Special Projects
This is probably my favorite page where I share one-of-a-kind projects I have created in the past few years.
2024
Flying First Ward
In this unique 90-minute multi-disciplinary experience I was fortunate to collaborate with the young aerialists from THE ARTZ, choreographer DeMarco Howard and my dear friend composer Marcus Karl Maroney. This is the first time a grand piano was brought into the studio. The aerialists participated in playing the piano and percussion instruments, sometimes while being on aerial apparatus - quite a spectacle. Having my daughter Marianna perform with me as an aerialist with was a special treat.
2023
Creative Pianist Competition
The competition offered a novel experience for current Moores School of Music piano students by expanding beyond the traditional elements of competitions. Through curating creative recital programming and connecting with a contemporary audience, the participants were encouraged to serve as arts ambassadors who envision and implement a realistic career project. Pianists were assessed on program innovation, verbal communication with the audience, and the clarity with which they communicate an artistic vision. Please click here to see the list of prize-winners and find out more!
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2021 and 2023
The Women Have
Something To Say
A brain child of my amazing former colleague Nicole Kenley-Miller, this show pushed me out of my comfort zone. This genre-bending theatrical work tells, through monologue and song, the true stories of 13 women artists as they recount the moments of discovering their unique voice, as well as the shattering moments when their voices had been silenced. As one of these 13 women, I wrote and performed my own monologue and a solo piano piece composed by my former student Madeline Styskal. Madeline wrote beautiful music for the entire show.
Interwoven with original music, dance, and graphic art, this work explores discriminatory industry standards in the arts, racism, ageism, body image, immigrant experience, and motherhood. The performances took place at the MATCH in 2021 and at “The Cell” in New York City in 2023. It was an honor to work with some of the most talented and creative Houston musicians. My monologue wouldn't have happened without my daughter Marianna.
2021
Piandemia
In the spring of 2020 I was no longer able to teach in the format I was used to, and so I connected to my graduate students more as a person and a mentor. This made me realize what a powerful melting pot I have in my studio: everyone speaks with a different accent and brings a different mentality to the table. I started looking for a project that would feature the differences between cultures in a musical way. Piandemia became such a project. I asked each of my doctoral students to record a work written by a lesser known composer from their country of origin. It was fascinating to learn how each one of these young pianists connected to the works they chose. We used our incredible Moores Opera House for this recordings.
Visit Piandemia recordings by:
2019
Music and the Brain
This was a very unique teaching and learning experience. My dear friend psychologist Dr. Gregory Beaulieu and I co-created and taught a course focused on the fascinating interactions between the human brain and music. In addition to learning basic concepts of psychology and neuroscience, we explored the differences between a musicians’ and non-musicians’ brains, synesthesia, musical hallucinations, music’s impact on mental health and on memory, and so forth.
