The two-page, single-spaced list of Jack Naglick’s impressive musical achievements since 2017 alone makes a convincing case for the existence of humans who don’t need to sleep.

But the Grand Prize winner of PIMF’s inaugural virtual Concerto Competition last June insists he strives for at least 8 hours of nightly shut-eye, telling us, “I’m much more productive when I’m well-rested.”

The creative output of this Rochester Hills, Michigan 17-year-old is prodigious, by any standard. That joke about “how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!” Jackson’s been there and done that: a solo recital in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City. He was 14 years old at the time. He’d made his orchestral debut as a piano soloist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra a year earlier!

Lockdown or no, Jack’s trajectory has not slowed. In just the half-year since his bravura piano performance in PIMF’s competition, Jack has forged ahead and even expanded his music studies, continually challenging himself to learn and grow, and scooping up more honors, even in the restrictive online environment.

“We have to seize all of the opportunities that are available right now,” Jack explains. “Every virtual opportunity is a chance to learn something new that can inspire you to be better or give you a completely fresh way of looking at your music.”

Jack maxed out the offerings of PIMF’s online summer sessions, committing many weeks of his summer to ZOOMing with fellow students and faculty, delving into diverse areas of music study.

“I most enjoyed meeting and connecting with new people,” he says. “I was exposed to so many new ideas and ways of thinking about music. Faculty members were all inspiring and taught me so much. I really loved the piano master classes with Tatiana Abramova. Her sessions always ended far too quickly! I also enjoyed learning about conducting from Louis Scaglione. It was interesting to be able to learn about conducting in a group class from my home!”

He performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in a virtual PIMF Master Class for Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra, earning the Maestro’s highest praise for “such refined playing, such warm tone,” and his plaudits for “mastering all the keys of this piece – no pun intended!”

“It was great performance experience, for one thing, when the ability to perform is so limited right now,” Jack recalls. “Musicians need opportunities to work on managing performance nerves, and what better opportunity to do that than playing for Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin! I really took (his) advice to heart and loved being able to connect with him and his joy for music.”

In addition to his mad piano skills, Jack is a gifted oboist, and continues to hone his woodwind craft. But it was as a spectator at another recent PIMF Master Class that he was inspired to add voice lessons to his already packed music schedule.

“I still remember Lina González-Granados’ parting words of advice: ‘Be brave! Try something new!’” Jack recalls. “These words inspired me to start learning classical vocal repertoire. Before I started taking lessons, I was self-conscious about my voice. I am really enjoying my vocal lessons, and they are helping me to be more expressive in general as a musician. Ms. González-Granados inspired me with her genuine joy and enthusiasm for music. I still think about her master class all the time.”

González-Granados is Conducting Fellow of the Philadelphia Orchestra and one of several “dream guests” whom Jack would love to book on another recent venture, his virtual lecture series, The Meetup w/ Jack Naglick. He launched it last fall as an effort to connect with others and spread hope during the pandemic, and has drawn an enthusiastic international audience to his interviews with musical artists. Sign up here to check it out.

Jack has received a 2021 National YoungArts Foundation award in in Classical Music: Piano for his caliber of artistic achievement, selected by an esteemed discipline-specific panel of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process. He joins a select group of the nation’s most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts, with opportunities for financial, creative and professional development support throughout their entire careers.

While looking forward to the opportunity to resume in-person instruction next summer, The Philadelphia International Music Festival continues to offer virtual training and instructional experiences for classical superstars- in-the-making like Jack Naglick.

Click the links for information about auditioning and attending Master Classes with principal players of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the opportunity to win generous scholarships in PIMF’s 2021 Virtual Concerto Competition, and an online option for summer music camp study.