Chopin Foundation Hosts Polish Violin Virtuosos, UM Frost School Pianist

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla.  – Join the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, as it partners with the Chopin Foundation of the United States in welcoming critically acclaimed violinists Ania Filochowska and Piotr Filochowski, accompanied on the piano by University of Miami (UM) Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music graduate student Geoffrey Loff.  The concert will take place on Sunday, January 9 at 4 p.m. in the Rosenstiel School Auditorium located at 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key, Fla. (next to the Miami Seaquarium.) Tickets are $25 and include a waterfront wine and hors d’oeuvres reception following the concert: tickets can be purchased by calling 305-421-4061 or emailing clovinsky@rsmas.miami.edu

Ania Filochowska & Piotr Filochowski are award-winning sibling violinists from Warsaw, Poland.  The brother and sister have performed at venues throughout Europe, and in the United States they have played at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, among others. The pair have received instruction from world-renowned violinists Midori, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Ana Chumachenco, Igor Oistrakh and Ruggiero Ricci. In 2005, they were both accepted at The Juilliard School on full scholarships. Ania (16) studied under the legendary Itzhak Perlman at Juilliard for four years as his youngest student, and is currently a student of renowned Professor Aaron Rosand.  Piotr (19) is a student at the Yale School of Music in the “Certificate in Performance” program for exceptionally gifted musicians.

At age 16 Geoffrey Loff was awarded the Bertha Foster scholarship at the University of Miami (UM) Frost School of Music, where he is currently pursuing his master's degree. In Summer 2008, he was invited to the International Miami Piano Festival in Lecce, Italy, where his playing was lauded by Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Geoffrey was later commissioned by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation to compose and perform a Piano Trio at the 70th Anniversary memorial of Kristallnacht at the Miami Beach Holocaust Museum. Recently, he took part in UM’s Opera Festival, where his playing had, “…splendid articulation and nuanced subtlety.” He was also awarded a full scholarship to the Salzburg Opera Festival, and is currently planning a solo recital dedicated to the works of Chopin and Liszt.

About the Chopin Foundation of the United States
Founded by Mrs. Blanka A. Rosenstiel in 1977, the Chopin Foundation stemmed from the First National Chopin Piano Competition held in Miami in 1975 under the auspices of the American Institute of Polish Culture. For more information, visit www.chopin.org.

About the UM Rosenstiel School
The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. Founded in the 1940’s, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world’s premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life. For more information, please visit www.rsmas.miami.edu.