LOMAZOV/RACKERS PIANO DUO
Marina Lomazov and Joseph Rackers, pianists
Praised for “demon precision and complete dedication” (Audio Society), the LOMAZOV/RACKERS PIANO DUO garnered wide attention as the Second Prize Winners of the Sixth Biennial Ellis Duo Piano Competition, the only national competition for piano duo in the United States at that time. Since then, they have performed as recitalists and in concert with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, including performances at the Kiev International Music Festival, Gina Bachauer International Piano Festival, Indiana University Piano Festival, Seoul International Piano Festival, American Liszt Society Festival, Perugia International Music Festival, Varna International Piano Festival, Moulin d’Andé Arts Festival, Burgos International Music Festival and Infiorata di Genzano, in addition to appearances in every region of the United States. Fanfare praises the duo for “a superb demonstration of piano playing” and American Record Guides writes “the ensemble between Lomazov and Rackers is dead on”.
As advocates for modern music for piano duo, they have premiered numerous works across the United States, including several compositions written specifically for them. Their broad repertoire ranges from important works by Bach, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert, to wide-ranging performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Petrushka, leading one critic to write that the duo “really lit up the audience….demonstrating that nearly 100 years after it was written, this modernist touchstone can still sound modern” (Columbia Free Times).
Praised as a “diva of the piano” (Salt Lake City Tribune), Marina Lomazov has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America and China. She has won prizes in the Gina Bachauer, Cleveland, William Kapell and Hilton Head International piano competitions, and was the first pianist to be awarded the Artist Diploma at the Eastman School of Music in nearly two decades. Lauded for “unflappable virtuosity” (American Record Guide), Joseph Rackers has appeared throughout the United States, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ukraine at venues including the Shanghai and Sichuan Conservatories of Music, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, Banff Center for the Arts and Yantai International Music Festival, among others. He is the recipient of the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.
Ms. Lomazov and Mr. Rackers met at the Eastman School of Music where they both earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance. After serving on the faculty of the University of South Carolina for nearly 20 years, they have been invited to join the piano faculty at their alma mater as Professors of Piano. They have co-founded and for 20 years served as Artistic Directors of the Southeastern Piano Festival. Currently, they are co-Artistic Directors of the Vivace International Foundation.
Lomazov and Rackers are Steinway Artists.
As advocates for modern music for piano duo, they have premiered numerous works across the United States, including several compositions written specifically for them. Their broad repertoire ranges from important works by Bach, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert, to wide-ranging performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Petrushka, leading one critic to write that the duo “really lit up the audience….demonstrating that nearly 100 years after it was written, this modernist touchstone can still sound modern” (Columbia Free Times).
Praised as a “diva of the piano” (Salt Lake City Tribune), Marina Lomazov has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America and China. She has won prizes in the Gina Bachauer, Cleveland, William Kapell and Hilton Head International piano competitions, and was the first pianist to be awarded the Artist Diploma at the Eastman School of Music in nearly two decades. Lauded for “unflappable virtuosity” (American Record Guide), Joseph Rackers has appeared throughout the United States, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ukraine at venues including the Shanghai and Sichuan Conservatories of Music, Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, Banff Center for the Arts and Yantai International Music Festival, among others. He is the recipient of the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.
Ms. Lomazov and Mr. Rackers met at the Eastman School of Music where they both earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance. After serving on the faculty of the University of South Carolina for nearly 20 years, they have been invited to join the piano faculty at their alma mater as Professors of Piano. They have co-founded and for 20 years served as Artistic Directors of the Southeastern Piano Festival. Currently, they are co-Artistic Directors of the Vivace International Foundation.
Lomazov and Rackers are Steinway Artists.
FISHER PIANO DUO
Christopher & Katherine Fisher, pianists
The FISHER PIANO DUO has been delighting audiences throughout the United States with innovative and engaging programming of piano duet and duo literature since 2004. As dedicated educators and proponents of collaborative music making, the duo frequently serves as featured artists and clinicians at university, community music school, and civic events. Passionate educators and scholars, the Fishers are co-authors of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press).
KATHERINE FISHER is co-author of the Piano Safari method (www.pianosafari.com) which is used piano students and teachers around the globe. She serves on the faculty of the Athens Community Music School at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Her responsibilities include teaching private piano lessons as well as coordinating the Piano Preparatory Program (group lessons) for children who are beginners at the instrument. Katherine is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, having most recently served as recording secretary for the OhioMTA. She presently serves in the capacity of Vice- President for Membership for the Southeast District of OhioMTA.
