Biography
Dr. Valentin M. Bogdan is an internationally active pianist, composer, author, and educator who maintains an active performing career while serving as Professor of Music at Mississippi University for Women ("The W"). Despite the demands of a full-time academic appointment, he presents an average of 20 performances each year, appearing as a soloist, collaborative pianist, lecturer, and clinician throughout the United States and abroad.
Dr. Bogdan has been a member of the music faculty at Mississippi University for Women since 2013. As a pianist, he has performed extensively throughout Europe, North America, and the Middle East, with concert appearances in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, and Jordan. His international engagements include performances at the Assisi Festival of Performing Arts (Italy), the Moscow Composers' House (Russia), the Prokofiev Museum (Russia), the Spectrum Festival (Russia), Sala Patria (Romania), and the Transilvania University Concert Series (Romania), in addition to numerous universities, festivals, and concert series throughout the United States.
He has appeared as piano soloist with the Starkville Symphony Orchestra, the Assisi Performing Arts Orchestra (Italy), the Varna Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria), and the Wayne State Symphony Orchestra (Michigan). His discography includes the solo piano recordings The Grands of Piano and Live in Concert, as well as the acclaimed piano duo albums Journey for Two and Music by Women, recorded with his wife and duo partner, Dr. Julia Mortyakova.
Dr. Bogdan's artistic accomplishments have been recognized through numerous national and international honors. He is the recipient of two Mississippi Arts Commission Artist Fellowships (2018 and 2024), second prize in the Ellis Duo Piano Competition, second prize in the International Varna Symphonic Workshop Concerto Competition, first prize in the Wayne State University Concerto Competition, recognition as a semifinalist for the American Prize, the Livonia Arts Commission Award, the Mu Phi Epsilon Prize, and the ASCAP PLUS Award.
As a composer, Dr. Bogdan has earned national recognition for his creative work. He was selected as the Florida State Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer of the Year (2010) and the Mississippi Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer of the Year (2015). His music has been performed at Festival Miami, the Music at MOCA Concert Series, the International Trumpet Guild Conference (2017 and 2022), the Oregon Bach Festival, and conferences presented by the College Music Society, NACUSA, and the Society of Composers, Inc.
His works have been premiered by musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra, the Grambling State University Wind Ensemble, the Black Bayou Brass Trio, the UAB Chamber Trio, Bordertown Bones, and the AWC Wind Ensemble. He has received commissions from internationally recognized trumpet artists James Zingara and Randy Sorensen, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Trumpet Ensemble, the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra, the AWC Concert Band, and the Dranoff Two Piano Foundation of Miami.
His compositions have also reached an international audience through four commercially released albums on Ablaze Records and Navona Records.
In addition to his work as a performer and composer, Dr. Bogdan is the author of two books: The Classical Musician and Entrepreneurship, published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, and The Ultimate Ear Training, published by Kendall Hunt Publishing, reflecting his commitment to preparing musicians for artistic and professional success.
An active clinician and educator, Dr. Bogdan has presented master classes, workshops, lectures, and guest residencies throughout the United States, including engagements in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arizona, West Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Michigan. He is a frequent adjudicator for piano competitions, composition competitions, and music festivals.
Beyond his teaching and artistic activities, Dr. Bogdan currently serves as President of the National Association of Composers/USA (NACUSA) Mid-South Chapter, President-Elect of the College Music Society Southern Chapter, and is the former President of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association.
Dr. Bogdan earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, Master of Music degrees from the University of Miami and Michigan State University, and the Bachelor of Music degree from Wayne State University.
Honors & Awards