Keyboard Wizard

Alan Poltorak is a wizard of the piano keyboard and the recording soundboard. Poltorak a December ’17 graduate in music, has both played Carnegie Hall in New York City and engineered an album.

With the encouragement from Bloomsburg University piano professor Charisse Baldoria, Poltorak auditioned to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in the spring of 2016. Earning a score of 100 percent, he was selected from among 200 students who auditioned to perform.

Despite playing since he was ten, Poltorak admits that performing at Carnegie was intimidating. “I’m the type who gets nervous no matter how much I perform. I ended up playing a lot better and being a lot more comfortable than I thought I’d be. In the end, you stand up and everyone is cheering, and you’re like wow this is actually happening.”

At BU, he’d had plenty of time to hone his chops as a pianist for the Bloomsburg University Community Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.

A transfer from a community college, Poltorak chose Bloomsburg for the hands-on experience he’d get in BU’s audio-video recording program as well as the opportunities as an instrumental student. He also honed his soundboard skills working in the performing arts facilities department.

“Working in performing arts facilities is so hands-on and a huge opportunity, especially audio for students,” Poltorak says. “You’re doing what you’re learning about in the classroom, mixing live and seeing how everything works.”

He’s put his soundboard skills to use engineering professor Baldoria’s album “Gamelan on Piano” in 2017 and a holiday EP recorded with the BU Jazz Ensemble this spring. And continuing his performance, this May Poltorak joined Bloomsburg Jazz Ensemble’s tour of Europe that included stops in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.