Polish-American pianist ADAM GOLKA has appeared as soloist with dozens of orchestras, including the BBC Scottish Symphony, NACO (Ottawa), Warsaw Philharmonic, Shanghai Philharmonic, as well as the San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, New Jersey, and San Diego symphonies. Adam performed cycles of Beethoven’s 32 Sonatas in NYC, Orlando, and Houston in 2020, and he also performed recitals as part of the “Sir Andras Schiff Selects” project at Klavier-Festival Ruhr (Essen), Tonhalle Zürich, Maison de France (Berlin), and 92Y Subculture (NYC). Chamber music is an integral part of Adam Golka’s musical life. He performs frequently with the Manhattan Chamber Players, participated in Marlboro Music, and he is a regular of the Krzyżowa-Music “Music for Europe” festival. Adam has also created a series of 32 short films about preparing to perform the 32 Beethoven Sonatas, called “32@32” (available on YouTube). Adam is an Artist Teacher at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
ZOLTÁN FEJÉRVÁRI
ZOLTÁN FEJÉRVÁRI has emerged as one of the most intriguing pianists among the newest generation of Hungarian musicians. Winner of the 2017 Concours Musical International de Montréal and recipient of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2016, Zoltán Fejérvári has appeared in recitals throughout the Americas and Europe, at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Canada’s Place des Arts, Gasteig in Munich, Lingotto in Turin, Palau de Música in Valencia, Biblioteca Nacional de Buenos Aires, and Liszt Academy in Budapest. His latest recording, Schumann, was released for the Atma Classique label in May 2020 and was again praised by Gramophone: “Fejérvári is a deeply communicative artist who combines an imperturbable yet magisterial command of his instrument with impeccable musicality. Those who have yet to hear him are in for a rare treat.”
Highlights of the 2022-2023 season include a U.S. tour with Concerto Budapest, as well as performances at Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Impromptu Classical Concerts (Key West, FL), Capitol Region Classical (Schenectady, NY), Music for Galway in Ireland, Wigmore Hall and the Nicholas Yonge Society in the UK. He performs with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Markus Stenz.
Zoltán Fejérvári’s solo recording debut, Janáček, was released on the Piano Classics label in 2019. In 2013 his recording of Liszt’s Malédiction with the Budapest Chamber Symphony, for Hungaroton, was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque. The recording was followed by a CD of four Mozart sonatas with violinist Ernő Kállai, issued in 2014 on Hungaroton. Fejérvári was also featured on a 2020 Warner Classics release of sonatas, entitled Strangers in Paradise.
Fejérvári currently holds a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik FHNW, Musik Akademie Basel in Basel, Switzerland, where he teaches piano and chamber music classes.
MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN
Composer-pianist MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, hailed by The New York Times as “one of the leading figures in the current renaissance of performer-composers,” is a 2025 MacDowell Fellow and 2024 Yaddo Artist. He is currently composing Endangered Carnival, a four organization co-commission premiering in 2026. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Emerging Artist Award from Lincoln Center, he has performed with major orchestras and venues worldwide, is an artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and regularly tours with Pinchas Zukerman. Brown’s compositions have been commissioned by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Gilmore and Bridgehampton festivals, Osmo Vänskä and Erin Keefe, the SPA Trio, and pianists Anne-Marie McDermott, Jerome Lowenthal, Ursula Oppens, Orion Weiss, Adam Golka, and Roman Rabinovich, soprano Susanna Phillips, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis. Two albums of his music including his Piano Concerto with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra will be released in 2025. A native New Yorker, Michael lives in New York City and Wallkill, NY with his two nineteenth-century Steinway D pianos, Octavia and Daria.
Michael Stephen Brown is generously sponsored by Yuval Brisker.
AHMED ALOM
AHMED ALOM is a pianist, composer, and conductor whose artistry bridges classical and popular traditions, earning him recognition as “one of the most versatile artists in the Western Hemisphere” (Diario de Mallorca). His unique voice blends the rigor and structure of classical training with the rhythmic and harmonic richness of his Cuban heritage, forging connections between the past and the music of today.
