Michael Chertock, piano
Pianist Michael Chertock has fashioned a successful career as an orchestral soloist, collaborating with conductors such as James Conlon, Jamie Laredo, Keith Lockhart, Erich Kunzel and Andrew Litton. His many orchestra appearances include solo performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, Utah Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and Dayton Philharmonic.

In January of 2005, Mr. Chertock performed Gershwin’s Concerto in F Major with Keith Lockhart and the National Youth Orchestra of London. Chertock has toured Asia with the Boston Pops and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. His 2003 performance on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Petrouchka with Paavo Järvi turned in rave reviews in Gramophone and American Record Guide. Chertock made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, performing Duke Ellington’s New World A’Comin’.”

In 1994, Mr. Chertock released his first CD on the Telarc label, a collection of his original arrangements of music from movies titled Cinematic Piano. The recording has sold more than 30,000 units worldwide. Since then, he has recorded three more discs with Telarc: Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies and Love At the Movies, which have been praised for their lush, original arrangements and exquisite technical facility.

Michael Chertock began conducting in 2001 when he stepped in for Carmon DeLeone in performances of Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Mr. Chertock is the conductor of the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony, and he frequently composes and arranges music for the orchestra’s concerts. He also serves as Artistic Director of Linton Music’s “Peanut Butter and Jam Sessions,” an interactive music series geared toward children ages 2 to 5.

In June of 2004 Mr. Chertock was appointed assistant professor of piano at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his master’s degree as a student of Frank Weinstock. He has garnered numerous awards at major competitions, among them the top prize in the 1989 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition (Brahms Division) and the grand prize in the 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition. He also shared the silver medal in the 1991 World Piano Competition of the American Music Scholarship Association.

Michael Chertock’s upcoming engagements include solo performances with the Boston Pops, Chattanooga Symphony, San Diego Symphony and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. He makes his home in Cincinnati, where he is principal keyboardist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.