Private Lessons - Gregory Ness

Gregory Ness

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Piano -

Gregory studied piano from the age of 7 mostly at MacPhail center. He conducted the Minnesota Orchestra under Henry Charles Smith, and sang 5 major masses with the orchestra as well as the 9th Symphony of Beethoven (in chorus). He took ensemble classes with Donald Betts of the Macalester Trio while in high-school. At the University of Minnesota he studied with concert pianist Bernard Weiser while taking composition with Grammy award winner Libby Larsen. He studied Orchestration with Pulitzer prize winner Dominic Argento and David Evan Thomas. Although he loved these classes he had the rare privilege of taking 3 years of Music History with Susan McClary and Donna Jackson and James Hepokosky. He is currently writing a book of Jazz preludes for classical pianist who love this great American musical style but are not Jazz musicians. He has been teaching mostly children for 25 years and find this working incredibly rewarding. Over the years he has witnessed many fine musicians develop and finds it is a privilege to listen to them thrive as young artists.