Kristin Elgersma

This presentation will explore non-traditional playing techniques in the music of Henry Cowell, John Cage, George Crumb and Frederic Rzewski. The music has all been chosen to be interesting and engaging to a diverse audience. Dr. Elgersma will also explore some of the philosophical and spiritual influences of these postmodern compositions.

Kristin Elgersma is a pianist and teacher from Chicago, IL. She holds an M.M. and D.M. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University, where her primary teachers were Sylvia Wang and Marcia Bosits, and has been on faculties at Northwestern, Benedictine University, the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Merit School of Music, and Martin Methodist University, among others. Her students have won prizes in numerous local and state competitions, and have been featured performers in venues such as the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, the National High School Music Institute’s Gala Concert, and the prestigious Young Steinway Series at the Skokie, IL, Public Library.

Dr. Elgersma performs regularly as a soloist, collaborative artist, and chamber musician, and in August of 2009 was featured in all of these capacities at the Vianden Music Festival, in Vianden, Luxembourg. She regularly presents research papers, lecture-recitals and workshops at the local, state and national levels. In 2009-2010, Dr. Elgersma will be a presenter at the Musical Teachers National Association (MTNA) Conference, the College Music Society (CMS) National Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKPP), the Illinois State Music Teachers Association Conference, and the Illinois North Shore Music Teachers Association. This winter, as a member of the Arneis Ensemble, Dr. Elgersma will present concerts and masterclasses in Boston, Toledo, Michigan State University, Miami University, and Northwestern University.

Dr. Elgersma’s areas of research include extended piano techniques in twentieth-century American music, contemporary piano music for students, and the role of arts education and community engagement in the higher education curriculum.