Pauline Rovkah

Photo of Pauline Rovkah
Director of Piano Program, Artistic Director of Concert Series
412-365-1679
Laughlin Music Hall - 105

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Joined Chatham: 1998

ACADEMIC AREAS OF INTEREST

Music Education; Piano Performance; Chamber Music

PERSONAL AREAS OF INTEREST

Reading; museums; theater; traveling

BIOGRAPHY

An award winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society and the Head of Piano Program at Chatham University, Pauline Rovkah is an active performer and music educator. She is a founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Music concert series at Chatham University. Ms. Rovkah presented solo recitals and chamber music programs in various Music Festivals, such as at the Chautauqua Institution, New York, in Peacham, Vermont, in Rome, Italy and at the Festival/Symposium at Cambridge University, UK, among others. She performed in various concert series in Pittsburgh area, including the Steinway Society of Western Pennsylvania, the Frick Art Museum, Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon University, the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University and West Liberty University, WV. Ms. Rovkah conceived, organized and performed in a number of thematic concert events at Chatham University, such as "Nature in Music," as part of the International Environmental Conference; "Canto do Sul," featuring music of South America and “Remembering September 11”. In honor of Chatham University’s Global Focus program, Ms. Rovkah designed and coordinated variety of thematic Music Festivals, among them “East Meets West” highlighting Chinese music, Festival of German music, Festival of Brazilian music, "Sounds of Africa" symposium/festival featuring music by African composers, Festival of Scandinavian Music “The Nordic Sound” and Festival of Indonesian music “Sounds of Indonesia”. She organized and performed in a number of benefit concerts, for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and a series of relief concerts, such as "Music without Boundaries", “What it means to miss New Orleans”, “Music for Haiti”, “Celebrate Japan”, “Plea for Nepal” and “Stand with Ukraine”, with the principal musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Rovkah has been an artistic director of “Music for Food” Pittsburgh chapter series, a national musician-led initiative for local hunger relief. Ms. Rovkah adjudicated at Chamber Music Competition and Concerto Competition at Carnegie Mellon University, at Young Artist Auditions in West Virginia and at the Pittsburgh International Piano Competition. Ms. Rovkah has been collaborating with Pittsburgh and internationally acclaimed artists, including principal musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra, as well as Noah Bendix-Balgley, first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic. Ms. Rovkah’s solo recitals and chamber music performances have been recorded and broadcast by the Pittsburgh Classical Radio WQED. She has been featured in numerous WQED programs, including “Performance in Pittsburgh”. Pauline Rovkah studied piano and music at the Kharkiv Specialized Music School and at the Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts (Conservatory), Kharkiv, Ukraine, under Professor Mikhail Khazanovsky. After graduation, she served on the faculty of Kharkiv National University of Arts, performed as a soloist and in chamber music ensembles, and made appearances on national television and radio. In Pittsburgh since 1991, Ms. Rovkah studied privately with Eunice Norton, student of legendary Arthur Schnabel.

EDUCATION
  • Private studies with Eunice Norton, student of legendary Arthur Schnabel, (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • M.M. Piano Performance and Pedagogy, Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts, Ukraine
  • B.M. Piano Performance, Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts, Ukraine
AWARDS
  • Winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society
  • Winner of National Audition for the Rome Festival
ORGANIZATIONS
  • The College Music Society; Pittsburgh Concert Society; Steinway Society of Western Pennsylvania
ACHIEVEMENTS
  • Recorded and broadcast by WQED Classical Radio: 1993 - present
  • Featured in WQED “Performance in Pittsburgh”
  • Adjudicator at Chamber Music Competition; Concerto Competition at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Adjudicator at the Pittsburgh International Piano Competition
  • Founder and Artistic Director of the Concert Series at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary: 1998-2006
  • Board Member of the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra: 2000-2004
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
  • “Stand with Ukraine” concert: solo piano and ensemble works by J.S. Bach, C.W. Gluck, Stanyslav Lyudkevych, Arvo Pärt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jules Massenet, Viktor Kosenko and Myroslav Skoryk, with guest artists from the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra, April 2022
  • All-Shostakovich Chamber Music program, featuring Piano Quintet, Op. 57 with Noah Bendix-Balgley, First Concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker (former concertmaster of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), the PSO principal violinist Jennifer Ross, associate principal cellist David Premo and violist Erina Laraby-Goldwasser, Chatham University
  • Chamber Music concert: Music and Nature with guest artists from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Works by Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Fauré, Chopin, Rachmaninov, featuring Schubert’s Piano quintet “The Trout” Chatham University, Eden Hall amphitheater
  • Duo Piano and Cello-Piano recital with Steinway artist Yeeha Chiu and the PSO Assistant Principal cellist Adam Liu, Duquesne University
  • Solo Piano Recital: Bartok's Piano Masterpieces for the International Symposium and Festival at Cambridge University, UK
  • Solo recital “The world of Music Fantasies: Schumann and Chopin”, Chatham University
  • Soloist in Mozart’s D minor Piano concerto, K 466, with University of Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra
  • Chamber Music concert: From Bach to Mozart with guest artists from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Richard Page, principal bass clarinet; Charles Lirette, co-principal trumpet; Erina Laraby-Goldwasser, viola, joined by soprano Lilly Abreu and contralto Daphne Alderson, Eden Hall amphitheater
  • Schumann Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 with members of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Chamber Music Concert, Chatham University
  • Russian Piano Music: Works by Medtner, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Mussorgsky, featuring “Pictures at an exhibition”
  • All-Mozart program, featuring the Piano Quartet in G minor with musicians from The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
  • “Piano Sonata: Journey through Centuries and Styles”, Scarlatti, Mozart, Schubert and Prokofiev - Lecture/Recital at the Music Institute for the Development of Personal Style,
  • Chamber Music concert: From Bach and Mozart to Bernstein and Gershwin - Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452 by Mozart, solo piano works and vocal music, featuring the Winner of Placido Domingo’s International Competition and winner of Metropolitan Opera National Council, countertenor Andrey Nemzer Chatham University
  • All-Chopin Recital for the Pittsburgh Polish Society, University of Pittsburgh
  • Chamber Music concert with members of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; works by Glinka, Arensky and Shostakovich, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
  • Alumni Concert for the Pittsburgh Concert Society; works by Schumann, Franck and Ginastera, Kresge Recital Hall, Carnegie Mellon University
  • “Afternoon in Vienna”: Piano Recital, works by Mozart, Schubert and Schumann (Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26), Chatham College
  • All-Shostakovich program in honor of composer’s Centennial, featuring selected Piano Preludes, Concertino for two pianos and the Piano Quintet in G Minor, opus 57 - with members of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Chatham University
  • Duo Recital with Randolph Kelly, principal violist form the Pittsburgh Symphony: works by Bach, Brahms, Schumann, Britten and Hindemith.
  • Solo recital “A Musical Journey: From Bach to Gershwin