Tomasz Golka
Tomasz Golka (born October 14, 1975, Warsaw, Poland.[1]) is a Polish-American conductor and composer. Golka is the son of pianist Anna Karczewska-Golka and trombonist George Golka. His younger brother Adam Golka is a pianist.[2]
In 1980, his family emigrated to Veracruz, Mexico, where his father won a position as a trombonist in the Orquesta Sinfónica de Veracruz. At age 4, Golka began studying the violin with members of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Veracruz. In 1982, his family moved to Houston, Texas, where he later attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He subsequently continued his violin studies with Kenneth Goldsmith and later Sergiu Luca at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, and took US citizenship in 1996.[3] After completing his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Violin Performance, he studied conducting with David Effron at Indiana University and later Gustav Meier at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.[4]
In 2003, Golka won First Prize at the Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition in Mexico City.[5][6][7]
In 2006, Golka was a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival.[8] His work at Tanglewood included conducting a performance of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale with composers Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, and John Harbison as narrators.[9]
From 2007 to 2012, Golka was Music Director of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.[10][11] With the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Golka conducted the world premieres of works by Shafer Mahoney, Jude Vaclavik, and Mathew Fuerst.
From 2008 to 2010, Golka was Music Director of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.[12] In 2010, Golka became Music Director of the Riverside County Philharmonic. From 2014 to 2015, he was Chief Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá.[13] With the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, he gave several world premieres, including the Colombian premiere of Thomas Adès's Asyla.[14]
On 1 September 2014, Golka married Anna Kostyuchek, associate concertmaster of the Riverside County Philharmonic. The couple reside in Encino, California.[15]
List of Works
- Celsius 233 for orchestra (2010)
- Valhalla Fanfare for brass and percussion (2010)
- Orchestration of J.S. Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor, BWV 582 (2012)
- The Transit of Venus for violin and orchestra (2013)
- Festivus, Festivus for voice and piano (2015)
Discography
- Villa-Lobos, Heitor: Ciranda das sete notas. Ezequiel Fainguersch, bassoon / Bloomington Chamber Orchestra. Melo Records, 2004.
- Stravinsky, Igor: L'histoire du soldat. Elliott Carter (The Soldier) / Milton Babbitt (The Devil) / John Harbison (Narrator), Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center. Tanglewood Audio Archives, 2006.[16]
References
- ^ Zapata, Jorge. "El polaco Tomasz Golka será el titular de la Sinfónica de Colombia", "Minuto 30", February 17, 2014. Retrieved on November 27, 2015.
- ^ William Kerns (2009-04-30). "Adam Golka to return for Arts Festival". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ^ "Immigrant Father and Son: First-Year Graduate Students" (Press release). Rice University. 1996-10-25. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ Terry Rindfleisch (2009-01-29). "Symphony Names Six Conductor Finalists". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ^ Espinosa, Pablo. "Recupera vigencia el proyecto educativo-musical de Eduardo Mata", "La Jornada", September 9, 2003. Retrieved on November 27, 2015.
- ^ Sevilla, María Eugenia. "Gana director polaco Premio Eduardo Mata", "Reforma", September 9, 2003. Retrieved on November 27, 2015.
- ^ Jarosław Gołembiowski (2003-10-12). "Triumf polskiego dyrygenta". Monitor Chicago. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ Dyer, Richard. "Despite kinks in its debut, TMC Orchestra shows promise", "Boston Globe", July 5, 2006. Retrieved on November 27, 2015.
- ^ Daniel J. Wakin (2006-07-27). "With a Nod to Stravinsky, Three Composers Become Stars of the Stage at Tanglewood". New York Times. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ William Kerns (2007-02-03). "Meet the new maestro: LSO, Golka seal deal". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ William Kerns (2012-05-04). "Golka plans classical spectacle for final Lubbock concerts". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ Jaime Zublick (2008-05-30). "Work ethic key in settling search". Williamsport Sun Gazette. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ Daniel Grajales (2014-02-23). "Golka, nuevo director de la Sinfónica Nacional". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ^ "Me la jugaré por la música colombiana", "Semana", May 25, 2014. Retrieved on November 27, 2015.
- ^ Sherli Leonard (2014-11-19). "Riverside: A symphonic love story". The Press Enterprise. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
- ^ "TANGLEWOOD 75 - FROM THE AUDIO ARCHIVES: DAY 26", Tanglewood Music Center, July 25, 2006.