Summary
Marina Roznitovsky Oster teaches harp at the University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College. She is the principal harpist with the Reno Chamber Orchestra and the Reno Philharmonic. She actively performs as a soloist and a number of her performances have been broadcast on National Israeli and U.S. television and radio.
Oster leads a large private studio and has created her own harp teaching method titled C-world. This book enables individual and group class setting, while providing a progressive learning approach to all beginners at the harp, from lap size to pedal harps.
As part of an ongoing determination to promote the harp, Oster produces an annual celebration of the harp called “Harp Plus,” at Nightingale Concert Hall. This production features standard solo repertoire and chamber music involving harp and often includes exciting world premieres. It also provides a public platform to showcase the University of Nevada, Reno harp ensemble and other harpists from the area with pieces involving a large ensemble, with 27 harps on the stage being the record so far.
In 2009 and in 2015, Oster represented Israel in the renowned International Harp Competition in Jerusalem and was featured on the Israeli News Channels. She earned her BM, MM and P.D. in harp performance and pedagogy at Indiana University, under the tutelage of distinguished professor Susann McDonald.
As a graduate student, Oster was the first prize winner in the music category of the 2006 National Society of Arts and Letters Competition in Bloomington, Indiana. She also performed on a worldwide tour with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, under the baton of Daniel Barenboim.
Her determination to excel was rewarded with yearly recognitions of highest scholastic achievements, throughout her studies. In addition, she was a recipient of the American Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship award four consecutive times. She also received multiple awards from the Dunie Weitzman Conservatory, Indiana University, Barenboim-Said Foundation, The Bureau of Jewish Education and other organizations.
Oster was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Israel with her mother when she was six years old. She started musical training at the age of five with singing, piano lessons and dance. At the age of 12, she began studying harp under the instruction of professor Olga Moitlis, making her first harp concerto début just a year later. At 13, she was accepted as a harp and piano major at a specialized art school. She continued her extracurricular training at the Dunie Weitzman Conservatory under continuous scholarship. Harp proved to be her calling and passion in life and her main goal is to share this passion through teaching and performing.
Recordings
- Harp Recital. Marina Roznitovsky Oster. Rosetti, Handel, Bach, Ibert, Tournier Natra, Mchedelov.
- Harp Recital. Marina Roznitovsky Oster. Croft, Dussek, Mauldin, Prokofiev, Glinka, Molnar, Pierne.
- Taste of Toccata v.1. James Rawie, Artistic Director & Conductor. Recorded Live July 15, 2008 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Reno, Nevada.
- A Baroque Christmas. James Rawie, Artistic Director & Conductor. Recorded Live Jan. 20, 2009 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Reno, Nevada.
Education
- PD, harp performance and pedagogy, Indiana University
- MM, harp performance and pedagogy, Indiana University
- BM, harp performance and pedagogy, Indiana University