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U P N E X T
Sonata for Viola and Piano [WORLD PREMIERE] April 16, 2026 | The Juilliard School Leslie Ashworth |
U P N E X T
In Praise of Laura Peverara February 19–21, 2026 | New York, NY and Boston, MA Blue Heron |
ABOUT JACOB
Jacob Beranek (b. 1998) is an American composer, conductor, and educator. Hailed as “refreshingly upbeat and infectiously melodic” (Fanfare), his compositions are infused with his love of melody and craft, his Czech heritage, and above all, his deep devotion to the tradition and teachings of the Catholic Church. A firm believer in the power of Beauty to transform hearts and minds, Beranek views each of his compositions as an opportunity to mysteriously reveal goodness, hope, and truth, and to reignite wonder and nostalgia for God in the souls of his audience.
Jacob’s compositions have recently been premiered by orchestras such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Peninsula Music Festival; by vocal ensembles including the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Compline Choir of Seattle, and Musica Sacra; chamber ensembles such as the Chelsea Music Festival, Milwaukee Musaik, and Music Northwest; soloists including flutist Mimi Stillman, mezzo-soprano Tivoli Treloar, and organist Marco Jimenez; and the New York Choreographic Institute with choreographer Julia Antinozzi. Other recent performances of Jacob’s music have taken place in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Nashville, Philadelphia, Prague, and Seoul, by such ensembles as ALIAS, the Dolce Suono Ensemble, the Gesualdo Six, the Juilliard Orchestra, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic.
A recipient of the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Jacob received his B.M. from Vanderbilt University, his M.M. from The Juilliard School, and is currently pursuing his D.M.A. at Juilliard where he studied with John Corigliano. He served as the inaugural composer-in-residence of the Midsummer’s Music Festival (Door County, WI) from 2017–2020, and in 2018, during a performance of his music for the Czech national centenary, was honored by the U.S. Ambassador to Czechia in Prague Castle.
In addition to his compositional work, he is the conductor of the Higher Word Orchestra, a Catholic ensemble based in New York City. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Amanda, a Baroque and modern harpist, and their newborn son Clement.
Jacob’s compositions have recently been premiered by orchestras such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Peninsula Music Festival; by vocal ensembles including the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Compline Choir of Seattle, and Musica Sacra; chamber ensembles such as the Chelsea Music Festival, Milwaukee Musaik, and Music Northwest; soloists including flutist Mimi Stillman, mezzo-soprano Tivoli Treloar, and organist Marco Jimenez; and the New York Choreographic Institute with choreographer Julia Antinozzi. Other recent performances of Jacob’s music have taken place in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Nashville, Philadelphia, Prague, and Seoul, by such ensembles as ALIAS, the Dolce Suono Ensemble, the Gesualdo Six, the Juilliard Orchestra, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic.
A recipient of the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Jacob received his B.M. from Vanderbilt University, his M.M. from The Juilliard School, and is currently pursuing his D.M.A. at Juilliard where he studied with John Corigliano. He served as the inaugural composer-in-residence of the Midsummer’s Music Festival (Door County, WI) from 2017–2020, and in 2018, during a performance of his music for the Czech national centenary, was honored by the U.S. Ambassador to Czechia in Prague Castle.
In addition to his compositional work, he is the conductor of the Higher Word Orchestra, a Catholic ensemble based in New York City. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Amanda, a Baroque and modern harpist, and their newborn son Clement.
ABOUT AMANDA
Amanda Beranek (née Kengor) is a Baroque and modern harpist based in New York City. In 2019 she was named a Young Artist for the Pittsburgh Concert Society and was a prizewinner in the American Harp Society National Competition in Winston-Salem, NC. A former member of both the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, she won both orchestras' concerto competitions in the 2019-20 season, and in 2025, was invited to participate in the USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana.
Amanda has performed in a variety of world-class venues as a chamber and orchestral musician, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Heinz Hall, under the direction of conductors such as Marin Alsop, Giancarlo Guerrero, Manfred Honeck, David Robertson, and Leonard Slatkin. She also frequently performs and premieres contemporary works, including those by Harrison Birtwistle, Jorg Widmann, John Corigliano, and her husband, Jacob Beranek. Maintaining a particular passion for early music, Amanda performs on various types of harps, including pedal, lever, Italian triple, and German double harps. As a Baroque harpist, Amanda recently performed with Juilliard 415, the Silentwoods Collective, and TENET Vocal Artists.
She holds two degrees from The Juilliard School, where she studied under Nancy Allen.
Amanda has performed in a variety of world-class venues as a chamber and orchestral musician, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Heinz Hall, under the direction of conductors such as Marin Alsop, Giancarlo Guerrero, Manfred Honeck, David Robertson, and Leonard Slatkin. She also frequently performs and premieres contemporary works, including those by Harrison Birtwistle, Jorg Widmann, John Corigliano, and her husband, Jacob Beranek. Maintaining a particular passion for early music, Amanda performs on various types of harps, including pedal, lever, Italian triple, and German double harps. As a Baroque harpist, Amanda recently performed with Juilliard 415, the Silentwoods Collective, and TENET Vocal Artists.
She holds two degrees from The Juilliard School, where she studied under Nancy Allen.
