Piano
Dr. Brianna Matzke's dynamic pianism shows “a sense of refinement, flair, and technical prowess” (clevelandclassical.com). An avid performer and commissioner of new music, she has collaborated with many composers, including Michael Fiday, Elliot Cole, Marc Mellits, Mark Mothersbaugh, Douglas Knehans, Molly Joyce, Alexandra Du Bois, D. J. Sparr, Nate May, Tyler Eschendahl, Dylan Sheridan, Stephanie Ann Boyd, Paul Schuette, Danny Clay, Jennifer Jolley, Carrie Magin, Evan Williams, Paul Poston, Bryan Percoco, Trevor Gomes, and Lindsey Jacob. She has appeared in concert at TriBeCa New Music, ETHOS New Music, Malone University, the BOP Stop, Kendall at Oberlin, Christ Church Cathedral, Clifton Cultural Arts Center, and the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center.
Her ongoing commissioning initiative, called The Response Project, asks composers to write music for piano in response to a pre-existing artwork or idea. The project has premiered and recorded twelve new works, including five works for solo piano written in response to Karlheinz Stockhausen's Mikrophonie I (1964) and seven works for violin+piano written in response to the phrase "on behalf". In 2018, The Response Project premiered thirteen new works for solo piano, written in response to Bob Dylan's 1964 album Highway 61 Revisited.
In addition to performing, Brianna is a dedicated music educator and pedagogue. A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), she serves as Assistant Professor of Music at Wilmington College. She has also served on the faculties of the Oberlin Conservatory, Interlochen Arts Camp, Wilmington College, Thomas More College, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department. As an educator, Brianna believes in the power of music to incite positive social change, and she encourages that change by working on the executive board of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Southwest Division.
She holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and the University of Kansas.
Violin
Hungarian-American violinist Hajnal Pivnick has developed a career as a performer and curator promoting community-driven music by modern and living composers. Her work has been recognized through foundational support from New Music USA, the Barlow Endowment, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She is co-artistic director of Tenth Intervention, a collective of musicians that explores intersection of performance and experiential art, and its potential to reflect social issues.
As a soloist and chamber musician she has performed in festivals, conferences, and concert series in the United States, Cuba, and Europe. She attended Carnegie Mellon University, studying with Andrés Cárdenes, and received her master’s degree from the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, studying with Eszter Perényi.
Hajnal is a member of the violin faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp, Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, Greenwich House School of Music, and Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center. She is also a chamber music coach with the Face the Music/Kronos Quartet program.
Recent projects include the albums: Electric Bands, on innova Recordings (D. J. Sparr, Brianna Matzke, Momenta Quartet, Kristina Bachrach); and Pentaptych, (Ryan Lott), commissioned by the Philbrook Museum of Art and presented Tulsa Ballet.