Deanna Witkowski © Elimar Coelho

Nearly 30 years ago, a small company in northern Italy began producing a piano designed specifically for concert hall performances, using “old fashioned” craftsmanship combined with modern technology. Ever since, the Fazioli piano has been hailed for its incredible sound quality. Now, the American dealer for Fazioli, Klavierhaus in Manhattan, periodically sponsors a Fazioli Salon, featuring outstanding pianists in solo recital. On June 8^th, New York-based pianist Deanna Witkowski will perform from her eclectic repertoire of jazz, Brazilian music, original works and new
arrangements of old hymn tunes. An accomplished bandleader, composer and liturgist, Witkowski has been described as “consistently thrilling” with a “boundless” imagination (Rick Anderson, All Music Guide) and “a clear musical vision” (JazzTimes).

Winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a past guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, Deanna Witkowski started piano at age nine on an “organaire.” Trained in both classical piano and flute, she first encountered jazz while attending Wheaton (IL) College. After starting graduate studies at DePaul University, she left to devote full time to music performance. Deanna’s musical palette soon extended beyond classical and jazz, teaching piano in Kenya and studying Cuban music with Chucho Valdes and Hilario Duran. Her first recording, Having to Ask (Jazzline, 2000), was acclaimed as the debut of a “major talent” by Jazz Improv. Still living in the Chicago area, Witkowski moved in yet another direction when she began coordinating an annual jazz service for the LaSalle Street Church, leading to an interest in composing liturgy and a move to New York in 1997. During three years as music director for All Angels Church, she composed a body of new liturgical music and two jazz masses. Her interest in liturgical music continues, with the release of a recording of her sacred works anticipated this year.

Deanna Witkowski’s career continues in many directions. Her quartet release, Wide Open Window (Khaeon, 2003), prompted Harvey Siders (Jazz Times) to write, “Witkowski is not far from jazz stardom with her keyboard techniques, her imaginative composing and arranging, and her wordless vocalizing. Remember her name.” Her third release on Artists Share, Length of Days, followed in 2005. Noted John Kelman (All About Jazz), “The depth of Witkowski’s approach is almost concealed by her elegant delivery, but she’s another contemporary jazz artist who successfully masks complexity in an undeniably accessible sound. Length of Days is a high water mark in Witkowski’s career to date.”

Deanna’s success as bandleader is also evident in her quartet’s performance at the Kennedy Center's Women in Jazz Festival, the International Association for Jazz Education Conference, Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Tel Aviv Opera House, the Jacksonville and Rochester Jazz Festivals, and on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. She’s also performed with pianist Fred Hersch at the Jazz Gallery, on tour with vocalist Lizz Wright, and at Espaço Bis in Rio de Janeiro; she will return to Brazil this fall to headline the Recife Jazz Festival. As a composer, she has participated in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop; her choral commission for the Rochester based choir, Concentus, premiered in late 2004.

Of the Fazioli piano series at Klavierhaus, Deanna notes that “I went to hear São Paulo based pianist, Benjamim Taubkin, play on this same series, and the sound was so rich, emotive, and dynamic that I was moved to the point of tears.” And it is the instrument of choice for pianist Herbie Hancock, who purchased his own Fazioli in 2003. Says Herbie, this “piano can, with the sound of one note, announce the celebration of the freedom and creativity of the human spirit." Regardless of her repertoire, Deanna Witkowski’s solo performance at Klavierhaus on Friday, June 8^th promises to be something sacred.

The Fazioli Salon at Klavierhaus featuring Deanna Witkowski will be held June 8^th at 8 pm at 211 West 58th Street in New York City. Tickets are available online at http://pianoculture.com or by calling Klavierhaus at 212-245-4535. Future salons include Jill McManus on June 15^th and Stefano Bollani on June 22^nd. For more information about Deanna Witkowski, visit http://deannajazz.com