Listen to Cyclature
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The community of Chicago pianists really showed up for this project. I was honored and inspired by these twenty pianists who enthusiastically jumped aboard this collaborative project and brought their artistry, skill, imagination and pure talent to this project. It was pure joy for me to hear their interpretation of my music and I am forever grateful for the participation of these outstanding artists!
21 Chicago-Based Pianists. 26 Cycles. One Collaboration.
Cycle 1: Invocation
performed by Amy Wurtz
Sponsored by Anonymous
A fervent advocate for new music and the community that surrounds it, Amy Wurtz is a performer, composer, conductor and curator of new music based in Chicago. She was Curatorial Director of the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival, has been commissioned by Access Contemporary Music and the Chicago Composers’ Orchestra, among others, and has recorded three albums. Amy has lived and worked in California, throughout the Midwest, South America and Europe. In addition to composing and curation, she is Associate Professor of Composition at Elmhurst University, she conducts the Sounds Good Choir, is Music Director of the Austrian Mixed Chorus, and is in demand as a solo pianist, chamber and choral musician, conductor, teaching artist, and collaborative pianist. www.amywurtz.com As a composer, Amy has won various prizes and commissions for her work, including the National Federation of Music Clubs, Illinois Arts Council Grant, and the American Music Project. Her works have been performed by Zeitgeist, the Chicago Composers’ Orchestra, and Access Contemporary Music. Amy has organized and curated many festivals of new music, including Ear Taxi Festival, Impromptu Fest and the Nevermore Chamber Music Festival. Her concert series, for Women’s History Month, created in 2023, has been a huge success and engaged audiences across the globe. Amy also curates the New Music at the Green Mill series each Spring, where people gather in this iconic Chicago venue to hear new and experimental music. With degrees from the University of Redlands and the University of Minnesota, Amy studied piano with Alexander Braginsky and Louanne Long and composition with Judith Lang Zaimont and Alexandra Pierce. Her study of piano has taken her twice to Argentina, where she spent a year of intensive study with Inés Gómez-Carrillo. In Chicago, she has studied piano with Chicago Symphony Orchestra pianist Mary Sauer.
Cycle 2
performed by Jonathan Hannau
Sponsored by Anonymous
Jonathan Hannau is a Chicago-based composer and pianist praised for his delicate, refined touch, capable handling of the extremes of dynamic shape, and his uncanny knack for navigating complex polyrhythms. Jonathan plays piano in two chamber groups: Mycelium New Music and Flannau Duo, which was awarded a Chicago DCASE grant for 2023-2024. He’s collaborated with Ensemble Dal Niente, ~Nois Saxophone quartet, Chicago Composers Orchestra, as well as numerous artists throughout the city of Chicago and abroad. In early 2024 he made his Chicago classical music radio debut on WFMT (98.7) where he performed works by Janacek and Bacewicz with violinist Hannah Christiansen. He currently holds the position as Artistic Director of the Chicago Composers Orchestra. Jonathan's recorded music is available online, including four full-length LPs and several collaborative EPs and singles.
Cycle 3: Inversions
performed by Marianne Parker
Sponsored by Anonymous
Pianist Marianne Parker is dedicated to connecting audiences with contemporary music through expressive, engaging performances. A passionate advocate for living composers, she brings curiosity and conviction to her work as a recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral collaborator. Praised for her technical mastery and emotional depth, she has performed with renowned ensembles across the Midwest, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Present Music, and has appeared in venues throughout the United States and Canada. Her work can be heard on several commercial releases, most recently Augusta Read Thomas’ acclaimed Sol (Nimbus, 2026). She serves as pianist at Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Church in Oak Park, and recently served as Acting Director of Piano Studies at the University of Chicago. Upcoming Fall 2026 engagements include her debut with the Grossman Ensemble at the Time:Spans Festival in New York City, appearances with Present Music, and a solo recital at Illinois State University.
Cycle 4: The secret
performed by Amy Wurtz
Sponsored by Anonymous
More information coming!
