Aron Kallay

Lecturer in Music; Piano
With Pomona Since: 2011
  • Expertise

    Expertise

    Grammy®-nominated pianist Aron Kallay has performed throughout the United States and abroad and his playing has been called “exquisite…every sound sounded considered, alive, worthy of our wonder” (Los Angeles Times). “Perhaps Los Angeles’ most versatile keyboardist,” (LaOpus) Aron has been praised as possessing “that special blend of intellect, emotion, and overt physicality that makes even the thorniest scores simply leap from the page into the listeners laps.” (KPFK)

    Kallay's performances often integrate technology, video and alternate tunings; Fanfare magazine described him as “a multiple threat: a great pianist, brainy tech wizard, and visionary promoter of a new musical practice.”

    In addition to his solo work, Aron is currently a member of the Pierrot + percussion ensemble Brightwork newmusic, the Varied Trio and the Ray-Kallay Duo.

    Areas of Expertise

    • Piano pedagogy
    • Performance on piano
    • New Music
    • Electronic Music
  • Work

    Work

    • Eight-concert solo tour of Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina (2015)
    • Featured artist at Music on the Edge Festival in Pittsburgh, PA and Hear Now Festival, Venice, CA (2015)
    • 2015 solo recitals at: Boston Court, Pasadena, CA; Jacaranda, Santa Monica, CA; and Piano Kitchen, Santa Barbara, CA
    • Featured soloist, USC’s Visions and Voices, Los Angeles, CA (2015)
    • Solo recital at: REDCAT, Piano Spheres, Los Angeles, CA (2014)
    • Ray-Kallay Duo, Center for New Music, San Francisco, CA (2014)
    • Solo recitals: Heaven Gallery, Chicago, IL; The Spectrum, New York, NY and Fishers Public Library, Fishers, IN (2013)
    • Co-director of MicroFest Records
    • Co-founder and board president of People Inside Electronics (PIE)
    • Managing director of MicroFest, Los Angeles’ annual festival of microtonal music
    • Co-director of the underground new-music concert series Tuesdays@MONK Space

    Discography

    • In the Sea of Ionia, Cold Blue Music, CB0042 (2015)
    • Five Conversations About Two Things Populist Records, PR007 (2014)
    • Beyond 12 MicroFest Records, MF3 (2013)
    • The Ten Thousand Things: The I-Ching Edition, MicroFest Records, MF2 (2013)
    • John Cage: The Ten Thousand Things, MicroFest Records, MF1 (Grammy® award for Best Chamber Music Performance) (2013)
  • Education

    Education

    • Carnegie Mellon University, BFA, Piano Performance
    • Carnegie Mellon University, Certificate, Piano Pedagogy
    • University of Michigan, MM, Piano Pedagogy and Performance
    • University of Southern California, DMA, Piano Performance

    In addition to teaching at Pomona College Kallay is on the faculty at Chapman University and California State University, Fullerton teaching music theory, electronic music and music technology

  • Awards & Honors

    Awards & Honors

    • 2014 Winner, Canada Council Grant for Beyond 12
    • 2013 Grammy nominee for The 10,000 Things in the Best Chamber Music Performance Category
    • 2013 Named a top 10 classical musical performance of the year by the LA Times
    • 2012 Named a top 10 classical musical performance of the year by the LA Times
    • 2012 TEDx Talk: Classical Pianist with a Twist
    • 2010 Winner, Subito Grant, San Francisco Chapter of the American Composers Forum
    • 2009 Graduated with distinction from the University of Southern California
    • Member Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honors Society and Phi Kappa Phi National Honors Society

    Current Affiliations

    • Board member, Piano Spheres
    • Board member, People Inside Electronics
    • Board member, MicroFest
    • Advisory Board Member, American Composers Forum - Los Angeles Branch
    • Member, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
    • Member, American Composers Forum
    • Member, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States