Welcome to our Musicians Directory! Here you’ll find a diverse community of talented artists specializing in strings, piano, voice, woodwinds, brass, and more. Browse by name or category to discover the vibrant musical talent featured at In Praise of Music. Whether you’re looking for a soloist, an ensemble member, or a performer for special events, our musicians are passionate about sharing their art with the world.
Music and the other arts are the most potent demonstration that, in the heart, we are all one community.
~ Jan Swafford
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Tomoko Kanamaru first appeared with a professional orchestra at the age of nine in Tokyo. She made her US solo debut with the Savannah Symphony in December 2000 performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Op. 16. Since then, she has made solo appearances with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony, and the Binghamton Philharmonic. More recently, she performed Liszt’s First Concerto with the Middletown Symphony (in Ohio), the Tchaikovsky First Concerto with the Symphony of Southeast Texas, and Petrushka with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, in addition to a return appearance with the Symphony of Southeast Texas performing the Liszt First Concerto. During the 2018–19 season, she performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Ambler Symphony as a member of the soloists from Camerata Philadelphia. In the spring of 2020, she was the soloist for Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia and the Symphony in C. Most recently, she performed Manuel de Falla’s Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain) with the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra in Durango, Colorado, and Liszt’s First Concerto with the Lake Charles Symphony in Louisiana.
As a chamber musician, Ms. Kanamaru has performed for the New York Philharmonic Ensembles series at Merkin Hall, performed with the Philharmonic Quintet of New York, and made a recital appearance in Tokyo with the members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In 2011, Allan Kozinn described her performance in the New York Times as “focused” and “energetic” with regards to the New York Chamber Music Festival’s September 11 Tenth Anniversary Commemorative Concert at Symphony Space. As a member of the Delphinium Trio, she took part in the season-opening concerts for the eleventh Red Rocks Music Festival in Arizona. During the summers of 2019–2022, she participated in the Music in the Mountains, where she performed in orchestral, chamber music and solo concerts.
In addition to performing in radio and television broadcasts in the US, Japan, and Canada, Ms. Kanamaru has recorded solo and chamber music for Nippon Columbia, MSR Classics, Urlicht AudioVisual, and Siegfried’s Call. She was invited by the Yamaha Corporation of America to give master classes and lectures in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Chicago, Jackson, and Washington D.C., and she has also appeared at such academic institutions as the Indiana State, Syracuse, and Carnegie Mellon universities as well as the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. In addition to writing articles for several Japanese music magazines, Ms. Kanamaru coedited more than thirty volumes of pedagogical piano music for the Yamaha Music Foundation. Her workshop at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago in 2009 was featured in the Washington Post and the BBC’s the World Today.
Ms. Kanamaru holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo. In the U.S., she studied at the Eastman School of Music and received an Advanced Certificate from The Juilliard School and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Having previously taught at the UC-CCM and College of Mount St. Joseph (Mount St. Joseph University), she currently serves as Associate Professor / Keyboard Area Coordinator for The College of New Jersey.
Bill Karp performs a modern interpretation of timeless American jazz. Voted "Best of Augusta" by readers of Augusta Magazine and a "Choice Award" Nominee, his jazz has a broad spectrum of sound. It can be soft and in-the-background (Bill calls this "jazak") and be used for corporate or private parties, receptions, weddings, art exhibit openings, wine tastings and a variety of settings. His jazz can also be more "in front" and used for larger, higher energy events. In addition, he can perform 30 – 120 minute American jazz concerts as stand-alone events or as a featured part of your celebration. He performs in homes, gardens, restaurants and event spaces like exhibit halls, museums, art galleries, catering halls, and concert venus. He is known for his emotional, yet intelligent, interpretation of all that great American jazz you love. You can get a better idea of what he does by visiting his website.
He has been performing jazz his entire life and is a seasoned musician and performer. He has different formats for presenting his formal or casual programs, either with an orchestra, a smaller combo, or with backing tracks, which is the most cost effective. His fees are reasonable and negotiable. He performs in and around Augusta, Aiken, Savannah, Lake Oconee, Hilton Head, Atlanta, Columbia, Macon, Charlotte and points in-between. Send him an email or phone (762) 233-7205 if you have specific inquiries.
