Xavier Alumni Performs with Top Tier Orchestra
October 16, 2019
This year, Jonathan Dandrow, alumni of Xavier Univeristy’s College of Arts and Science joined an elite group of amateur pianists. Not only was he accepted into Piano Texas International Academy and Festival, one of the most prestigious amateur piano competitions in the USA, Dandrow was also selected as a prizewinner of the Concerto Competition.
As a result of his win, Dandrow earned the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform a concerto movement with the Dallas Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Miguel Harth-Bedoya. He performed Brahms Piano Concerto #2, one of the most famous and difficult piano concertos in the standard repertoire.
“This is a major accomplishment for the Xavier Music Program,” Bespalko explained, “it marks the first time one of our alumni has performed with a top-tier professional orchestra.”
In order to prepare for his performance, Dandrow dedicated many hours each week to practice. He knew with such a big opportunity, he would need additional support as well. And so, he reached out to his former professor and mentor, Polina Bespalko, for help and guidance. “It’s super rare to find a teacher as great as Bespalko,” Dandrow said. “She can play literally anything in piano repertoire. She has so much experience playing with orchestra too, which is so rare. She’s also such a perceptive teacher and no matter how busy she is, she still makes herself available to help.”
Beyond performing, Dandrow notes how the discipline and focus he learned from playing piano have directly translated into other parts of his life – in particular, the business world. In addition to being an award winning pianist, Dandrow is the CEO of Radenso Radar, a technology company located in downtown Cincinnati.