Grand Piano Festival
Maria Guralnik

Concert Careers Today

The general manager of the Van Cliburn Foundation presents an intensive and interactive seminar exploring the challenges and opportunities facing young classical artists in today's market.  Various aspects of launching a successful career including programming for the audience; promotion in a digital age; and the development of non-musical "survivor" skills will be among topics to be explored.  Participants should plan to bring sample programs and a short biography including a statement summarizing immediate career goals. 

Maria Guralnik
As General Manager of the Van Cliburn Foundation since 1993, Maria Guralnik oversees career development and U.S. tours for the winners of the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. She also serves as artistic administrator for the Foundation, bringing internationally renowned soloists as well as emerging artists to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex via the Cliburn Concerts series, education programs, and other special projects.

Ms. Guralnik began her professional career at Columbia Artists Management, where she assisted in the management of such artists/attractions as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Horacio Gutierrez, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Moscow Virtuosi, and the Orchestre National de France. She has also worked for the American Symphony Orchestra League planning meetings and developing workshops and other education initiatives for its membership.

The daughter of pianist and actor Robert Guralnik, Ms. Guralnik graduated from New York University in 1985 with a major in flute performance and later earned a master's degree in the management of non-profit organizations from Case Western Reserve University. She is past president of the National Association of Performing Arts Managers and Agents and currently teaches arts administration as an adjunct faculty member of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.