Dr. Ronn Yedidia
Dr. Ronn Yedidia was born in Israel in 1960 and began his musical career as a child prodigy pianist, winning 1st Prize at the Young Concert Artists’ Competition of Israel at the age of eight. His main teacher and mentor was Israel’s “First Lady of the Piano,” Pnina Salzman, who herself was a protege of Alfred Cortot. In 1984 he entered the Juilliard School from which he holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in composition. During his studies there under David Diamond and Milton Babbitt he received all the major prizes in composition, including the Lincoln Center Scholarship, the Irving Berlin Scholarship, the Henry Mancini Prize, and the Richard Rodgers Scholarship.
In 1987 he was presented on Israeli Television as Discovery of the Year in Classical Music, performing his Third Piano Sonata “Outcries”. His compositions have been broadcast on New York radio stations WNYC, WNCN, WFUV, & WQXR, and he has been featured on NBC & WOR television networks in the U.S. and on both KBS-TV and MBC-TV in South Korea. His works have received critical acclaim throughout the world.
In 1994 Ronn Yedidia was invited by Thomas Frost and Wanda Toscanini-Horowitz to edit and record the unpublished piano compositions of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz.
Between 1993 and 1998 he served as Composer in Residence and Chairman of the Piano Department at the Bloomingdale House of Music in Manhattan. His students have been recognized in numerous competitions and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe. Between 2001 and 2004, he served as Vice President and Program Director of the Piano Teachers Congress of New York. Since the summer of 2003, he has served as Piano and Composition Professor at the Puigcerda Festival of Classical Music in Spain.
Ronn Yedidia was awarded the 2006 San Antonio International Piano Competition Commission to compose a new solo-piano work to be performed by all finalists of the competition.
His first Compact Disc recording entitled “Yedidia Plays Yedidia” was released in March, 2001 on the Altarus label (AIR-CD-9078). His popular “Lullabye” was released in 2003 on EMI Classics’ Ahn Trio “Groovebox” CD. The same trio aired his work "The Song on the Land" on a 2008 Sony BMG CD release entitled "Lullaby for my Favorite Insomniac". In 2012 Naxos released an all-Yedidia CD ("Impromptu, Nocturne and World Dance") on its celebrated American Classics series. In 2018 he signed an exclusive publishing contract for his entire solo piano output with the Japanese publishing house Muse Press. All his other compositions are currently published and distributed through the publishing company Verse Music, in affiliation with BMI.
Haim Cotton
Haim Cotton came to the U.S. from Israel at age 22, having already worked on 15 records with the country’s top artists. Trained as a classical and jazz musician, he is currently on the faculty of the Jazz and Contemporary Music Program at New School University. His music, which encompasses a wide variety of styles, has been used by organizations throughout the world, including Walt Disney, Coca-Cola, Apple Computer, The Jerry Lewis Telethon and CNN.
Haim was musical director for the late Ofra Haza, played for her at the Montreux Jazz Festival and on her last solo CD, Kirya. As an artist and producer, he has worked with artists including Quincy Jones, Randy Brecker, Anton Fig, Don Was, Joe Lovano, John Lucian, Robert Miller, and Nelson Rangel. Cotton, whose club appearances include Manhattan’s The Blue Note received a record contract and released his first album of original compositions, “100% Cotton” in the mid-nineties. He is also a member of the prestigious “BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop”, where he is developing a musical for Broadway under the guidance of Maury Yeston (“Nine”, “Titanic”). A vignette out of his musical Lover’s Leap was performed, as part of The Golden Fleece Limited Workshop, at an off Broadway theatre in the fall of 2004.
fiona grant
A native of England, Fiona Grant began her undergraduate studies in piano and violin at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she was the Lloyds of London Scholar. Recognized for her lyrical and virtuoso style, she was invited by the legendary pianist Louis Kentner to perform the Hexameron with him at his final recital at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. She was featured on BBC television's Young Musician of the Year, and was a recitalist at the Newport International Piano Competition, where she had the pleasure of meeting the competition’s patroness, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
A Fulbright scholarship, together with scholarships from the Sir James Caird Trust and the Countess of Munster Trust, brought her to the USA. She earned her Master of Music degree at the Juilliard School studying piano with Joseph Kalichstein and chamber music with Felix Galimir.
Fiona has held teaching positions at the prestigious Winchester College, England, Queen Mary's College, England, the Hackley School, New York, and Concordia Conservatory, New York. Her students have received honors and distinction in Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations as well as the Royal Conservatory of Canada examinations in piano and music theory. They have won 1st prizes at the International Concert Alliance competition NY, the Crescendo International competition, MAMTG competition, and have been accepted to pre-college programs at leading music institutions. Fiona’s teaching goal is to give her students the tools and ability to enjoy a lifelong love of music making. Being able to play at any level, whether beginner or advanced, with musical expression, phrasing, and tone, is essential. Fiona encourages this by instilling a strong technical foundation from the earliest moments at the keyboard. Fiona also encourages her students to play chamber music at every opportunity, in the form of piano duets, and with other instrumentalists and singers.