Cycle 5: Tango
performed by Alex Reyes
Sponsored by Nicholas J. Yasillo
Alex Reyes is an interdisciplinary artist currently based in Champaign, Illinois. He is a multi-instrumentalist who performs music from a wide variety of genres including new music, folk music, and improvised music. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, and he is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Library and Information Science program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a soloist he has presented recitals at the Chicago Public Library, the Thirsty Ears Festival, and Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church. In Champaign he has performed with ensembles such as the University of Illinois’ Balkanalia ensemble and Urbana’s Bandoneon Massacre (Urbana’s local tango orchestra). Other collaborations include Shi-An Costello's Alloy Prepared Piano Project and accompanist work with the Department of Dance at the University of Illinois. His creative practice is influenced by diverse interests including archiving, photography, and birding.
no website
Cycle 6: Waiting to say goodbye
performed by Sarah Loisch
Sponsored by Anonymous
Sarah Loisch began her musical studies alongside her six older siblings in Indiana where the family’s involvement in vocal and instrumental training led to performances across the state. Upon discovering a deep connection to piano literature, she committed to full-time musical studies and was an active collaborator and performer with orchestras and ensembles throughout her university studies. After completing her MA in Piano at Eastern Illinois University, Miss Loisch traveled to Crete and Italy to pursue further piano instruction. As a performer, Miss Loisch seeks to express the intersection of life and music in her work and to create an atmosphere where the audience feels welcome to connect and engage with the music in their own way. She is particularly passionate about developing collaborative relationships within the Chicago music community. Connecting with local musicians and putting together both solo and collaborative performances at churches, universities and spaces like Piano Forte has been the highlight of her career in Chicago.
no website
Cycle 7: Flow
performed by Wenting Shih
Sponsored by Anonymous
Steinway Artist Wenting Shi is an internationally acclaimed pianist whose performances are distinguished by their artistic imagination, intellectual depth, and refined musical voice. She has appeared at leading venues worldwide, including Alice Tully Hall in New York, Salle Gaveau in Paris, and the Musikverein in Vienna, and has collaborated with orchestras across Europe, Asia, and North America. A prizewinner of major international competitions, she has received top honors at the Luminarts Cultural Foundation Fellowship Award (USA), the Hong Kong International Piano Competition (WFIMC), and the Artur Schnabel Competition in Berlin. A recording artist with Naxos, her debut album was released in 2026. Shaped by a rich international musical education, Wenting studied at The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, earned the Konzertexamen from the Berlin University of the Arts, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Northwestern University. Her forthcoming English-to-Chinese translation of Interpreting Mozart by Eva and Paul Badura-Skoda will be published by Shanghai Educational Publishing House.
Cycle 8: Comfort
performed by Jeff Panko
Sponsored by Anonymous
"Pianist Jeffrey Panko has received critical acclaim as both solo and collaborative artist throughout the United States and Europe. Earning degrees in Piano Performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the DePaul University School of Music, Panko was awarded top prizes in the Society of American Musicians’ Piano Competition (Chicago) and the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition (New York). Following a concert tour of Poland where he was honored by the United States with the title of Cultural Ambassador, Panko was invited by the City of Chicago to present a Chopin recital for the visiting Lech Walesa and other Polish dignitaries. Panko has also been featured in performances at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Lincoln Center Library, WQXR Radio (New York), is a frequent performer on WFMT Radio (Chicago), and appeared in Symphony Center playing the music of Steven Sondheim for Mr. Sondheim. An Artist Faculty member of the New Music School piano faculty in Chicago, Panko also serves as Minister of Music and as Artistic Director of the Music at Bethel Concert Series for Bethel United Church of Christ in Elmhurst."
no website
Cycle 9: Black Hole
performed by Daniel Schlosburg
Sponsored by Anonymous
GRAMMY-nominated Daniel Schlosberg leads a kaleidoscopic musical life. He has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as featured soloist and in numerous chamber music concerts. He has a passion for contemporary music, collaborating with Eighth Blackbird, Third Coast Percussion, Fonema Consort and International Contemporary Ensemble, and he was a founding member of Yarn/Wire. Another specialty is art song, and he has longstanding duos with soprano Laura Strickling and baritone Ryan de Ryke. Schlosberg is a Steinway Artist and is Professor of the Practice at the University of Notre Dame, where is also faculty advisor to the Table Tennis Club. Outside of school, he enjoys making espresso among other pursuits.
