Rock the Classics

Steinway Artist Yaron Kohlberg, born in Jerusalem, is the President of Piano Cleveland, presenter of the Cleveland International Piano Competition in which he won the silver medal in 2007. He is one of today’s top Israeli pianists and has played as soloist and chamber musician in major halls in 40 countries spanning five continents, including Carnegie Hall, the Kremlin in Moscow, the UN hall in Geneva, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Forbidden City in Beijing, Residenz in Munich, Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv and Bellas Artes in Mexico City. He won ten international prizes and serves regularly on juries of international competitions worldwide. He speaks six languages, including Mandarin Chinese. Yaron is part of the highly successful Israeli-Palestinian piano duo, Duo Amal, which performs worldwide with a message of peace and friendship. Alongside the Piano Cleveland team, Kohlberg creates original programming to attract audiences to piano music. His articles about the subject were published in Pianist Magazine, Musical America, International Piano Magazine, and more.

Alexander Kostritsa was born into a musical family and started his piano lessons at the age of six. Alexander received his Master of Music degree from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he studied with Mikhail Petukhov, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Mr. Kostritsa is a prizewinner of international piano competitions, such as Premio Rovere d’Oro (Italy, 2007), and Paul Badura-Skoda (Spain, 2010). He made his international debut when he was eight years old with a concert tour to Japan. Since then he has been performing as a soloist in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, and the United States. He also recorded solo albums released on Divine Art and Grand Piano labels. Also, he is the first pianist to record complete sonatas for cello and piano by J-B. Tricklir, released on Centaur Records label (with Fedor Amosov, cello). His performances were broadcasted live on the WCLV radio network in Cleveland.

Ralitsa Georgieva received her B.M and M.M. in Piano performance from the State Conservatory of Music- Sofia, Bulgaria, a second M.M. in Piano performance from University of South Florida where she studied with Dr. Svetozar Ivanov, and P.S. in Collaborative piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music under Anita Pontremoli. Upon graduation from CIM the Bulgarian born pianist joined the collaborative piano faculty at the “Institute” where she served for the past 11 years. Ralitsa has won multiple prestigious awards for her teaching and community outreach initiatives. Ralitsa acts as the Vice President of Musical Talent In Me International, is the founder and artistic director of Music for Our Children, and co-founder of Songs of the Books, bringing music and reading stories to local crisis nurseries and children’s shelters. Ralitsa maintains an active teaching studio and is currently serving on the faculty of the Laurel Community Music School.

Music that feels SOUL good, if you’ve ever had a bad day this band is about turning that into a positive. Even though 2020 has delivered a blow to bands, venues, and live music in general, Apostle Jones has nevertheless been on an impressive upward trajectory. The release of their first EP – “Lilith” has staked out their space in this city’s musical landscape. Led by the dramatic, stirring vocals and presence of singer/keyboardist Mikey Silas, the group delves into the soulful music singing about life’s experiences and good times to come. Here’s what some of the fans and critics have to say:

“One the best bands I have had the honor of listening to live I highly recommend giving them a listen to because they are fantastic.” – Dale Calvin Crouch

“Soul, gospel, blues and rock in a delicious gumbo! Great vocal and instrumental treat to groove. dance and feel good!!!!!” – Carol Rodriguez

“They are an awesome talent and so down to earth. If you’ve never…you must” – Linda Acks

Michael Abbadini is a Cleveland native that has been performing in the local music scene since his middle school days. With over 20 years of piano and keyboard experience, his classical training mixed with a love for rock and roll brings a wealth of different styles to his playing. He is a Cleveland State University graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, and is currently the Garage Supervisor, a part of the Education and Fan Engagement team, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is a member of The Mechanics, the Garage band that performs in the museum, covering tunes from The Beatles to Stevie Wonder and inductees old and new. He also teaches piano lessons at the Lakewood Music Collective. He currently performs in local bands Orefice Roth and Cellophane Jane as keyboard player and vocalist, and has experience playing drums and percussion as well as bass guitar. He has performed in local venues such as the Beachland Ballroom and The Grog Shop, as well as larger venues like Severance Hall and The Wolstein Center. When not performing live, he likes to work as a studio session player in studios around town.