2023 CCF Faculty & Staff
Distinguished Senior Faculty:
Igor Resnianski received his formal music degrees in Russia graduating with distinctions from Novosibirsk Music College under Professor Elena Storojuk, and Novosibirsk State Conservatory under Professor Mary Lebenzon. He continued his studies in the United States completing the Artist Diploma program under Dr. Tamás Ungár at Texas Christian University. In addition, he studied as a full scholarship student at the Van Cliburn International Summer Piano Institute, where he was under the tutelage of distinguished musicians Paul Badura-Skoda, John Lill, Fanny Waterman, and György Sebök. Mr. Resnianski holds a Doctoral degree from Temple University in Philadelphia where he studied with Professor Harvey Wedeen. A Steinway artist, Mr. Resnianski is a prizewinner of many national and international piano competitions. He was awarded the First Prize in the New Orleans International Piano Competition, Luisiana; the Bronze Medal in the International World Piano Competition, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Bronze Medal in the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition. In June 1996, Mr. Resnianski made his concerto debut in America performing with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson and in South America performing a solo recital at the International Music Festival in Medellin, Colombia. Since then he performed with the Kennett Symphony, New Orleans, Acadiana Symphony Orchestras, etc; gave solo recitals and chamber performances in the Steinway Hall, New York; Guizhou University, Guiyang China; Fort Worth and Arlington, TX; New Orleans and Lafayette, LA; Cincinnati, OH and Palm Beach, FL; Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ; Santa Clara, CA and Houston, TX; etc. His performances were televised and broadcasted in Novosibirsk, Russia; New Orleans, LA; Palm Beach, FL; Cincinnati, OH; etc. Mr. Resnianski performance was featured on the PBS/WHYY Y-Arts television channel. Named by Pennsylvania Music Teaches Association "2012 Music Teacher of the Year" for the State of Pennsylvania, Dr. Resnianski is highly sought-after teacher who regularly gives master classes throughout the US and abroad. For many years, he served as a faculty and guest artist at the TCU/ Cliburn Piano Institute Fort Worth, Texas. Since 2006 he is on the faculty of Piano Texas International Academy and Festival in Fort Worth. For several years he gave lectures at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ during the Mozart summer course. He is a regular faculty of the New Orleans Piano Institute and the University of Houston Piano Institute.
Distinguished Guest Faculty:
International concert pianist Dr. Sarah Chan has garnered numerous awards including The American Prize in Piano Performance, “Rising Artist” honor of New York Concert Artists and Associates, and the PianoTexas International Competition professional prize. She has performed throughout America, Europe and Asia, including at Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Berlin Philharmonie Hall Kammermusiksaal, La Cité Internationale des Arts-Paris, St. James’s Piccadilly-London, Künstlerhaus-Munich, Sala Atenu-Romania, Merkin Concert Hall, Symphony Space Thalia Theater, Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, Beifang University Performing Arts Center, and Ningxia Normal University Concert Hall. As concerto soloist, she has appeared with the National "Mihail Jora" Philharmonic of Romania, Romanian State Symphony, New York Concert Artists Symphony, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, and Enid Symphony Orchestra. In the upcoming summer of 2019, Sarah Chan will embark on a performance-teaching tour in Ukraine. Originally from Hong Kong, Chan received her musical education in the U.S. and in France, training at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (D.M.A.), Le Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University (M.M), Manhattan School of Music (B.M.), and the University of Michigan. Concurrent with her music studies, she pursued French and French Literature studies at La Sorbonne, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan, where she was recipient of the Wolaver Full Scholarship Award.
Dr. Chan currently serves as Associate Professor of Music (Keyboard Studies/Music Theory) at California State University, Stanislaus. Since 2015, she has also been a regularly invited to China as a “Foreign Experts” artist-teacher-in-residence in Beifang University of Nationalities and Ningxia Normal University. Teaching awards in previous years include the Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Eastman School of Music and two nominations for the John Barton Award for Distinguished Teaching and Service while at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
Dr. Chan currently serves as Associate Professor of Music (Keyboard Studies/Music Theory) at California State University, Stanislaus. Since 2015, she has also been a regularly invited to China as a “Foreign Experts” artist-teacher-in-residence in Beifang University of Nationalities and Ningxia Normal University. Teaching awards in previous years include the Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Eastman School of Music and two nominations for the John Barton Award for Distinguished Teaching and Service while at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
((CCW faculty 2012, 2013, 2019) A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, pianist Mark Anderson’s recordings and performances have met with widespread critical acclaim. Since his successes at the 1993 Leeds (U.K.) and 1994 William Kapell (U.S.) International Piano Competitions, Mark Anderson has appeared as recitalist, soloist and chamber musician. He has performed in Japan, throughout the former Soviet Union, Europe and Great Britain, Ireland and North America.Mark Anderson has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Nicholas McCegan, William Boughton, George Cleve, and Adam Fischer. In recital, Mark has appeared at New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Weill Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Phillips Gallery in Washington D.C., London's Wigmore Hall and Zurich's Tonhalle and elsewhere throughout Europe and North America. His solo and concerto performances are complimented by chamber music work, most recently with the newly formed Röntgen Piano Trio. The trio has an international performing schedule for 2017-18. Mark particularly enjoys performing 2-piano repertoire with wife, Michelle Mares.
"In a world where transient glitter is often mistaken for pianistic excellence, Anderson offered that rare commodity: an ability to speak through music without hint of artifice."