Michael A. Katterjohn is currently the conductor of the wind ensemble and percussion instructor at Augusta University. During the past 25 years, Michael has played with the Augusta Symphony, Augusta Choral Society, Augusta Opera, Augusta Players, Fort Gordon Dinner Theater, Savannah River Winds and many churches in the area.
Michael has been active as a conductor in Georgia and Illinois. He has experience teaching and conducting at all levels of education, from middle school to college. The highlight of Michael’s career was guest conducting the symphonic band at his alma mater, Wheaton College, conducting a piece by his favorite composer, Philip Sparke.
Mr. Katterjohn is an active arranger for concert band, jazz band, marching band and orchestra as well as smaller ensembles. He has three arrangements published through LifeWay Publishing Co. for church orchestra: Worship Chorales, Praise to the Lord Almighty, and Christ the Lord is Risen Today. In addition to writing music, he wrote the percussion chapter for the book, The Instrumental Resource for Church and School, published by LifeWay Church Resources.
Ryan teaches Mathematics at Augusta Preparatory Day School and Violin at the Augusta State University Conservatory Program, where he also serves as Conductor of the Greater Augusta Youth Orchestras. He has recently performed as Guest Conductor for orchestras including the SC Allstate Orchestra, the SC Region Orchestra, the Suzuki Festival, the MENC Georgia District 10 Honors Orchestra, and the Augusta State Orchestra String Jamboree. He served as Concertmaster of the Augusta Symphony for 19 years and first violinist with the Magellan String Quartet during its residency at Georgia Southern University.
Following his retirement from those positions, Ryan received his Master of Arts in Teaching from Augusta State University, with teaching certifications in both Music and Mathematics. In addition to his Concertmaster work in Augusta, GA for the Augusta Symphony, Augusta Opera and Augusta Choral Society, Ryan served as Guest Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and held the position of Principal Second Violin with Symphony Nova Scotia for many years. He has worked under many world-class conductors, including Charles Dutoit, Pierre Boulez, Simon Streatfield, Leon Fleisher and Klaus Tennestedt.
For many summers, he performed as Principal Violinist with the New Hampshire Music Festival, taught on the violin faculty of the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and USC Columbia School of Music. Ryan’s chamber performances have also taken him worldwide across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, including performances in Carnegie Hall with Boston Musica Viva, and with Walter Trampler, Malcolm Lowe, Gary Hoffman, Charles Wadsworth and Colin Carr.
His performances have been broadcasts on the CBC Radio Canada, WQXR, and NPR. Ryan received a BM from the New England Conservatory of Music on full scholarship, and studied violin with notables such as Dorothy Delay, Paul Kantor, Tibor Vaghy and Thomas Wang. He lives in Augusta with his wife, cellist Christine Crookall, and their young son.
Pawel Kozak is an adjunct violin and viola instructor at the Presbyterian College and Lander University. He received his D.M.A. from The University of Georgia, where he studied violin with Professor Levon Ambartsumian and viola with Dr. Mark Neumann. His dissertation, “Pedagogical Examination of Henryk Wieniawski’s L’École Moderne Opus 10,” presents specific challenges found in these caprices and demonstrates how each difficulty can be resolved through proper practice techniques.
Dr. Kozak began his violin training at the Bydgoszcz (Poland) Music School. After moving to the US with his family he won the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Competition and the Southwest Young Artist Competition, resulting in solo performances with orchestras in New Mexico and San Francisco. His principal teachers were: Leonard Felberg, Krzysztof Zimowski, and Pawel Radzinski.
In addition to being a member of the Continuo Collective of the South, Pawel frequently performs as a member of Lyra Vivace Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Augusta, Greenville Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and South Carolina Philharmonic. He can be heard as a section violinist in ARCO (UGA) Chamber Orchestra’s numerous recordings and as a soloist in Vivaldi’s concerto for four violins.
Kate,
My son is getting married at our home in Evans on October 16, 2021 . It is a small wedding of approximately 130 people, and will be held outdoors. We are beginning to plan the music for the wedding and wanted to incorporate a “String Trio”with violin or viola, cello, and flute. My friend Stan Pylant, recommended that I contact you since you schedule wedding events through “In Praise of Music”. I would appreciate you contacting me so that we could discuss the possibilities of special wedding music.
Sincerely,
Jan Key
706-294-0330