About us
Founded in 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Berkovsky-Solomon Academy of Music has quickly established itself as a nurturing hub of artistic excellence.
At our academy, we are dedicated to inspiring and challenging students to reach their highest potential. We foster a friendly, encouraging environment where each student is supported with personalized attention and the tools needed to thrive in their studies. Above all, we strive to ignite a lifelong love for music, ensuring that every student feels valued and motivated throughout their musical journey.
Founders
Coral Solomon | founder and director
"Young Canadian pianist Coral Solomon demonstrated a remarkable maturity of interpretation, musicality and sensibility which proved a great talent and an intelligent and original approach” -Libertatea, Bucharest Romania
Israeli born pianist, Coral Solomon has been praised for her “distinct sensibility” and “original view” (Radio Romania Musical) and has performed numerous solo recitals throughout Canada, USA, Italy, France, Spain, Romania, and Israel. She has appeared as soloist with over a dozen orchestras across Canada, Italy, and Romania- where she performed with the state philharmonic orchestras of Sibiu, Timisoara, Brasov, Bacau, Arad, Tergu Mures, Ploiesti, Ramnicu Valcea, among others. She returned to collaborate with the Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra for the 3rd time, as she debuted a piano concerto transcription of Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme by Corelli. The work was written and dedicated to her by conductor emeritus of New Jersey Plainfield Symphony, Sabin Pautza, who also conducted the premier.
Actively engaged in creative projects in her community, Coral is actively performing both in recital settings and as soloist with orchestras. She has served as artistic director for the first Canadian edition of the George Enescu International Festival (originating in Romania, it is one of the largest classical music festivals in the world) and has performed in the Festival’s opening concert with the concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Crow. She has worked with Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett, as her piano coach for the TV series: “Mrs. America” and appeared as the piano soloist in Toronto’s internationally acclaimed Fall for Dance North Festival that took place in the Meridian Hall (formally known as the Sony Centre).
Devoted to her community’s musical education scene, Coral will direct the inaugural Summer Piano Intensive at the Royal Conservatory of Music, a 2-week program in August 2025 for advanced pianists aged 13-18. currently maintains a full-time private music studio at her home in North York. She is also the director of the Berkovsky-Solomon Academy of Music (BSAM) founded by her and her husband, Michael Berkovsky, which offers additional instructors for piano, theory, and violin lessons in her home studio and online. The BSAM community deeply appreciates the generous support and collaboration of the Arts Access Fund, which provides need-based scholarships for music, dance, and arts studies to various programs, including BSAM, across the Greater Toronto Area. Coral regularly adjudicates competitions, leads masterclasses, and is a Royal Conservatory of Music Examiner, following an invitation to join the College of Examiners in 2022. She is also the co-director of the Beethoven Society for Pianists - Greater Toronto Chapter which is an organization that supports students and young professional pianists in the community through scholarships, performance opportunities, and more.
After moving with her family to Toronto in 2004, Coral was a student at the Young Artist Performance Academy of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Prizewinner of several competitions, Coral was interviewed by numerous North American and European television channels and has participated in intensive international summer festivals such as the Pianofest in the Hamptons (Long Island, NY), the Morningside Music Bridge Institute (Calgary), and the Toronto Summer Music Institute.
She has completed her undergraduate degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Master’s degree at Boston University, under the tutelage of Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Pavel Nersessian respectively. During her studies in the United States, she was a recipient of the generous Canada Council for the Arts’ Musician Grant. Coral is currently pursuing her Doctoral of Music degree in piano performance at the University of Toronto with Enrico Elisi, on full scholarship.
Canadian-Israeli pianist, Dr. Michael Berkovsky, made his New York debut at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center and has toured as soloist in Ireland, Japan, Italy, Israel, Canada, the United States and Costa Rica; as well as performed under the baton of Vladimir Feltsman, Stefan Sanderling, Leon Fleisher and William Noll. Michael won numerous international awards and regularly collaborates with chamber groups and award winning musicians. He was a guest artist at many international festivals, including Arts Naples where he collaborated with Russian pianist Pavel Narcessian, and Music Niagara Festival. He frequents the cultural scene of his community in Toronto through frequent performances both in recitals and as soloist with orchestras, masterclasses, and competition adjudications.
A passionate and dedicated music educator as well as a highly sought after piano teacher, Michael is on the faculty of the Glenn Gould School and the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, at the Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music. He will be the artistic director for Royal Conservatory of Music's inagural Summer Piano Intensive program in August 2025. Prior to it, Michael will be serving as faculty for the summer music programs at the Juilliard School, both at their New York, USA and in Tianjin, China campuses. He also maintains a private studio in which a number of his students have placed highly in provincial, national and international competitions. Additionally, Michael is a board member of the Canadian Music Competition as well as an advisor on the Artistic Committee of the Chinese Cultural Center Music Festival.
He was a recipient of the America Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships from 1994-2001. On the recommendation from Maestro Valery Gergiev, Michael was awarded the White Nights Foundation Scholarships while studying at The Juilliard School.
Born in the former Soviet Union and immigrated to Israel in 1990, Michael has studied with Nataly Litvinova and was mentored by Alexander Slobodyanik. In 2001, his family moved to Toronto, Canada. He received his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Julian Martin. In 2011, he completed his Doctoral degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the John Hopkins University under the tutelage of Professor Yong Hi Moon.
“Mr. Berkovsky is quiet and unassuming in demeanor and simply settled down at the piano to play several of the great masterworks of the repertoire. He was in all ways a servant of the music and gave us a performance that was nothing less than astonishing” – Southampton Times
“It’s not surprising to encounter talented pianists, but it sure is fun to hear one who has something distinctive to say” – Baltimore Sun