– The Washington Post
"In a world where transient glitter is often mistaken for pianistic excellence, Anderson offered that rare commodity: an ability to speak through music without hint of artifice."
– The Washington Post
CONDUCTORS:
Joseph Ordaz (Artistic Director and Conductor) is currently the Music Director and Conductor of the Mission College Symphony in Santa Clara, California. He is also the Artistic Director and Conductor of the California Concerto Weekend for Amateur Pianists and conductor of the South Bay Baroque. Other orchestras that he has recently led in performance include the Berlin Sinfonietta, Winchester Orchestra, New Bridge Chamber Orchestra, Ohlone Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco State University Symphony. Mr Ordaz has worked with such artists as Gwendolyn Mok, Jon Nakamatsu, Vân-Ánh (Vanessa) Võ, Jassen Tadorav, and others. He has studied with many of the top conductors including Gustav Meier, Jorma Panula, John Farrerr, Diane Wittry, Adrian Gnam, Marin Alsop, Joann Falletta, Jorge Mester, Kirk Trevor, Harold Farbermann, Mitchell Sardou Klein and William LaRue Jones. He has also studied in programs including the London Conductor's Workshop at the Royal Academy of Music, International Conductor's Workshop's in Berlin, Germany; Conductor's Guild Workshop's with the Buffalo Philharmonic and at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music; California Conducting Institute with the Bakersfield Symphony, "Beyond the Baton" workshop with the Norwalk Symphony and others. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from San Jose State University and his Master of Music Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has performed as piano soloist with the Ft. Worth Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, Nova Vista Symphony, Mission Chamber Orchestra, Mission College Symphony, South Valley Symphony, San Jose State University Symphony, and New England Symphonic Ensemble, and at the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute and University of Maryland International Piano Festival. From 1991 - 2001, Mr. Ordaz also performed as a member of the Monterey Symphony and has performed in numerous recitals throughout the Bay Area including solo and chamber music. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Steinway Society - The Bay Area and presented pre-concert lectures for their concert series. Mr. Ordaz has previously taught at Gavilan and Foothill Colleges and for over ten years served as Chair of the Music Department at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA where he has been on the faculty since 1997.
Michael Giel (Assistant Conductor) Director of Orchestras at Dunwoody High School, has been a high school orchestra director for 15 years and received his Bachelor of Music Performance and Bachelor of Music Education from Valdosta State University, where he was a student of Karin Addis and Matson Topper. In 2008, he completed a Master in Music Education from the University of Georgia. In addition to his extensive classroom experience, Michael is on the faculty of the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival, which provides a comprehensive chamber music-focused experience to pre-college students. Michael also served as the Orchestra Director for the Georgia Governors Honors Program at Valdosta State University from 2008 to 2014 and has been a clinician for the Dekalb, Fulton, and Cherokee County and Atlanta Public Schools orchestra festivals. Outside of conducting in the classroom, Michael has also served as the Principal Conductor of Capitol City Opera in Atlanta, GA since 2010 and works closely with the artistic team in program planning and the selection and hiring of orchestra musicians. Michael joined the faculty of the California Piano Concerto Festival in 2014 as the Assistant Conductor and prepares four to five piano concertos with soloists and orchestra during each festival. As a violist and violinist, he has performed with several orchestras in Georgia and Florida including the Savannah Philharmonic, Gwinnett Philharmonic, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Ocmulgee Symphony, Gainesville (GA) Symphony, Albany (GA) Symphony, Coastal Symphony of Georgia, Rome (GA) Symphony, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, Da Salo Solisti Chamber Orchestra, LaGrange Symphony, and the Central Florida Symphony. In the modern music arena, Michael has performed with and for artists such as the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Il Volo, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Manilow, Michael Bolton, Evanescence, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Sarah Brightman, Lindsay Stirling, and Il Divo. Michael is a native of Atlanta and lives in Brookhaven with his wife Catherine who is a concert pianist and the Music Director of Capitol City Opera. In his spare time, Michael is an avid tennis player and outdoor enthusiast.
STAFF:
Sergiy Komirenko (Accompanist ) was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and began studying piano at the age of five. Sergiy attended the Kyiv Lysenko Special Music School, where he was a student of Yuri Kot. After moving to the U.S. in 1998, Sergiy has studied with John Ruggero, Namiq Sultanov, James Giles, Nelita True, Elizabeth Buccheri (collaborative piano), Marcia Bosits (piano pedagogy), and Robert Gjerdingen (counterpoint). Sergiy holds a B.M. and a D.M.A. from Northwestern University, as well as an M.M. from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Komirenko is currently an active teacher and accompanist in the Bay Area.
Dr. Joan Karr (CCW Co-Founder ) - received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.d. degrees in Education from The University of Michigan. She has taught ESL, served as Director of Continuing and Cooperative Education at Mercy College of Detroit; created events for the NFLAlumni and directed sports promotions for the Grand Prix of Miami; and was coordinator of the Palm Beach Piano Competition. She also was chairman of Special Events Committee of WXEL, South Florida's Public Broadcasting Station and chairman of the Arts Council of Northwood University, Florida. Joan is an amateur pianist and student of Igor Resnianski who guided her to performing as a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony. She was a contributor to the University of Michigan School of Music graduation address titled "What music has meant in my life". She lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan with her husband Ernie.
Janet Souza (Marketing and Ticket Sales)
Analiza Bibat-Dasalla (Sr. Administrative Assistant) Mission College Community Education
All artists, guests, events and schedule times subject to change.