Berenika Zakrzewski
Encyclopedia
Berenika Schmitz, stage name Berenika, (born January 24, 1983) is an American concert pianist. She attended Professional Children's School
in New York as well as the Juilliard School of Music. Upon finishing high school she went to Harvard University
where she was the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship. She graduated magna cum laude in both Music and Government. She then pursued her Masters degree at Christ Church, Oxford University and then her post-graduate diploma at the Royal Academy of Music
, London.
She has performed worldwide with orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony and Asheville Symphony, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Jukka Pekka Saraste, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada under Erich Kunzel, the Penderecki Festival Orchestra under Heinrich Schiff, the Boston Civic Symphony under Max Hobart in Jordan Hall, the Oxford Philomusica, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, the RIC Symphony Orchestra, the New Philharmonic Orchestra, Florida, the Bialystock Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, Camerata New York, the Poznan Philharmonic, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra, the Christ Church Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra and the Aspen Sinfonia. She toured South America as a soloist with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas performing in the major concert halls of Brazil, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Argentina, including the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.
She has also performed in the Allen Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center and at the Wigmore Hall, London. She was the spokesperson for CASIO’s Privia, and was the Leonard Bernstein Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. She has been presented to the HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Her radio appearances include WQXR
and Classic FM
, MDR Germany
, the BBC
, NPR
and the CBC
.
Berenika made a critically acclaimed live recording of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with Sinfonietta Cracovia under John Axelrod, distributed by Universal Music Group.
She has been photographed by famous celebrity photographer Douglas Kirkland and dressed in American designer Halston.
A child prodigy, she performed as soloist with the Sault Symphony Orchestra at the age of 9.
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
in New York as well as the Juilliard School of Music. Upon finishing high school she went to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where she was the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship. She graduated magna cum laude in both Music and Government. She then pursued her Masters degree at Christ Church, Oxford University and then her post-graduate diploma at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, London.
She has performed worldwide with orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony and Asheville Symphony, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Jukka Pekka Saraste, the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada under Erich Kunzel, the Penderecki Festival Orchestra under Heinrich Schiff, the Boston Civic Symphony under Max Hobart in Jordan Hall, the Oxford Philomusica, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, the RIC Symphony Orchestra, the New Philharmonic Orchestra, Florida, the Bialystock Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, Camerata New York, the Poznan Philharmonic, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra, the Christ Church Orchestra, the Beethoven Academy Orchestra and the Aspen Sinfonia. She toured South America as a soloist with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas performing in the major concert halls of Brazil, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Argentina, including the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.
She has also performed in the Allen Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center and at the Wigmore Hall, London. She was the spokesperson for CASIO’s Privia, and was the Leonard Bernstein Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. She has been presented to the HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Her radio appearances include WQXR
WQXR-FM
WQXR-FM is an American classical radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. It is the most-listened-to classical-music station in the United States, with an average quarter-hour audience of 63,000...
and Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
, MDR Germany
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and the CBC
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
.
Berenika made a critically acclaimed live recording of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with Sinfonietta Cracovia under John Axelrod, distributed by Universal Music Group.
She has been photographed by famous celebrity photographer Douglas Kirkland and dressed in American designer Halston.
A child prodigy, she performed as soloist with the Sault Symphony Orchestra at the age of 9.