Date/Time: Sunday, April 19th, 2026 @3:00 PM
Nicholas Alexander Kaponyas is a Polish-American pianist who began his piano studies at KOBO Music Studio with his mother, Bozena Konkiel. He later studied with distinguished pianists and pedagogues including Richard Shirk, Martin Labazevitch, and Marcia Eckert. Kaponyas received his Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Mannes School of Music, where he studied with Eteri Andjaparidze.
He has participated in masterclasses with renowned professors such as Seymour Bernstein, Andrzej Jasiński, Ewa Pobłocka, Anna Górecka, Wojciech Świtała, Jerzy Sterczyński, Anna Malikova, and Sofya Gulyak.
As both a soloist and collaborative pianist, Kaponyas has appeared in many of New York’s most distinguished venues, including the Polish Consulate of New York, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Tenri Cultural Institute, the Polish and Slavic Center, Steinway Hall, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill and Zankel Halls. He has also performed at the Gallery Inn Cannon Club for the Steinway Society of Puerto Rico and in venues throughout Poland and Canada. In 2024, Kaponyas had the privilege of premiering composer Kervy Delcy’s work Liaisons Dangerous with violist Chloe Dickens.
In 2022, Kaponyas received an Honorable Mention in Yamaha’s National Young Performing Artists Competition. As a collaborative pianist, he has worked with acclaimed vocalists including Tomasz Konieczny, Tasha Koontz, Krzysztof Bączyk, Sydney Baedke, and Yohji Daquio, with whom he performed when she won First Prize at the 2022 edition of The Century Opera Competition. Since 2024, Kaponyas has served as collaborative pianist and music director at the Queens Summer Vocal Institute (QSVI), and he looks forward to working this June with New Camerata Opera on their production of Joseph Bologne’s L’amant anonyme.
Kaponyas is currently on the adjunct faculties of Queens College, City University of New York, Adelphi University, and New York University, where he works as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach. He also serves as a staff accompanist at the Mannes School of Music and the Kaufman Center, and has previously worked on the piano staff of The Juilliard School’s MAP Program.
In addition to his performing and teaching career, Kaponyas has served as a juror for the 2023 Golden Swan International Musical Festival Competition and the Nowodworski Foundation’s Christmas Carols Competition. He is the co-director of KOBO Music Studio, a piano studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which he runs with his mother, Bozena Konkiel. Kaponyas also serves on the boards of The Leschetizky Association and The Children’s Smile Foundation, and is the Vice President of Vox Feminarum as well as the Artistic Director of the American Young Artists’ Association.
Pianist Albert Newberry will join Nicholas to play four-hand selections in the second half.
Tickets ($20, $15 for seniors and students with I.D.) will be available at the door and also in advance on Eventbee. Leschetizky Association members enjoy free admission. Tenri Cultural Institute, where we house our Steinway piano, is located at 43A West 13th Street, NYC.
