Karl Moraski

Description

Karl Moraski is a consummate professional and highly accomplished pianist/vocalist. Adept at classical music as well as pop, rock and standards. Well travelled, versatile and very comfortable interacting with people of all ages.

Biography

KARL MORASKI
Karl Moraski played his first song at age 2, began piano lessons at age 3, had his first solo recital at Wanamaker’s Auditorium in Philadelphia at age 5 and wrote his first song at age 6. Since then he has been involved in every imaginable style of music from Classical to Rock. 
He cut his teeth in the ballet world at 12 years old, being asked to be the staff accompanist for a Music/Dance/Drama camp in Pennsylvania where he grew up, in exchange for free summers of study. He spent the next 6 summers there honing his craft; while playing for dance became second nature to h ... im. 
After high school he went to New York University on a full scholarship and by age 20, was hired by John Clifford to join his Los Angeles Ballet where he played class, rehearsed with the dancers and was their piano soloist, performing with some of the best musicians in the city, also performing at the 1984 Summer Olympic Arts Celebration in Los Angeles as a solo pianist.
He has been a pianist for several major ballet companies and orchestras, performing both nationally and internationally, including American Ballet Theater, Miami City Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Long Beach Ballet, Carolina Ballet, The Florida Symphonic Pops, The Naples Philharmonic and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, working with the likes of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Edward Villella, Alexander Goudonov, Alicia Alonso, Maya Plisetskaya, Mark Morris, Damian Woetzel, Megan Fairchild and a host of other artists through the years.
He has performed as a piano soloist in venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Wolftrap, The Edinburgh Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, with repertoire including Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, Stravinsky; The Four Temperaments, Paul Hindemith; Piano Concerto #3, Tchaikovsky; Tarantella, Franz Liszt; Schumann Symphonic Etudes’… 
While in Los Angeles he wrote music for and appeared in an episode of the ABC series 'Hart to Hart' and for several summers he teamed up with wide receiver Willie Gault of the NFL’s 'L.A. Raiders' to do a program for inner city youth called 'Say Yes to Dance'. While living in Vancouver B.C, Canada, he was a member of the band Montana whose single 'Just a Minute' rose to number 22 in the charts; co-wrote their 2nd single 'Lorelei', and also wrote commercial jingles such as Canada's ‘United Way' promo for National TV. He also took time to travel the world with Princess Cruises with their Show Band as well as being a guest entertainer with other bands in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Alaska. 
Since moving to Raleigh he has been doing a lot of composing and arranging. He composed a full length ‘Cinderella’ for Carolina Ballet, which received rave reviews. He has composed other ballets for the same company as well; ‘Visions’- a one-act ballet and ‘Portraits’ (a section of a full length evening ‘Ballet Extravaganza’), also receiving excellent reviews. His most recent full length ballet for Carolina Ballet was 'Beauty and the Beast' which was presented to packed houses. He also continues to perform with the NC Symphony and The Opera Company of North Carolina (where he played for Luciano Pavarotti on a solo accordion). He returned to Los Angeles to assist Warner Brothers in arranging and recording the full soundtrack for their newest theatrical venture, ‘Casablanca: The Dance’, conceived by John Clifford, which premiered in Beijing, China.
While in North Carolina he has also been on staff at Hope Community Church; a church that continues to open its arms wide as it not only reaches out to people in the local area but around the world as well. He has been involved in community development and mission work in places such as Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, The Central African Republic, Haiti and Uganda. He continues to do musical fundraisers locally with his classic rock group, Band of Brothers, to raise funds for global initiatives and local ones as well such as North Carolina Food Bank. For many years he has also given back by writing songs for Songs of Love; an organization that provides customized songs for kids with life threatening illnesses. To date he's written over 150 songs.
He resides in Cary, NC where he continues to perform with Carolina Ballet as a piano soloist as well as a composer, works with Cary Ballet Conservatory’s Pre Professional program and has been most recently a guest artist with the newly formed Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami.
Read More

Reviews     (no reviews)

Experience

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
1999-2019 - Carolina Ballet- Robert Weiss, Director, Rehearsal/class pianist, piano soloist,
composer (Full length Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Visions)
- Contract piano soloist with North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Opera, North
Carolina School of the Arts
- Cary Conservatory of Dance (Pre-Professional Program) Class/rehearsal pianist
2000-2019 - Hope Community Church- Music Director
1993-1999 - Miami City Ballet- Edward Villella, Director, Rehearsal/class pianist, pia ... no soloist
including performances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Kennedy
Center Orchestra, The Pacific Symphony and the Naples Philharmonic. Also
arranged and orchestrated ‘Diane and Acteon’, recorded and arranged the ballet ‘La
Source’ for The School of Miami City Ballet’s student performances. Piano solo
arrangement of Gottschalk’s‘Tarantella’. Taught fundamentals of music,
understanding music for dance and score reading for Miami City Ballet’s ‘MCB 21’
Choreographer’s Workshops. Performed piano arrangements for live video-taping
of three Balanchine ballets for the George Balanchine Video archives with Maria
Tallchief to be distributed to libraries internationally.
- Piano soloist with The Florida Symphonic Pops.
1993 - (Summer) Rehearsal/class pianist DanceAspen, Jillana Director
1989-1993 - Long Beach Ballet- David Wilcox, Director, Rehearsal/class pianist, piano soloist.
- ‘SAY YES to DANCE’- summer outreach program for Los Angeles inner city
youth, sponsored by the NFL Raider’s wide receiver Willie Gault. Served as Music
Director/rehearsal pianist and soloist/conductor for end of summer gala
performances.
- Long Beach Symphony solo pianist
- Cal State Long Beach Dance Department- rehearsal/class pianist
- U.C. Irvine Dance Department- rehearsal/class pianist
1987-1989 - Princess Cruises as singer/pianist of show band, duos and quartets traveling
throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska and the Mediterranean.
- Freeport duo as singer/pianist performing lounges and showrooms of Four seasons
Hotels, Whistler Village Ski Resorts, Delta Hotels and Sheraton Hotels
- Studio musician Ocean Sound, Little Mountain Studios recording promotional
videos, jingles, soundtracks and demos. (Vancouver, B.C.)
- Keyboard/Vocalist//Songwriter for the band Montana. Single ‘Just a Minute’
reached #22 on the Canadian charts and the video was nominated for C.A.R.A.S.
award. Also co-wrote 2nd single ‘Lorelei’
1985-1987 - Long Beach Ballet- Rehearsal/class pianist, piano soloist.
1981-1985 - Los Angeles Ballet- John Clifford, Director, Rehearsal/class pianist, piano soloist including piano
soloist at the 1984 Olympic Arts festival in downtown Los Angeles where over 25,000 people
were in attendance.
Read More

Suitable for

Bar / Bat Mitzvah Casinos Christmas Party Cocktail Party / Drinks Reception Corporate Event Cruise Ships Dinner Party Hotel Event Private Party Product Launch / Promotion Trade Show / Exhibitions