A native of Ohio, Katherine earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma (Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy) and the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance). Her former teachers include Jeongwon Ham, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Karin R. Edwards, and Nancy Bachus.
Katherine Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
DR. CHRISTOPHER FISHER is Professor of Piano at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he chairs the Keyboard Division and directs the internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate piano performance and pedagogy programs. He is the Artistic Director of the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar. Dr. Fisher served as Director of the Ohio University School of Music from 2020-2022 and Assistant Director from 2019-2020. Recognized for his teaching, Dr. Fisher was the 2010 recipient of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award and the Ohio University School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2025 he was designated a Foundation Fellow of the Music Teachers National Association.
Dr. Fisher is the author of Teaching Piano in Groups (Oxford University Press, 2010), the only comprehensive group piano pedagogy textbook of its kind. A Chinese translation of Teaching Piano in Groups is also available. Dr. Fisher is the co-author of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press, 2016) and co-author of Functional Skills for Pianists (Oxford University Press, 2022). He is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook for Piano Pedagogy (Oxford University Press) with Dr. Sally Cathcart. He has published in leading keyboard journals including Keyboard Companion, American Music Teacher, Clavier, and Clavier Companion. Dr. Fisher is a contributing composer for the innovative piano method, Piano Safari (www.pianosafari.com), which is used by piano teachers and students around the globe. His educational compositions are published by Alfred Music and Piano Safari.
In demand as a workshop clinician, Dr. Fisher has been featured nationally and internationally, including the European Piano Teachers Association UK Conference (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham, England, UK, 2025), the national conferences of the Music Teachers National Association (Washington, D.C., 2001; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007; Atlanta, 2009; San Antonio, Texas, 2016; Orlando, Florida, 2018; Chicago, Illinois, 2026)), the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (Lombard, Illinois, 2013; 2017; 2019; 2025), the International Society for Music Education (Helsinki, Finland, 2024), the Alberta (Canada) Piano Teachers Association (2026), the Music & Drama Education Expo (London, England, 2018), the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (Norman, Oklahoma, 2006; Austin, Texas, 2010), the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference (Canberra, Australia, 2008), Encontro Internacional de Pianistas de Piracicaba (Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2016), The Curious Piano Teachers Live Conferences (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2018 and Oxford, England, 2018) and the American Music Therapy Association (Orlando, Florida, 2005).
Dr. Fisher has served as featured artist and/or clinician for the state MTNA conferences of Texas, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia. He has been an invited guest lecturer at leading universities and conservatories across the United States and abroad including recent engagements at The Juilliard School in New York (USA), the Tianjin Juilliard School (China), the Manhattan School of Music (USA), the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University (USA), the University of Oxford (UK), the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (UK), and the University of York (UK).
As a performing artist, Dr. Fisher frequently plays both solo and collaborative recitals, including duet and duo piano performances with wife, pianist Katherine Fisher. The Fisher Piano Duo has performed throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada. As a recording artist, Dr. Fisher can be heard on the MSR Classics label (Samplings: New Music for Bassoon and Piano; MS1547).
Dr. Fisher is an active member of Music Teachers National Association and has served as Vice-President for Conferences and Vice-President for Membership for the Ohio Music Teachers Association; he presently serves as Collegiate Chapter Chair. He is the faculty advisor for the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, recipient of the 2021, 2019, and 2015 MTNA Collegiate Chapter Award. Dr. Fisher maintains a studio of pre-college students who have been successful at state and regional piano competitions and festivals. He frequently serves as an adjudicator and master class clinician at piano festivals and competitions throughout the United States and abroad, including the MTNA Stecher & Horowitz Two Piano Competition, the OHIO International Piano Duet & Duo Competition, and the United States Virtuoso Artists International Piano Competition.
A native of Missouri, Dr. Fisher holds degrees from Wichita State University (Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy) and Northwest Missouri State University (Bachelor of Arts). He was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma where he was the recipient of the prestigious Alumni Graduate Fellowship. His piano and piano pedagogy teachers include Edward Gates, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Julie Bees, Sylvia Coats, Richard Bobo, and Betty Preston.
Dr. Fisher resides in Albany, Ohio with his wife Katherine and their children Isaiah and Anna.
Christopher Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
www.chrisfisherpiano.com
Visit http://www.chrisfisherpiano.com/fisher-piano-duo.html for more information.