Cycle 10: Room 284
performed by Amy Wurtz
Sponsored by Anonymous
Amy Wurtz is a pianist etc. etc.
Cycle 11: The Loss of Mimi
performed by Amy Wurtz
Sponsored by Anonymous
Amy Wurtz is a pianist etc. etc.
Cycle 12: Mimi died today
performed by Amy Wurtz
Sponsored by Charlene Wurtz in memory of Inge Ernst
Amy Wurtz is a pianist etc. etc.
Cycle 13: Travel in uncharted lands
performed by Marissa Kerbel
Sponsored by Anonymous
With playing described as “fierce” and “deliciously sinister” (I Care if You Listen), pianist Marissa Kerbel has quickly made a name for herself in the Chicago music scene. She has also been the featured soloist in J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (Civic Orchestra of Chicago, 2023 and 2024) and Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals (LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, 2025). Marissa’s debut album, In 24 Years: The Music of Lili Boulanger (2023) is the first complete recording of Lili Boulanger’s works for piano and small chamber ensemble. Marissa is a founding member of OLEA Ensemble and principal keyboard of the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra. She has previously performed with the Chicago, Milwaukee, Omaha, Illinois, Missouri, Sioux City, Richmond, and Lima Symphony Orchestras, the Britt Festival Orchestra (Interim Principal Keyboard, 2025), and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago (Associate Member 2022-2025).
Cycle 14: Was it true?
performed by Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, soprano, and Amy Wurtz
Sponsored by Anonymous
Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, DMA is a soprano specializing in contemporary classical and folk music. She's been described as a "rainwater fresh soprano" (Chicago Tribune) and “galvanizing” (WBUR Boston) with “an astonishing display of vocal nimbleness” (New York Times). As a member of Ensemble Dal Niente and Quince Ensemble, she has ushered hundreds of new works into the world, and she continues to commission and support living composers. Her songwriting practice is shaped by her Nebraska upbringing, summers spent with her grandmother listening to country music legends, a deep love of Woody Guthrie, and an early obsession with Bernadette Peters.
Cycle 15: Between internal textures
performed by John Bitoy
Sponsored by Anonymous
John Bitoy is a pianist, composer, and arranger from Chicago that enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist and collaborative pianist. Formally trained in classical performance, Bitoy draws inspiration from classical, jazz, and carnatic traditions. He blends these styles in a unique way to portray his own vision of music in constant evolution. His curiosity provides him with a spontaneous approach to artistic expression.
Cycle 16: Difficulty
performed by Julia Siciliano
Sponsored by Anonymous
"Award-winning concert pianist, Julia Siciliano has been heralded as a musician with “fabulous creative power” by the Bonn General-Anzeiger. Ms. Siciliano is a well-respected artist on the world stage, being invited as a solo artist by many prestigious orchestras, and festivals, most recently with the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. A winner of many local and international piano competitions, Julia has won top prizes at the Sicily International Piano Competition, Heida Hermanns Competition, Iowa Piano Competition, and MTNA National Competition. A highly active chamber musician, Julia has been invited to perform on concert series and festivals throughout the world including with soloists of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano. She has given recitals with Metropolitan Opera stars Amanda Pabyan and Eric Owens, and internationally acclaimed violinists Ray Chen and Simone Lamsma. "
Cycle 17: Bursts of flight amid confrontation
performed by Eugenia Jeong
Sponsored by Anonymous
Dr. Eugenia Jeong has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, the Chicago Cultural Center, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as internationally in India, Israel, Italy, and South Korea. Her performances have been featured on classical radio stations including WFMT and Classical KING-FM. She earned a DMA in Piano Performance with departmental honors from Northwestern University, where her dissertation explored innovative approaches to audience engagement in classical music. Active in Chicago’s musical community, she has served on the board of New Music Chicago and recorded works by Florence Price with Grammy-nominated Michael Hawes. She is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Piano Studies at North Park University and previously served as Director of Piano Studies at University of Chicago.
