Concert Pianist and Early keyboard Michael Tsalka has won numerous prizes, awards and fellowships in Rome, Bayreuth, Bonn, Paris, Genoa, Calabria, Sardinia, Tel-Aviv, Chicago, Minneapolis, Berlin, Mexico City, and Philadelphia. A versatile musician, he performs solo and chamber music repertoire from the Baroque to the Contemporary periods on the modern piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, clavichord and positive organ.

          Dr. Tsalka has performed throughout Europe, the U.S.A., Canada, Israel, Asia, and Latin America. Recent engagements include the Chicago radio, the Händelhaus in Halle, Bellas Artes Theater in Mexico City, the Mozart Fest in Austin, the Schubert Club in St. Paul, the Osaka Festival in Japan, the Trinity series in New York, the Hong Kong radio, the SEHKS/MHKS Conclave in Philadelphia, Confidencen hall in Stockholm, the Forbidden City Hall in Beijing, for the Boston Clavichord Society, the Tempietto series in Rome, Edinburgh University, the Early Keyboard Series in Buenos Aires, the Frankfurt Hoechst Concert Series, National University in Taipei, and at Nat’s Piano Institute, Bangkok.

          Dr. Tsalka was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Tel-Aviv University, he continued studies in Germany and Italy. In 2001 he received a piano solo diploma from the Scuola Superiore Internationale del Trio di Trieste. From 2002 to 2008, he resided in Philadelphia and studied at Temple University fortepiano and chamber music with Lambert Orkis, modern piano with Harvey Wedeen, and harpsichord, clavichord and positive organ with Joyce Lindorff. Tsalka holds three degrees from that institution: a master’s degree in chamber music/accompanying, a master’s degree in harpsichord performance, and a doctorate in piano performance.

          A committed educator, he often presents master-classes around the world. He has recently taught and lectured at the International Clavichord Symposium in Italy, at the National Music Museum, the Southeastern and Midwestern Historical Keyboard Societies in the USA, the University of Rutgers Musicological Society, the Hong Kong Academy of Arts, the “C. Gesualdo” Center in Buenos Aires, the University of North Texas, the Chinese Conservatory in Beijing, Lila Akademien and the Nydahl Collection in Stockholm, the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Arts in Minneapolis, and the National University in Mexico City. He was invited to judge at prestigious competitions, including the Angélica Morales Competition (México City) and the International Duo Competition (Stockholm).

          Three of his scholarly articles appeared in specialized musicological journals: Clavicordio VIII (Italy), the Early Keyboard Journal (USA), and in the Proceedings for the International Conference on the Performance Practice of Western Music (National University of the Arts in Tainan, Taiwan). Two of his CD’s were recently released by the Swedish label, Ljud & Bild. In these, he performs on a Steinway from 1912 and a Lindholm Clavichord from 1808. Tsalka is also recording D. G. Türk’s 48 keyboard sonatas for NAXOS and making a critical edition of these works for Artaria Editions in New Zealand.
He is on the board of directors of the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society and the Midwestern Historical Keyboard Society, U.S.A.

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