Adriana Samargia & Robert Prester

Robert Prester is an American concert and jazz pianist, best known for his virtuosic and articulate approach to both classical and jazz idioms, his effortless improvizatory agility, and his ability to innovatively stylize jazz standards and Great American Songbook repertoire. His music has been documented on CD’s of his original compositions, and is heard on commercial recordings, live classical and jazz performances, and college performance lectures.

Robert began early piano study at the prep division of Manhattan School of Music and was later awarded a scholarship there to earn his Masters of Music degree. Robert’s first recording, Trillium, released on Island Records in 1988, was nominated for the Grammy Awards quarter-finals. His most recent recording, Rapsodya, features his original Piano Sonata in F Minor, as well as a collection of classical works by Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, and Debussy.

One of Robert’s early projects on the New York scene was a commission to compose and produce the soundtrack for the CityKids Foundation show, which premiered in the St. James Theater on Broadway. As Musical Director for the production he appeared with Herbie Hancock and Grover Washington Jr. on the Phil Donahue show.

While living in Honolulu, Robert performed with the Honolulu Symphony as pianist for pops concerts. His keyboard playing aired on episodes of MTV’s Real World and he was invited to perform as featured guest soloist with the University of Hawaii Jazz Ensemble and to conduct seminars on improvisation at the University of Hawaii.

Robert has held teaching positions at the Rockland Conservatory and Opus 118 in New York, and has been an instructor at the Florida Atlantic University LLS program teaching among other things, his newly developed course, "Deconstructing Jazz".

In recent years, Robert’s connection with his classical roots has reemerged as a major focus, leading him to perform solo concert recitals in New York, Maine, Florida, Massachusetts, and Hawaii. His newest classical composition, a solo piano sonata, was recently premiered at theFestival Internacional de San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, and was also performed at the National Gallery in Washington DC.

Prester now resides in the Philadelphia area, teaching, recording, performing and composing. He concertizes as solo pianist and with various ensembles, including the Cameo Chamber Players, the Prester Chamber Artists, Robert Prester Jazz Trio, the Boca Symphonia, and the Phill Fest Brazilian Jazz Ensemble.

Adriana Samargia Prester is an American jazz singer, pianist and guitarist best known for her ageless sound, instrumental approach and vocally acrobatic and improvisatory treatment of jazz standard, Brazilian/Latin jazz and Great American Songbook classics. Her talents have spread to cartoon, television and radio through recorded roles and jingles - even voices inside of toys. Her early music education began in her home state of California surrounded and influenced by a performing arts focused family. During early college years she performed with The Fanfairs; a six-part jazz a cappella vocal group under the direction of Dr. Nile Norton. A desire to continue jazz studies brought her to Miami, then Delray Beach, Florida where she co-led Bluez Imbabwe with jazz guitarist Tom Lippincott, and years later West Palm Beach with The Adriana Samargia Jazz Quartet which featured blues drummer Chris Peet. For college recording project submissions in the early ’90’s she was honored with Downbeat Magazine’s prestigious ‘Best Jazz Vocal Soloist’ award. The foundation of solid vocal health throughout a 30 year career was set early by longtime vocal pedagogue and classical voice teacher Dr. Keith Paulson-Thorp. She is married to jazz and classical concert pianist and music partner Robert Prester and is mother to baritone Josef Samargia, singer and historian Jacob Samargia and R&B vocalist Milica Samargia. The Prester-Samargia’s share their art throughout the world, but consider home base to be both Philadelphia and New York Cities.

Adriana Samargia Prester is an American singer best known for her ageless sound, instrumental approach and vocally acrobatic treatment of jazz and Brazilian standards, sacred works and Great American Songbook classics. Her talents have spread to cartoon, television and radio through recorded roles and jingles - even voices inside of toys. Samargia Prester’s early music education began with Slavic folk music in her home state of California surrounded and influenced by a performing arts focused family. During early college she performed with The Fanfairs; a jazz a cappella group and enjoyed coaching from Bobby McFerrin, Tim Hauser of The Manhattan Transfer and Jon Hendricks. A desire to continue vocal performance studies brought her to Miami then Delray Beach, Florida where she co-led Bluez Imbabwe with guitarist Tom Lippincott, and years later West Palm Beach with The Adriana Samargia Jazz Quartet which featured drummer Chris Peet. For college recording project submissions in the early ’90’s Samargia Prester was honored with Downbeat Magazine’s prestigious ‘Best Jazz Vocal Soloist’ award. The foundation of solid vocal health throughout her time in Florida was set by longtime pedagogue and voice teacher Dr. Keith Paulson-Thorp. Music work in Philadelphia and New York prompted a move from Florida in 2018. Members of her long-standing a cappella ensemble The Parson Brown Singers made the same exodus enabling the group to continue performing together. In February of 2019 Samargia Prester was able to return to her Balkan music roots by joining Svitanya of Philadelphia. Her current music recording and performance projects involve a Cole Porter review, “Burning Cole with The Presters” as well as a compilation of traditional and contemporary sacred arrangements entitled “Seasons.” She is married to jazz and classical concert pianist and music partner Robert Prester and is mother to baritone Josef Samargia, singer and designer Jacob Samargia and R&B vocalist Milica Samargia. Outside of music, Samargia Prester is a vegan, RAINN activist, avid hiker, aerial yoga enthusiast, equestrian athlete and continues ballet studies as a way of maintaining proper alignment and discipline for healthy vocalization.