Cycle 18: Confinement of conflicting demands
performed by Kuang-Hao Huang
Sponsored by Anonymous
"Commended for his “perceptive pianism” (Audiophile) and “playing that is sensitive and wonderfully warm” (American Record Guide), Chicagoan Kuang-Hao Huang is a highly sought-after collaborative pianist who has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and at every major venue in the Chicago. He is often heard live on WFMT and has also performed on WQXR and on Medici.tv. Mr. Huang has recorded for Cedille, Innova and Naxos, including a CD of fantasies with flutist Mathieu Dufour, a premiere recording of early songs by Alban Berg with mezzo-soprano Julia Bentley, and a survey of songs by Chicago composers with baritone Thomas Hampson. Mr. Huang can also be heard with violinist Augustin Hadelich on the official recordings of Suzuki Books 4-6. Mr. Huang serves on the faculties of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and Concordia University-Chicago. "
Cycle 19: This is how things really are. (Not the way they could, should or would be)
performed by Cacie Miller
Sponsored by Anonymous
Cacie Miller is a Chicago area pianist. She holds degrees in piano performance and music theory from several institutions, including the Eastman School of Music, University of Illinois, Houghton University and University of Southern Maine. Cacie has participated in solo and chamber festivals in Germany, Puerto Rico, Piedmont, and Chautauqua. She recently premiered several solo and chamber works, including her composition AlteredHome. She curates the Second Sunday Concert Series and maintains a vibrant multi-age studio in her Oak Park home.
Cycle 20: Love for Solitude
performed by Elena Doubovitskaya
Sponsored by Anonymous
A native of Russia, Dr. Elena Doubovitskaya performed her debut recital in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as part of Artists International Presentations, followed by numerous engagements in the United States, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Russia. Dr. Doubovitskaya’s accomplishments include awards from Artists International Presentations, the Seattle International Piano Competition and the Ibla Grand Prize Competition. She has performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Prague International Piano Masterclasses and East-West Music Festival in Germany, among others, and has participated in master classes with Emanuel Ax, James Levine, Leif Ove Andsnes, Garrick Ohlsson, and Menahem Pressler. Her performances can be heard on WFMT, Canada and Netherlands Radio broadcasts. She is a member of EStrella Piano Duo and chamber ensemble Lakeshore Rush. Dr. Doubovitskaya received her undergraduate degree from the Ural State “Mussorgsky” Conservatory in Ekaterinburg, Russia, followed by a Master’s Degree from the Manhattan School of Music under Solomon Mikowsky and a Doctorate Degree in Piano Performance from Northwestern University under Ursula Oppens. Currently Dr. Doubovitskaya is a member of the piano faculty at the Merit School of Music in Chicago and serves as the Chairman of its Piano Department
Cycle 21: (somewhat) Crazy
performed by Winston Choi
"Canadian pianist Winston Choi is Professor and Program Director of Piano at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Winner of France’s Concours International de Piano d’Orléans and Laureate of the Honens International Piano Competition, he is recognized for imaginative performances spanning standard and contemporary repertoire. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Calgary Philharmonic, Victoria Symphony, l’Orchestre National de Lille, and Colombia’s national orchestra, and has performed at Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Salle Cortot in Paris. An active chamber musician, Choi performs internationally with Civitas Ensemble, Duo Diorama, Trio Diorama, and Ensemble Dal Niente. A leading advocate for new music, he has premiered and commissioned more than 100 works. His recordings, released on BIS, Cedille, and Naxos, includes the piano works of Elliott Carter, Jacques Lenot, and Thomas Adès."