KATHERINE FISHER is co-author of the Piano Safari method (www.pianosafari.com) which is used piano students and teachers around the globe. She serves on the faculty of the Athens Community Music School at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Her responsibilities include teaching private piano lessons as well as coordinating the Piano Preparatory Program (group lessons) for children who are beginners at the instrument. Katherine is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, having most recently served as recording secretary for the OhioMTA. She presently serves in the capacity of Vice- President for Membership for the Southeast District of OhioMTA.
A native of Ohio, Katherine earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma (Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy) and the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance). Her former teachers include Jeongwon Ham, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Karin R. Edwards, and Nancy Bachus.
Katherine Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
DR. CHRISTOPHER FISHER is Professor of Piano at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he chairs the Keyboard Division and directs the internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate piano performance and pedagogy programs. He is the Artistic Director of the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar. Dr. Fisher served as Director of the Ohio University School of Music from 2020-2022 and Assistant Director from 2019-2020. Recognized for his teaching, Dr. Fisher was the 2010 recipient of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award and the Ohio University School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2025 he was designated a Foundation Fellow of the Music Teachers National Association.
Dr. Fisher is the author of Teaching Piano in Groups (Oxford University Press, 2010), the only comprehensive group piano pedagogy textbook of its kind. A Chinese translation of Teaching Piano in Groups is also available. Dr. Fisher is the co-author of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press, 2016) and co-author of Functional Skills for Pianists (Oxford University Press, 2022). He is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook for Piano Pedagogy (Oxford University Press) with Dr. Sally Cathcart. He has published in leading keyboard journals including Keyboard Companion, American Music Teacher, Clavier, and Clavier Companion. Dr. Fisher is a contributing composer for the innovative piano method, Piano Safari (www.pianosafari.com), which is used by piano teachers and students around the globe. His educational compositions are published by Alfred Music and Piano Safari.
In demand as a workshop clinician, Dr. Fisher has been featured nationally and internationally, including the European Piano Teachers Association UK Conference (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham, England, UK, 2025), the national conferences of the Music Teachers National Association (Washington, D.C., 2001; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007; Atlanta, 2009; San Antonio, Texas, 2016; Orlando, Florida, 2018; Chicago, Illinois, 2026)), the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (Lombard, Illinois, 2013; 2017; 2019; 2025), the International Society for Music Education (Helsinki, Finland, 2024), the Alberta (Canada) Piano Teachers Association (2026), the Music & Drama Education Expo (London, England, 2018), the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (Norman, Oklahoma, 2006; Austin, Texas, 2010), the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference (Canberra, Australia, 2008), Encontro Internacional de Pianistas de Piracicaba (Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2016), The Curious Piano Teachers Live Conferences (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2018 and Oxford, England, 2018) and the American Music Therapy Association (Orlando, Florida, 2005).
Dr. Fisher has served as featured artist and/or clinician for the state MTNA conferences of Texas, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia. He has been an invited guest lecturer at leading universities and conservatories across the United States and abroad including recent engagements at The Juilliard School in New York (USA), the Tianjin Juilliard School (China), the Manhattan School of Music (USA), the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University (USA), the University of Oxford (UK), the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (UK), and the University of York (UK).
As a performing artist, Dr. Fisher frequently plays both solo and collaborative recitals, including duet and duo piano performances with wife, pianist Katherine Fisher. The Fisher Piano Duo has performed throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada. As a recording artist, Dr. Fisher can be heard on the MSR Classics label (Samplings: New Music for Bassoon and Piano; MS1547).
Dr. Fisher is an active member of Music Teachers National Association and has served as Vice-President for Conferences and Vice-President for Membership for the Ohio Music Teachers Association; he presently serves as Collegiate Chapter Chair. He is the faculty advisor for the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, recipient of the 2021, 2019, and 2015 MTNA Collegiate Chapter Award. Dr. Fisher maintains a studio of pre-college students who have been successful at state and regional piano competitions and festivals. He frequently serves as an adjudicator and master class clinician at piano festivals and competitions throughout the United States and abroad, including the MTNA Stecher & Horowitz Two Piano Competition, the OHIO International Piano Duet & Duo Competition, and the United States Virtuoso Artists International Piano Competition.
A native of Missouri, Dr. Fisher holds degrees from Wichita State University (Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy) and Northwest Missouri State University (Bachelor of Arts). He was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma where he was the recipient of the prestigious Alumni Graduate Fellowship. His piano and piano pedagogy teachers include Edward Gates, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Julie Bees, Sylvia Coats, Richard Bobo, and Betty Preston.
