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 Dean, Precollege Division
Dr. Polk is a faculty member in the College and Precollege for the following department(s) and division(s):
| Telephone | 212-749-2802 x4481 | | E-mail | jpolk@msmnyc.edu |
| | | Pianist Joanne Polk has been catapulted into the public eye with her recordings of the complete piano works of American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944). Ms. Polk celebrated the centennial of Beach’s Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor by giving the work its London premiere with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican Center under the baton of Paul Goodwin. A few days later, Ms. Polk performed the Piano Concerto with the Women’s Philharmonic in San Francisco with conductor Apo Hsu in a performance described as “brilliant” by critic Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle. He went on to describe Ms. Polk’s performance as, “an enormously vital, imaginative reading. Her playing was expansive in the opening movement, brittle and keen in the delightful scherzo. She brought a light touch to the foreshortened slow movement and fearless technical penache to the showy conclusion.”
The first recording in the Beach series, by the still waters, received the 1998 INDIE award for best solo recording. Empress of Night, released on Arabesque Recordings, is the fifth volume of Ms. Polk’s ongoing survey of Beach’s piano works, and includes the Piano Concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra, Paul Goodwin conducting. The sixth volume of the series, Morning Glories, joins Ms. Polk with the Lark Quartet in three outstanding chamber music works by Amy Beach. Two all-Beach performances at Merkin Concert Hall, which featured Joanne Polk and the Lark Quartet, were applauded by the New York Times, as they deemed Polk’s performances “polished and assured.” The American Record Guide reported, “Polk and the Larks played their hearts out. We in the audience shouted ourselves hoarse with gratitude.”
Prior to recording the complete piano music of Amy Beach, Ms. Polk recorded Completely Clara: Lieder by Clara Wieck Schumann, her debut CD for Arabesque Recording, featuring Metropolitan Opera soprano Korliss Uecker. This CD was selected as a “Best of the Year” recording by The Seattle Times and was featured on Performance Today on New York Public Radio. Ms. Polk’s CD for Albany Records, Callisto, was released in January 2004 and features the solo piano music of Judith Lang Zaimont. Her latest CD, Songs of Amy Beach, recorded with baritone Patrick Mason for Bridge Records, was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award.
Ms. Polk has performed in solo recitals, with chamber ensembles, and as a soloist with orchestras in Europe, the United States and Australia. With composer Judith Lang Zaimont, she co-founded American Accent, a New York-based contemporary music group specializing in coveted, repeat performances of new works.
Ms. Polk received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees from The Juilliard School, and her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Manhattan School of Music. She has given master classes at the Summit Music Festival, New York Summer Music Festival, and at the University of Minnesota, and has joined the piano faculty of the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy. She is presently the Dean of the Precollege Division at Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Polk is an exclusive Steinway artist.
Precollege surcharge applies.
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