Cycle 22: Dread
performed by Nicholas Pothier
"Nicholas Pothier (he/him) is a Chicago-based pianist, coach, and conductor. Nicholas’ musical interests include opera, art song, and choral music, and has performed and worked with opera companies, orchestras, choirs, and soloists throughout the United States. He also maintains a steady schedule as a vocal coach and piano instructor. Nicholas serves as music director at Euclid Avenue UMC, Oak Park. Hailing from southern New Hampshire, he has held positions at institutions throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the Midwest including the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Saint Anselm College, and DePaul University. Nicholas holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire."
Cycle 23: This is the plan
performed by Sebastian Huydts
Pianist–Composer Sebastian Huydts (b.1966) studied piano at the Amsterdam Conservatory in The Netherlands with Edith Lateiner Grosz. He continued his graduate studies at the University of Chicago where he studied composition with Shulamit Ran, Marta Ptaszynska, Howard Sandroff, Cliff Colnot, and John Eaton. He concertizes in solo and chamber music, and conducts various ensembles that promote contemporary music. He has been commissioned by renowned artists who have adopted his work in their repertoire. At present, Mr. Huydts is professor at the School of Audio and Music at Columbia College where he teaches composition, piano, and directs the New Music Ensemble. His works are published by Jeanné of Minneapolis.
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Cycle 24: Distraction
performed by Susan Merdinger
Steinway Artist and Conductor Susan Merdinger has been praised by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for her ""daring, enormously joyous presentation"" and by Fanfare Magazine for recordings ""exquisitely detailed and full of life."" Winner of the Artists International Young Musicians Competition, she debuted at Carnegie Recital Hall, performing across North America and Europe, with the Chicago Philharmonic and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, and on WQXR and WFMT. A chamber musician and duo pianist, she has collaborated with members of the Chicago Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and BBC Philharmonic. Winner of The American Prize and two Global Music Awards Gold Medals, Merdinger showcases exceptional artistry on stage and in recordings. A transformative force in contemporary classical music, she premiered works dedicated to her on her CD The American Melting Pot. Trained at Yale, Manhattan School of Music, and Fontainebleau, she directs Sheridan Music Studio and Sanctuary Sounds.
Cycle 25
performed by Katherine Petersen
From giving her debut recital of a mostly Chopin program at age twelve to performing some of George Crumb’s most monumental chamber and solo works at the Crumb Festival, a 90th birthday celebration of the famed composer, pianist Katherine Petersen embraces a wide array of piano repertoire. She has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune for having “captured the sense of wonder” and was lauded at her Carnegie Hall debut at age 17 for creating “real music-making-- concentrated and deeply felt” by Edith Eisler of Strings Magazine. Petersen has nurtured a strong career in chamber music, and she believes in its ability to foster more meaningful performances by reflecting the intricacies of human conversation and relationships. In the past, Petersen has served as core pianist for Fifth House Ensemble and she has been a staff collaborative pianist at the Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Killington Music Festival. She is currently pianist for the Merida Trio, the Way Out Ensemble, and Duo FAE, which is set to release its inaugural CD “Dissidents of the Gilded Age” with Albany Records in August of 2025. In addition to her busy performing schedule, she maintains an active teaching studio. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, and her Master’s and Doctorate at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University with principal teachers Jonathan Bass, Vivian Weilerstein and Sara Laimon.
Cycle 26: A green flamingo
performed by Shi-An Costello
“…tour de force…” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) and "...a precise, engaging, welcoming artist" (Chicago Reader)... Pianist Shi-An Costello is a session player for IMAX Films and IFC Films and various independent Chicagoland productions, and serves as staff accompanist at DePaul University, Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Musical Pathways Initiative, and various independent studios in the Chicagoland area. As a soloist and chamber musician, Costello can be found playing with members of Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Toronto, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Winnipeg, Honolulu, and Thunder Bay Symphonies, and Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, among others.