Background
Golka is the son of pianist Anna Karczewska-Golka and trombonist George Golka. In 1980, his family emigrated to Veracruz, Mexico, where his father won a position as a trombonist in the Orquesta Sinfónica de Veracruz.
Golka is the son of pianist Anna Karczewska-Golka and trombonist George Golka. In 1980, his family emigrated to Veracruz, Mexico, where his father won a position as a trombonist in the Orquesta Sinfónica de Veracruz.
In 1982, his family moved to Houston, Texas, where he later attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After completing his Bachelor"s and Master"s Degrees in Violin Performance, he studied conducting with David Effron at Indiana University and later Gustav Meier at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
He subsequently continued his violin studies with Kenneth Goldsmith and later Sergiu Luca at Rice University"s Shepherd School of Music, and took United States citizenship in 1996. Foreign 2002-2003, Golka led the Bakersfield Youth Symphony. In 2006, Golka was a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival.
His work at Tanglewood included conducting a performance of Stravinsky"s The Soldier"s Tale with composers Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, and John Harbison as narrators.
From 2007 to 2012, Golka was Music Director of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. With the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Golka conducted the world premieres of works by Shafer Mahoney, Jude Vaclavik, and Mathew Fuerst.
From 2008 to 2010, Golka was Music Director of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, Golka became music director of the Riverside County Philharmonic.
In 2014, his title with the orchestra changed from music director to principal conductor.
From 2014 to 2015, he was Chief Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá. With the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, he gave several world premieres, including the Colombian premiere of Thomas Adès"s Asyla. The couple reside in Encino.
At age 4, Golka began studying the violin with members of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Veracruz.