Xak Bjerken

Pianist Xak Bjerken studied with Aube Tzerko at the University of California at Los Angeles and received his Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the Peabody Institute as a student of and teaching assistant to Leon Fleisher.

He has given solo and chamber music recitals in Europe and throughout the United States, appearing with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Disney Hall. He has performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Konzerthaus in Berlin as well as at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall and the Kennedy Center.

For 12 years, he has performed nationally as a member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet and was co-director with Steven Stucky of Ensemble X, a new music ensemble. He has held chamber music residencies at the Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival and Olympic Music Festival, and served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival.

He released his first solo recording, entitled High Rise, on CRI in 2001, has recorded for Koch International, Chandos, Albany Records, and the Artona labels, and has a new disc of solo and chamber works by Stephen Hartke on Chandos.

He is an Associate Professor of Music at Cornell University where, with his wife, Miri Yampolsky, he co-directs Mayfest, an international chamber music festival. He prefers turkey to tofurky, Rilke to Rimbaud, and denim to pleather.