NEWS

Chicago's own Thirsty Ears Festival is happening this weekend! I'm so happy to be part of it again this year. Alyson and I are playing a set at 4 pm with music we are really excited about—the Debussy sonata, Only Gestures Remain by Jane O'Leary, which has me making all sorts of crazy sounds from inside the piano, Hot Streak, written by Seth Boustead especially for us, and polishing it all off with some rousing Beethoven, Sonata No. 4 in G major. We'll also be playing again

I am completely overjoyed that Chicago's own Kontras Quartet will be premiering my String Quartet No. 3 on Sunday, June 5, at 3:00 pm at Ganz Hall. This project, sponsored by the American Music Project, has been years in the making, and I am so excited it is finally coming to fruition. The American Music Project launched with the premiere of my Piano Quintet in 2014. The program will also include Philip Glass’s String Quartet No. 2 (“Company”), John Elmquist’s Sacred Traces,

We're back! The May edition of New Music at the Green Mill will take place this year on Sunday, May 1, at 4:00 pm. Performers include Paul Von Hoff of Gaudete Brass, Percussionist Tom Benko, 'Cellists Alyson Berger and William Jason Raynovich, pianist and founder of the series George Flynn, and more! Come hang out in Chicago's iconic Green Mill for an afternoon of friends, drinks, relaxed atmosphere, and atmospheric, crazy, experimental, pulsating music. This concert series

It's that time of year again! The 17th annual Sound of Silent Film will be taking place on Saturday, April 16, at 7:15 pm. This year we will be at the Music Box Theater, on their historic stage, playing live music to 10 short films. All music is freshly composed (and by fresh, I mean fresh. . .I finished writing my score for The Trader on April 3!!). The show is live and in person on April 16, but if you can't make it, you can also catch it online on Saturday, April 23 at 8

On Saturday, September 25, at 7:30 pm, the Chicago Composers' Orchestra will at loooong last present my new work, Emome, written for orchestra and created in tandem with artist/sculptress Susan Giles. This project was begun in 2019 and interrupted by the pandemic, and I am so happy to announce that it will be presented in-person! Emome deals with themes of Home, Memory, and Motion, and was commissioned by the 10 x 10 project in conjunction with Homeroom Chicago. The piece is

The New Music Chicago Ear Taxi Festival begins on September 29 and runs through October 4, 2021. This massive festival has been in the works for three years and brings to Chicago audiences nearly 100 opportunities to hear music, workshops, and panel discussions about music in the world today. I'm proud to have been on the Executive team for Ear Taxi Festival and honored to also be a performing artist. On Sunday, October 3, the Wurtz-Berger Duo will perform Intense Heat at C

I am overjoyed that we will be back in-person at the Green Mill this year for our annual New Music at the Green Mill May concert! Come join us Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 4 pm for an incredible lineup of composers and performers. The in-person audience is limited to 50 people and masks are required when not seated at a table. Cover charge is $10. Hope to see you there! (This concert will NOT be streamed.) SCROLL DOWN FOR COMPLETE PROGRAM AND MUSICIAN INFORMATION Sunday, May

I couldn't be more thrilled to be playing Sound of Silent Film once again this year! We've got an amazing lineup, and honestly, just the fact that it's even happening is GREAT! There are live, outdoor, in-person events on 4/30 and 5/1, and you'll also be able to stream it the following weekend. All details are here below. DON"T MISS IT!! (I'm playing on the Saturday evening program.) - Integrating Musical Creativity Into Everyday Life ACM's Popular Sound of Silent Film Fes

I've been invited to play a solo concert at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church. I'm so excited! I'll be performing a wide-ranging program with works by Debussy, Bach, Coleridge-Taylor, Shostakovich, Martin Bresnick, William Jason Raynovich, and one of my own compositions. The concert is free and can be streamed here, or watched on-demand afterwards. I'm especially happy that this concert is the direct result of my five-year relationship with Sounds Good! Choirs of Chicag

I am very happy to announce that my commission for the 10x10 project with the Chicago Composers' Orchestra is well underway. 10x10 is a collaboration between CCO and Homeroom Chicago which pairs 10 composers with 10 visual artists to create dual projects--a print and an orchestral work dealing with the same themes. The final product is a performance of the music captured on LP accompanied by a book of prints. I am thrilled to be taking part this year. The premiere was due t

I'm excited to return to livestream concerts in 2021! With a new website, new computer, and new microphone, this promises to be an even better online experience for all! On Thursday, February 25, at 7:00 pm Central Time, I'll be playing what I'm calling "Comfort Music"--the lasagna/potato chips/ice cream/chocolate of my musical world! I'll play works by Chopin, Brahms, and other classics, as well as movie music by Michael Nyman, and newer works by Nailah Nombeko and Zibuok

The Wurtz-Berger Duo was invited to give the inaugural concert at Nevermore Performance Space. Wurtz-Berger Duo LIVESTREAMCellist Alyson Berger and pianist Amy Wurtz teamed up yet again for their first-ever livestream concert on 10/21/20 at the Nevermore Performance Space in Humboldt Park. Hear the duo play music by Alex Shapiro, Astor Piazzolla, Richard Cameron-Wolfe, and Jon Jeffrey Grier. #bloggingtips #WixBlog

The Thirsty Ears Festival was NOT stopped by Covid! Wurtz-Berger Duo at Thirsty EarsAlyson and I have played at every Thirsty Ears festival to-date, and we were so happy to participate again this year. It was a cozy festival in the parking lot of VIN312, who also provided tasty wines to masked festival goers. We played some of our favorite pieces, including Alex Shapiro's Of Wood and Touch, and Nocturne by Jon Jeffrey Grier.