Alom’s compositions have been performed by world-renowned musicians, including Yuja Wang, who premiered his Displaced Etude No. 1 at the New York Philharmonic. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, New World Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de México, and Britt Festival Orchestra. He is also the youngest Artistic Director of the Washington Square Music Festival, where he champions inclusive and innovative programming, premiering works by Julian de la Chica, Dante Cucurullo, Dick Hyman among others,
Deeply engaged in collaboration, Alom works across genres with leading artists such as Michael League, Antonio Sánchez, Teddy Abrams, Steve Hackman, Miguel Zenón, Mark Dover, Brandon Ridenour, and Pedrito Martinez. His debut album, Exilio (2023), explored themes of displacement through the works of six Hispanic composers, including the first complete recording of Luis A. Calvo’s Four Intermezzos. His chamber trio, Triple Cortado—with Caleb Hudson and Achilles Liarmakopoulos—blends classical virtuosity with new contemporary works, while his duo CrossCurrents with Pedrito Martinez navigates the intersection of Afro-Cuban music and European classical traditions.
Beyond the stage, Alom is a sought-after educator, having given masterclasses and lectures at Berklee College of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, Dartmouth College, Peabody Institute, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. His passion for new music has led to collaborations with visionary composers and projects, including performances with Steve Hackman, the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet, and Ballet Hispánico’s Doña Perón.
Born in Cuba, Alom trained in both piano and percussion before earning his Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music under Dr. Solomon Mikowsky. He continues his studies in conducting and composition with Dr. Ford Lallerstedt while actively expanding his artistic collaborations worldwide.
About our Rising Stars
ChamberFest Cleveland’s Rising Stars are recognized for their extraordinary talent. They are invited to deepen their connection to the art of chamber music by immersing themselves in the festival, rehearsing side by side with the leading chamber musicians of our time, and performing in a professional concert setting for discerning audiences and critics alike.
The Rising Stars program is generously sponsored by Michael Frank and the late Pat Snyder.
NOLAN JUAIRE
NOLAN JUAIRE is a Cleveland-based classical guitarist. He is an active solo and chamber musician, with performances ranging from solo recitals to world premieres of guitar and orchestra works. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music with a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance. While there, he studied with Bill Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, and Pepe Romero. He recently completed his Master’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Jason Vieaux. In addition to performance, Nolan is also an active teacher, sought after for his enthusiastic approach to sharing the study of both musicality and technique.
DEREK ZADINSKY
DEREK ZADINSKY has performed in the Cleveland Orchestra as the Assistant Principal Bass since 2021, and as a section member previously, starting in 2012. Derek currently teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and Cleveland State University. Derek has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Carter Brey, Ray Chen, Jinjoo Cho, Vadim Gluzman, Ida Kavafian, Joseph Silverstein, and members of the Dover Quartet. As a soloist, he has performed twice with orchestras in Carnegie Hall, and has also recorded an album on the Oberlin Music Label, available for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Additionally, he has an edition of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 published on Apple Books.
GABRIEL POLINSKY
GABRIEL POLINSKY joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2022. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, having studied with Harold Robinson and Edgar Meyer. Some meaningful experiences have taken place at the Tanglewood Music Center, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, and the Lucerne Festival. Additionally, he enjoys playing on occasion with the Jupiter Chamber Players in New York. In 2019 he won The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition.
Mr. Polinsky was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and fostered a love of music from an early age. His inspiration for starting on the bass was his older brother Isaac, who is a bassist himself. Starting at age eight, Gabe balanced bass and piano lessons with a love for sports throughout his childhood. Toward the end of high school, he made the decision to pursue music. These days, he is caring for his dog, Hunter; having fun with coffee; and getting back into the sports world.
NATHAN FARRINGTON
NATHAN FARRINGTON is a bassist, singer, and composer living in Los Angeles. He regularly appears in the bass sections of many of America’s top orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony. Nathan was recently named the Principal Bass of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra under James Conlon and Placido Domingo, and pursues chamber music and solo opportunities avidly.
Nathan has appeared at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Olympic Music Festival, ChemberFest Cleveland, and at the Da Camera Society. Wherever he is performing, Nathan makes sure to take along his trusty guitar and pairs singing and playing operatic arias and folk songs alongside his bass playing.
