Latest News

  July 16 - August 4, 2012, I will be at the Montecito International Music Festival in Santa Barbara, CA, where I was awarded the Westmont Fellowship in piano. This will be my first trip to the West Coast. The Festival features solo and chamber music.

   Watch my newest YouTube video with Chopin Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: Allegro maestoso recorded in Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall at Longy School of Music in December, 2011. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel Rasapiano here. More videos are coming up soon!
I have also recently added my recording of Schoenberg Gigue from Suite, Op. 25 to my audio page.

   On November 20, 2011, clarinetist Jonathan Cohler and I played in a special private performance at the Copland House in Cortlandt Manor, New York. The concert was in honor of Ben Armato, who played the clarinet in the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1953 to 1988. We performed two of our favorite pieces in honor of Ben: Widor Introduction et Rondo and Sargon KlezMuzik.
    The video of Sargon's KlezMuzik will be posted here shortly.

   From June 1 to 8, 2011, I was in Seoul, Korea, where I performed at Dongduk Women's University, Cosmos Hall and Seoul National University. It was my first trip to South Korea and I hope to visit it again in the future. I will truly miss Korean hospitality and amazing BBQ!
   On my way back, I stopped in Beijing. I performed at the Central Conservatory High School and collaborated with several outstanding local students.

   On March 6th at 2:30pm, I played a recital at Hunneman Hall in the Brookline Public Library. This recital was organized by the Brookline Library Music Association. I performed Schumann Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, Bach Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971, Ravel Une Barque sur l'Ocean from Miroirs and other works.
    It was a pleasure to perform for a big crowd of music lovers on a warm Sunday afternoon!

   I was selected as one of the twelve finalists of the Iowa Piano Competition! The Competition was held March 31-April 2, 2011 in Sioux City, IA.
  The finals consisted of three rounds. For the first round, I played a 30-minute solo recital. For the second round, I chose two piano trios: Dvorak Trio in E Minor, Op. 90, 'Dumky' and Mendelssohn Trio in D Minor, Op. 49. For the third round, I chose Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 in C Minor.
   It was my third trip to Iowa!

   On Friday, October 15, 2010 I performed in a Hommage á Schumann concert. The evening was dedicated to the 200th annivesary of Robert Schumann's birth. The program featured works by Robert and Clara Schumann, Brahms, Liszt and Schubert performed by clarinetist Jonathan Cohler, soprano Jayne West, pianist Robert Merfeld and myself. The concert took place at Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music. One of the pieces featured on the program was Schumann's Intermezzo from the FAE Sonata. The video is available here.

    My second chamber music CD Romanza with world renowned clarinetist Jonathan Cohler will be released this spring. The CD features romantic transcriptions for clarinet and piano. Some of the works we recorded are Schumann Violin Sonata in A Minor, Op. 105, Prokofiev Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 94 and Guastavino Tonada y Cueca. The CD will be available on the Ongaku Records, Inc. website, Amazon, CD Baby and others. The booklet will contain extensive liner notes on Schumann, Prokofiev and Guastavino.
    Our first CD Rhapsodie Française was released in 2008. Click here to read the reviews.

    On Sunday, October 3, 2010 I played a concert at the Lithuanian Citizens Club in South Boston. The concert featured young talented Lithuanian musicians currently living in Boston. I performed Liszt Liebeslied (after Schumann's Widmung from Myrthen, Op. 25), Schumann Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, Piazzolla Histoire du tango and Janusaitis Three Oceans with Vitalijus Lisovskis, saxophone.
   The concert was a big success! It attracted many Lithuanian Community members interested in music and young Lithuanian musicians pursuing their careers in various conservatories and colleges in Boston.

    In September, 2010 I joined the faculty at the Concord Conservatory of Music. I am very excited to share my musical knowledge and expertise with young talents. New students interested to study with me, please click here.
    November 19, 2010, violinist Yumi Okada and I performed at the Concord Conservatory Donor Party at the Pierce House in Lincoln.