Pianist and composer Valentin Mihai Bogdan is Professor of Music at Mississippi University for Women. He has won awards at national and international competitions, including the Ellis Two Piano Competition, Varna International Piano Competition, and the Wayne State Concerto Competition. Throughout his career he has performed in Europe, Asia, North America, including Romania, Russia, France, England, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Jordan, Canada, and the United States. Notable venues include concerts at the Russian Union of Composers (Moscow, Russia), Prokofiev Museum (Moscow, Russia), the Spectrum Festival (Kazan, Russia), Aula Sergiu T. Chiriacescu (Transilvania University, Romania), Sala Patria (Brasov, Romania), and Assisi Performing Arts in Italy. He has performed on stages and festivals throughout the world, including Oregon Bach Festival, Festival Miami, American-Romanian Festival, National Association of Composers USA Festival, and many more. He was a soloist with the Starkville Symphony Orchestra, Assisi Performing Arts Orchestra, Wayne State Symphony Orchestra, and Arizona Western College Concert Band. He was the winner of an Artist Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission (2018). Valentin was named the 2010 Florida State Music Teachers Association commissioned composer of the year, and the 2015 Mississippi Music Teachers Association commissioned composer. He is a graduate of Wayne State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Miami, with degrees in piano and music composition.

Pianist Julia Mortyakova maintains an international performing career. She is the recipient of the 2021 Performing Arts Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission and is the 2017 Mississippi Honored Artist (MS State Committee of NMWA). She is on the Mississippi Artist Roster. The Mortyakova/Bogdan Piano Duo are the Second Prize winners of the 2017 Ellis Duo Piano Competition. Julia is a laureate of the 2014 American Prize for her performance Cécile Chaminade, and the winner of the 2012 Sigma Alpha Iota Career Performance Grant. Julia’s research focuses on the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre and the life of Cécile Chaminade. She has presented her research at numerous conferences. Dr. Mortyakova serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women and is the Founder/Artistic Director of the International Annual Music by Women Festival. She is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Vanderbilt University, New York University, and the University of Miami. Equally active in the lives of her colleagues, Julia is Immediate Past President of the College Music Society Southern Region and serves on the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation. Additionally, she is an active on-site evaluator on behalf of the NASM Commission on Accreditation.

 

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