Pianist Adam Tendler performs an intimate recital of works by Vermont native Nico Muhly. One of the most celebrated and active composers of our time, Muhly has been commissioned by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra to compose a new piano concerto to be premiered by Tendler and the VSO on May 4 at the Flynn in Burlington. The programs on April 11th and 14th at The Phoenix, in collaboration with Vermont's new music collective TURNmusic, include pieces specifically written for Tendler and some other surprises! This recital explores firsthand the powerful works of Nico Muhly, interpreted by Adam Tendler, the composer's friend, colleague, and dedicatee of his newest concerto.

Adam Tendler is a recipient of the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, the Yvar Mikhashoff Prize, and "currently the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), a "remarkable and insightful musician" (LA Times), and a "relentlessly adventurous pianist" (Washington Post) "joyfully rocking out at his keyboard" (New York Times). A pioneer of DIY culture in classical music, at age 23 Tendler performed solo recitals in all fifty states as part of a grassroots tour called America 88x50, the subject of his acclaimed coming-out memoir, 88x50. He has gone on to become one of classical music's most recognized and celebrated artists, commissioning major works from composers as diverse as Christian Wolff and Devonté Hynes, and appearing as soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, and on the main-stages of Carnegie Hall, the Barbican Centre, and BAM. An expert in the music of John Cage, Tendler has worked closely with the John Cage Trust, Merce Cunningham Trust, and Cage's publisher, Edition Peters. He has also extensively performed the music of Julius Eastman and is featured on Wild Up's latest, Grammy-nominated album of the composer's works. Tendler recently released an album of Liszt's Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses on the Steinway Label, Robert Palmer: Piano Music on New World Records, and published his second book, tidepools. He recently premiered 16 works commissioned using the entire inheritance left to him by his father, including works by Laurie Anderson, Nico Muhly and Missy Mazzoli as part of a project called Inheritances, a New York Times Critic Pick described as "not only a display of contemporary compositional force, but also a true show...emotionally involving...with a sense of true dramatic stakes." Inheritances will appear on a forthcoming album on the New Amsterdam label. He is currently Artist in Residence at Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Adam Tendler is a Yamaha Artist and serves on the piano faculty of NYU.