Dr. Fisher resides in Albany, Ohio with his wife Katherine and their children Isaiah and Anna.
Christopher Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
www.chrisfisherpiano.com
Visit http://www.chrisfisherpiano.com/fisher-piano-duo.html for more information.
Anja Arko, pianist
ANJA ARKO is a Slovenian-born pianist, educator, and collaborative artist whose work explores the intersections of classical music, contemporary repertoire, and cultural engagement. She performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, with a repertoire spanning from standard works for solo piano to chamber contemporary music and interdisciplinary projects.
Anja is the winner of a Slovenian National Competition for Piano Duo and has performed widely across Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Czech, Serbia, Croatia) and the United States. seasons have featured projects that highlight her artistic range and her dedication to meaningful engagement. Her debut album, Sojourn, will be released on Parma Recordings in March 2026, featuring works by Florence Price and Claude Debussy and showcasing her interpretive artistry and dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices within the classical tradition. Recent career highlights include a performance at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) in July 2025, an artist residency in Rapid City, South Dakota—where she and her husband, visual artist Micah Daw, presented Music and Environment, a lecture-recital and gallery talk reflecting a shared approach to ecological thought through parallel artistic disciplines—and a 2022 tour of southern France with the Because the Oceans project, performing in Marseille, Monaco, and other cities as part of an outreach and ocean conservation initiative supported by the U.S. Consulate.
Anja is a core member of Catchfire Collective, a contemporary chamber ensemble recently named the 2025 Ensemble-in-Residence for Music for a Great Space. She also collaborates with Paradox Opera, a nonprofit commissioning socially conscious new works, and with the Because the Oceans project, a chamber group focused on conservation and environmental engagement. Her performance career further includes numerous premieres and recordings, among them Hillary Purrington’s Tourmaline, Robert Chumbley’s opera The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Alejandro Rutty’s Because the Oceans, Calling for Jane by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler, and most recently, Diana Syrse’s Rojo en Azul (U.S. premiere).
Anja holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance and Post-Master’s Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy from UNCG, and degrees from the University of Florida and University of Ljubljana. She also studied at Akademia Muzyczna im. Karola Szymanowskiego in Katowice, Poland. She teaches at High Point University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro and remains deeply engaged as a mentor and educator in the music community. In 2023, Anja received HPU Outstanding Music Faculty award and mentorship award Excellence Brought to Light at Guilford College.
Anja is the winner of a Slovenian National Competition for Piano Duo and has performed widely across Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Czech, Serbia, Croatia) and the United States. seasons have featured projects that highlight her artistic range and her dedication to meaningful engagement. Her debut album, Sojourn, will be released on Parma Recordings in March 2026, featuring works by Florence Price and Claude Debussy and showcasing her interpretive artistry and dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices within the classical tradition. Recent career highlights include a performance at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) in July 2025, an artist residency in Rapid City, South Dakota—where she and her husband, visual artist Micah Daw, presented Music and Environment, a lecture-recital and gallery talk reflecting a shared approach to ecological thought through parallel artistic disciplines—and a 2022 tour of southern France with the Because the Oceans project, performing in Marseille, Monaco, and other cities as part of an outreach and ocean conservation initiative supported by the U.S. Consulate.
Anja is a core member of Catchfire Collective, a contemporary chamber ensemble recently named the 2025 Ensemble-in-Residence for Music for a Great Space. She also collaborates with Paradox Opera, a nonprofit commissioning socially conscious new works, and with the Because the Oceans project, a chamber group focused on conservation and environmental engagement. Her performance career further includes numerous premieres and recordings, among them Hillary Purrington’s Tourmaline, Robert Chumbley’s opera The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Alejandro Rutty’s Because the Oceans, Calling for Jane by Rachel Dean and Erin Reifler, and most recently, Diana Syrse’s Rojo en Azul (U.S. premiere).
Anja holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance and Post-Master’s Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy from UNCG, and degrees from the University of Florida and University of Ljubljana. She also studied at Akademia Muzyczna im. Karola Szymanowskiego in Katowice, Poland. She teaches at High Point University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro and remains deeply engaged as a mentor and educator in the music community. In 2023, Anja received HPU Outstanding Music Faculty award and mentorship award Excellence Brought to Light at Guilford College.
