Click on the photo to hear Josef Verba at the piano - this may take a few minutes to load, but is worth the wait

Please call or e-mail us to order the CD ~ $18 + $5 for S/H with a check made out to The Muse Of Life Society, Inc.

Your purchase will greatly benefit the mission of our non - profit organization.

 

Program:

Bach -

The Well Tempered Clavier BWV 883 #14

Ludwig Von Beethoven -

12 Variations on the Russian Theme ; Sonata Op 110 Adagio ma non troppo

Johannes Brahms -

Intermezzi Op. 116 #2, Op. 76 #4

Robert Shumann -

Carnival Op.9

A.S.C.H.-S.C.H.A. (Letters Dansantes), Chiarina, Chopin

Sergei Rachmaninov_

Prelude Op. 32 #12

Frederic Chopin -

Ballade #1 Op. 23

Samuel Barber -

Fugue from the Piano Sonata

Josef Verba -

Grandmother's Gift

(Dedicated in the loving memory to Bastiona Tayan)

 

 

 

 

Look for more great recordings from the Nightingale Label to come soon!

A Little Bit About Josef Verba

Tel. (585) 271 - 1948or e-mail: lifemuse@rochester.rr.com

Josef Verba is a concert pianist, composer, writer, speaker, educator and founder of Nightingale Studios where he teaches and records as well as The Muse of Life Society, Inc. — a non profit, charitable organization for the arts. He holds Undergraduate and Graduate degrees from the Juilliard School where he was rated amongst the top one percent in performance during his studies.

Mr. Verba has won numerous competitions and awards such as The International Recording Competition of Canada, the Rochester Philharmonic League Competition, the Alec Wilder Award, and the Van Cliborn Alumni Award among others. Mr. Verba has also been recognized for his excellence in teaching piano performance at the University of Michigan, and as a vocal coach at the University of Southern California. Recently, Mr. Verba was honored by the Greater Rochester Arts and Cultural Council by being featured as the "Rochester’s Musician of the Month."

Often featured on network television, in newspaper articles and radio broadcasts, Mr. Verba has performed, lectured and given master classes on four continents. He has been a guest soloist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra on numerous occasions and has often appeared on the stages of the Lincoln Center in New York City. Most recently, Mr. Verba has appeared on the concert stages of New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington. The September issue of State Magazine reviewed Mr. Verba’s performance at the State Department in Washington, DC "…as exiting as any fireworks display on the 4th of July." In New York, at the Kostushko Foundation, David Dubal, a noted author and music director of the New York Times radio station, wrote of Mr. Verba’s performance – "Exquisite playing!" and Jerome Rose, a concert pianist, described Mr. Verba’s playing as "Larger then life, and unforgettable."

His performances are available on a CD - "The Passionate Journey" through many retailers, such as Barns and Noble, Borders, Tower Records, His Masters Voice and others in many states.

Ron Broum, a reviewer for the Washington Post, said of the CD, "Real Big League playing … every aspect of pianism and musicianship brings to mind the likes of Artur Rubinstein. The rich and expressive sound, subtle pedaling, brilliant technique and bold phrasing are but a few elements of the total package topped off with impeccable style and taste."

Mr. Verba’s compositions have been premiered since 1977 in Europe and 1993 in the United States on radio broadcasts and in concerts. Since then, he was invited to participate in several Motion Picture and Animation projects in Rochester, NY and Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Verba is an Executive Music Director and composer of a Rochester film production and is presently accepting commissions for his composition. Composers such as Samuel Adler, David Diamond, and Dmitry Shostakovich have all endorsed Josef Verba as a very significant composer whose work is deeply moving and is not to be missed.

Mr. Verba has written for Gannett Publications as a freelance music critic and a feature writer. His writing of fiction is featured in a book of prose and poetry published by Carol Publishing House and he donates all the proceeds from this book to a worthy charity. Mr. Verba is also a published photographer.

Mr. Verba has volunteered his time and expertise in benefit recitals, lectures, and workshops in many cities including Rochester, NY where he was appointed Director of Classical Programming by the management of the University of Rochester's radio station WRUR 88.5 FM in 1997. He generously donates his time and resources to his community by hosting and producing the show "Journeys Through the Arts with Josef Verba" which airs Saturdays 10 AM — 12 PM, featuring celebrity guests such as Marilyn Horne, Tony Randall and Itzhak Perlman and expert commentary on rare and distinguished performances. Mr. Verba can also be heard on WXXI, 91.5 FM, Rochester’s NPR classical radio station.

An avid student of human nature and philosophy, Mr. Verba has devoted considerable time on both coasts of the United States, in bringing the benefits of music into the everyday life of non-musicians. Josef Verba has formed and is the president of a non-profit organization called The Muse of Life Society, Inc. which is dedicated to the preservation of the spirituality in music though Salon recitals and the cultural and musical education of youth though educational concerts. Some of the activity by the Muse of Life Society includes a series of educational concerts called "Awakening Young Hearts", which where given in the last few years in the Rochester area for over 5000 children with more underway around the country. Some of the planned Salon Series venues for next season include Rochester, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and San Miguel, Mexico.

 

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