Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston presents concert pianist and early keyboard performer Michael Tsalka (Israel/Netherlands) in a hand-picked program titled "The Jewish Odyssey in Western Classical Music." 

Tsalka, born in Tel-Aviv, is a versatile musician who performs with equal virtuosity a wide span of repertoire from the early Baroque to our days on the modern piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, clavichord, square piano and chamber organ. After obtaining a Bachelor's degree from Tel-Aviv University, he continued his studies in Germany and Italy. In 2001, he received a piano solo diploma from the Scuola Superiore Internazionale del Trio di Trieste, where he studied with Dario di Rosa. From 2002 to 2008, he resided in Philadelphia and studied at Temple University, fortepiano and chamber music with Lambert Orkis, piano with Harvey Wedeen, and harpsichord and chamber organ with Joyce Lindorff.

From 2006 to 2015, he has been an artist-in-resident every July at the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Red Wing, Minnesota.

The program includes works by Salamone Rossi, György Ligeti, Paul Ben-Haim, Maurice Ravel and others.