos. Dossin is an editor and recording artist for several Schirmer Performance Editions. Dossin’s edition and recording of complete piano sonatas by W. A. Mozart (2-volume edition and recordings, Schirmer Performance Editions) was released in the fall of 2023. Other recent releases include the complete piano works by George Walker in 2 CDs with Naxos. A performance edition of the same works published by Keiser Southern Music will follow by the end of 2024. Soloist appearances in 2023-2024 include the Eugene Symphony, the Austin Symphony, Porto Alegre Symphony in Brazil and Orchestra Sinfonica Santa Croce in Italy, in addition to the West Coast premiere of George Walker’s piano concerto with the University of Oregon Philharmonia.

Dossin’s work was praised in reviews by Diapason, The Financial Times, Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide, Clavier and other international publications.

Michael Miropolsky began his artistic career as principal violinist with the Moscow State Symphony, performed with the Radio and Television String Quartet in many countries around the world, and recorded internationally on the Melodiya label. He came to the United States in 1990 and was Assistant Principal Second Violin with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Opera until his retirement in 2022.

In 1999, Mr. Miropolsky founded the Seattle Violin Virtuosi and three years later, the Seattle Chamber Orchestra. He has released eight CDs with the aforementioned groups on the Ambassador label.

In 2002, he was chosen as the Music Director of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra. He released the orchestra’s first two CDs – Symphonic Treasures, followed by The Seven, with soprano Christina Kowalski. In 2009, Mr. Miropolsky was elected as the Music Director of the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra and has continued to serve as such since the orchestra became the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra. He led the Seattle International Film Festival Orchestra in the SIFF Gala of 2012, and from 2013 through 2015 he conducted the Thalia Symphony Orchestra.

In 2011, with Rick Steves and the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Miropolsky created the innovative program, Europe, a Symphonic Journey, which was released on both CD and DVD and received a 60-minute presentation on public television across the USA. In addition, the Maestro and the members of the Cascade Symphony published the orchestra’s first cookbook, Measures and Pleasures.

In 2015, Mr. Miropolsky published his memoir, Theme and Variations: My Life’s Journey. In his book, which contains commentary by Rick Steves and Melinda Bargreen, Michael Miropolsky shares the story of his eventful 60 years’ journey through life.