Konstantza Chernov
Chamber Concert Series
Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church, Woodbury, Connecticut
Konstantza Chernov
An active soloist and chamber musician, pianist Konstantza Chernov has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. She is a member of jouvence, a duo with violinist Jenny Grégoire, and the Chernov-Podgurski Duo with pianist Barbara Podgurski. An advocate of contemporary music, Konstantza Chernov has given premiere performances of works by Michael Capobianco, Eric B. Chernov, Leo Kraft, Martín Kutnowski, and Douglas O'Grady, among many others. With the Chernov-Podgurski Duo she gave the world premiere of Daniel Plante's two-piano version of Irving Fine's Toccata concertante at Steinway Hall. Additionally, for several consecutive years, she was the pianist for the Long Island Composers' Alliance's annual concerts in New York City, performing solo and chamber works by Richard Brooks, Herbert Deutsch, Martin Halpern, Leo Kraft, Joel Mandelbaum, Dana Richardson, David Schober, and Edward Smaldone.
Konstantza Chernov was born in Sófia, Bulgaria, where she received her initial musical training, and subsequently came to the United States to study at Mannes College of Music. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), which she attended on full scholarship. While at UNCG, she served as a staff pianist for instrumentalists' and vocalists' master and doctoral degree recitals, as well as a rehearsal pianist and vocal coach for the UNCG Opera Department. Her dissertation is entitled "Leo Kraft's Three Fantasies for Flute and Piano: A Performer's Analysis." Dr. Chernov earned both of her previous degrees (Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts) in piano performance from Queens College of the City University of New York where she was a Presser Scholar. While at QC she was the recipient of over a dozen musical and academic honors.
Dr. Chernov is currently on the faculty at Queens College, where she teaches piano, class piano, and coaches chamber music. She is also on the faculty of QC's Center for Preparatory Studies in Music. She previously served on the faculties of the United Nations International School, The University of Alabama, The Piano School of New York City, and the Music Conservatory of Westchester. Additionally, she has served as a staff pianist at the Mannes College of Music, Queens College, the 92nd Street Y, and the CPSM. She was an adjudicator at the Young Artist Piano Competition and the Senior Piano Competition of the Georgia Music Teachers Association. She also adjudicated at the Music Teachers National Association competition in 2013 and 2014, as well as the concerto competition at the Larry Eisman Center for Preparatory Studies in 2015 and 2016.
Recent performances include the solo Piano Fantasy at the Leo Kraft Memorial Concert, a Merkin Hall appearance with Harold Rosenbaum's New York Virtuoso Singers, and works of Eric B. Chernov at Lincoln Center. As an active supporter of her local community, she has also recently given a solo piano benefit concert in support of the Newtown Meeting House (Newtown, CT), and several public solo concerts at the Silas Bronson Library (Waterbury, CT).
Dr. Chernov served as music director and pianist for Stern College Dramatic Society's productions of The Pirates of Penzance and Bye, Bye, Birdie. Both productions were presented to full-house audiences at the Schottenstein Cultural Center in Manhattan. She also coached and played piano for Queens College Theater Department's productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and South Pacific, served as pianist for the Newbury Musical Theatre Company (Southbury, CT)'s production of Mary Poppins, and most recently was the music director and pianist for Queens Opera Theatre's production of The Gift of the Magi in collaboration with Astoria Performing Arts Center (NYC).
Konstantza is also a devoted church musician. Her music ministry began in 1996 and since then, she's been serving continuously as an organist, pianist, music director, choir director, youth choir director, and bell choir leader in numerous churches in the United States. Currently, Dr. Chernov is the Music Director at St. John Paul the Great Parish, in CT. She is a student in the Masters of Divinity degree program at Yale University's Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.