Michael Tsalka

Pianist and Early Keyboard performer Michael Tsalka has won numerous prizes in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. A versatile musician, he performs repertoire from the early Baroque to the present day with equal virtuosity.

He obtained a Bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv University and continued his studies in Germany and Italy. From 2002 to 2008 he studied at Temple University under the guidance of Joyce Lindorff, Lambert Orkis and Harvey Wedeen. Tsalka holds three degrees from that institution: Master’s degrees in both chamber music and harpsichord performance, and a Doctorate in piano performance. Other mentors include Dario di Rosa, Malcolm Bilson, David Shemer, Charles Rosen and Sandra Mangsen.

Michael Tsalka maintains a busy concert schedule with recent performance highlights including Zhonghe Hall in the Forbidden City, Beijing, Palacio de Bellas Artes Theatre in Mexico City, The Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, The Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

He has held teaching posts at the National Centre for the Arts (CENART) in Mexico City and the Lilla Akademien in Stockholm, and was an artist in residence at the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts (NCMA) in New Zealand (2020). He is currently head of the keyboard department at the Vanke Meisha Arts Academy (VMAA) in Shenzhen, China. He has presented over 130 masterclasses across all continents, and has been the artistic director of festivals in China, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and Finland. Together with Dr Angélica Minero Escobar, he is completing a critical edition of Daniel Gottlob Türk’s keyboard sonatas for Artaria Editions.

For more information, visit www.michaeltsalka.com.

Watch Michael Tsalka play Daniel Gottlob Türk’s Grave e sostenuto [Grand Piano GP629–30 | CD 2, Track 8]

Michael Tsalka’s interview with Alfredo di Pietro