Gail Olszewski has been heard in solo and chamber recitals on piano, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, celesta and synthesizer in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America and Australia. She lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area where she has a varied free-lance career as a collaborative keyboardist, concertizing with members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra among others.
She has played harpsichord and organ continuo for such groups as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Phipps Oratorio Society, Minnesota Sinfonia and Minnetonka Chorale, and has appeared as a synthesizer player with the Plymouth Music Series, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Buffalo Gal Productions. Gail is often sought out as a vocal coach and has performed in concert with many singers in the US and Canada. She has served as music director, rehearsal and show pianist for Ordway Productions, Nautilus Music Theater, Illusion Theater, Minnesota Opera, Northstar Opera, Opera Twin Cities and Duluth Festival Opera.
Performance highlights include soloist in the piano concerto of Clara Schumann with the Minneapolis Philharmonic in April 2002, continuo player in Christmas concerts with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in December 2002, harpsichord soloist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in March 2003, solo modern piano and fortepiano recitals in Canberra, Australia in 2004 and fortepiano recitals in September 2005, September 2007 and October 2009 on the Frederick Collection’s concert series in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. Other performances include solo fortepiano recitals for 2006 and 2007 meetings of the Midwest and Southeast Historical Keyboard Societies and she was a featured soloist on piano and celesta in Georgy Ligeti’s “Chamber Concerto” in 2006 with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Gail is a founding member of The WolfGang, dedicated to authentic instrument performance of music of the Classic period, which released its first CD in Fall 2007. She is also a member of the chamber group, Music St. Croix, based in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Gail has presented master classes and lecture/recitals on women musicians and their music as well as on the history of keyboard instruments to many schools, symposia and professional organizations. She has had review articles published in the journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music.
Gail holds the degrees Doctor of Musical Arts in Accompanying and Coaching from the University of Minnesota, Master of Music in Piano Performance from Boston University and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Music History/Harpsichord Performance from the University of New Hampshire. She is a private vocal and instrumental coach. Gail is adjunct piano faculty at the University of Wisconsin/River Falls and a member of the keyboard faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis and White Bear Lake, Minnesota.