In addition to his performance interests, Nathan is deeply interested in Cinema. His LA based audio company, Hazard Audio, connects top classical minds, with the artistic minds in movie and tv production. Recent projects include having co-written a score for a Martin Scorsese produced documentary called Building a Bridge, co-arranging a new score that is performed by orchestras live to picture for Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin, and project managing a fantastic commission written by Dafnis Prieto for soloists People of Earth and orchestra.
Each week in Nate’s World is new and dynamic… who knows where he’ll end up next?!
JONATHAN SWENSEN
Cellist JONATHAN SWENSEN is the recipient of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant and was recently awarded joint First Prize at the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition. Previously he has been featured as both Musical America’s ‘New Artist of the Month’ and ‘One to Watch’ in Gramophone Magazine. Jonathan first fell in love with the cello upon hearing the Elgar Concerto at the age of six, and ultimately made his concerto debut performing that very piece with Portugal’s Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música.
The release of Jonathan’s debut recording ‘Fantasia’, on Champs Hill Records, an album of works for solo cello, including Bent Sørensen’s ‘Farewell Fantasia’, composed for and dedicated to Jonathan and which he premiered in 2021. The album received rave reviews on its release, including from Gramophone, BBC Music, The Strad and Musical America which printed “Swensen proves to be not just a bold programmer, but a mature artist with a bold rounded sound and the emotional chops to back it up.”
Solo appearances with orchestras have included the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra under Douglas Boyd, the New England Conservatory Philharmonia and Hugh Wolff, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the NFM Leopoldinum in a play-direct program, Mobile Symphony, and the Greenville Symphony. During the 2024-25 season Jonathan will make his debut with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, returns to the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.
He has made critically acclaimed recital debuts at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, with additional performances in Boston’s Jordan Hall, the Morgan Library and Museum, the Casals Festival, and the Krannert Center. In addition to his many solo appearances, Jonathan is a frequent performer of chamber music in the U.S. and Europe, appearing at the Tivoli Festival, Copenhagen Summer Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Krzyżowa-Music, Vancouver Recital Society, San Francisco Performances, La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, and Newport Classical.
In 2024, Jonathan joined the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center where he performs at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Studio, and on tour throughout the United States. He captured First Prizes at the 2019 Windsor International String Competition, 2018 Khachaturian International Cello Competition, and the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Jonathan continued his studies with Torleif Thedéen at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory, where he received his Artist Diploma in May 2023. Jonathan is an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium working with Gary Hoffman.
Jonathan Swensen is the 2025 John P. Murphy Foundation Visiting Artist.
RAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN
Cellist RAMAN RAMAKRISHNAN enjoys performing solo and chamber music, old and new, around the world. For two decades, as a founding member of the Horszowski Trio and the Daedalus Quartet, he toured extensively through North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and recorded for Bridge Records and Avie Records, including the complete piano trios of Robert Schumann and the complete string quartets of Fred Lerdahl. Mr. Ramakrishnan is currently an artist member of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and is on the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
As a recitalist, Mr. Ramakrishnan has performed in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., and has presented the complete Beethoven Sonatas in a tour across India. He has performed chamber music at Bargemusic, at Caramoor, with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, and at the Aspen, Bard, Charlottesville, Four Seasons, Kingston, Lincolnshire (UK), Marlboro, Mehli Mehta (India), Oklahoma Mozart, Portland, Skaneateles, and Vail Music Festivals. He has toured with Musicians from Marlboro and has performed as guest principal cellist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and as soloist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. As a guest member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, he has performed in New Delhi and Agra, India and in Cairo, Egypt. He has served on the faculties of the Kneisel Hall, Norfolk, and Taconic Chamber Music Festivals, as well as in the Music Performance Program of Columbia University.
Mr. Ramakrishnan was born in Athens, Ohio and grew up in East Patchogue, New York. His father is a molecular biologist and his mother is the children’s book author and illustrator Vera Rosenberry. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University and a Master’s degree in music from The Juilliard School. His principal teachers have been Fred Sherry, Andrés Díaz, and André Emelianoff. He lives in Rhinebeck, NY with his wife, the violist Melissa Reardon, and their son. He plays a Neapolitan cello made by Vincenzo Jorio in 1837.