PROFILE

Dr. Kamil Tokarski is a distinguished pianist, conductor, harpsichordist, and teacher with rich musical experience covering Europe, The United States, and Asia. Kamil Tokarski has appeared in solo recitals in Poland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, The United States, Japan, and Taiwan. His piano recitals included appearances in Preston Bradley Hall in Chicago, The Polish Center of Wisconsin, the Lutheran Ichigaya Center in Tokyo, the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, KHS Performance Hall in Taipei, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City.

He attended Arthur Rubinstein School of Music in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Dr. Tokarski continued his musical education at Grażyna & Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź as a piano student of Prof. Tadeusz Chmielewski and Prof. Jerzy Maciejewski at The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Kamil Tokarski has performed widely across Poland, aiding in the cultural development of his country, for which he has been awarded several grants and stipends.

In 2008, Kamil Tokarski was awarded the Music Scholarship and a full academic scholarship by The Wasie Foundation to continue his musical education under Dr. Robert Koopmann at Saint John's University in the USA. In 2009, he received the Grand Prix in the Minnesota Music Teachers Association Piano Competition, first place in the Saint Cloud Symphony Competition, followed by the performance of Camille Saint-Saens Piano Concerto no.2 with the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra. He was a finalist of the Schubert Piano Competition and was awarded a second place in the Thursday Musical Piano Competition (Saint Paul, MN). In 2009 and 2010, Kamil Tokarski won the first place in the Music Teachers National Association Minnesota Piano Competitions and received an Honorable Mention award in both Divisional Competitions (Columbia, MO; Sioux Falls, SD).

In May of 2013, Kamil Tokarski received his master's degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Peck School of the Arts, where he studied with a famous Venezuelan concert pianist, Judit Jaimes. A student of Isabelle Vengerova and Rudolf Serkin, Judit Jaimes had a profound impact on Tokarski’s understanding of the aesthetical balance within the musical form.

Tokarski began work on his doctorate in piano performance and orchestra conducting at Ball State University in Indiana under Dr. Robert Palmer and Prof. Douglas Droste. During his doctoral studies, Dr. Tokarski appeared as a conductor of the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, performed and recorded harpsichord solo repertoire, collaborated  with Hungarian pianist, and composer Istvan Benedekfi, as well as  Grammy-winning American composer, and conductor Eric Whitacre.

Tokarski graduated with his Doctorate degree in the late 2017. Having been deeply involved in exploring cognitive aspects of playing and learning piano, his doctoral dissertation dealt with the effective memorization techniques of the harmonically complex “Masques” op.34 by Karol Szymanowski. Currently Dr. Tokarski resides in Taipei, Taiwan leading a teaching and recording studio. Throughout his education, Kamil Tokarski had opportunities to participate in master classes with many world-famous musicians including: Ewa Poblocka, Janusz Olejniczak, Krzysztof Jablosnki Andrzej Jasinski, Pascal Devoyon, Krystian Zimerman, Eugen Indjic, Christopher Elton, Sergei Babayan, and Sean Duggan.

Teaching Philosophy

Throughout my education, I was fortunate to study with many world-class musicians from around the world who represent different methods and styles of teaching. Over the years of scholarly endeavors and extensive performing experience, I have developed a profound interest and appreciation of piano pedagogy. Coming from an old Polish school of piano, the core of my teaching is rooted in continuing the traditions taught to me by the great Polish master Dr. Jerzy Maciejewski from the Fryderyk Chopin University in Warsaw.

In my teachings, I emphasize the development of natural and refined piano technique based on proper energy and weight distribution. It is crucial for aspiring concert pianists to develop a solid understanding of hand anatomy and awareness of the role of different muscles and tendons. The goal of this technical development is to achieve a full pianistic control with a minimal amount of energy distributed in the most efficient manner. Understanding of this concept is one of the most overlooked yet crucial elements of building a great pianistic technique. Supplemented by meticulously supervised training and proper practicing methods, this approach leads to excellent pianistic stamina, rich sound, and textural clarity. In order to understand the Importance of the weight distribution in piano technique, I recommend watching the video of Maurizio Pollini discussing Arthur Rubinstein’s technical advice:

Piano masterclass at College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University