Deanna Witkowski Biography

Deanna Witkowski

Winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a past guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, pianist/composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski has been heralded for her “consistently thrilling” playing and her “boundless imagination” (All Music Guide). Her 2009 release, From This Place, focuses on her sacred jazz material with musicians including Donny McCaslin and John Patitucci. Marrying ancient and modern sacred texts with the richness of jazz, Ms. Witkowski's genre-defying release led to wide-ranging exposure, including a return appearance on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday and accolades in both reiigion media and mainstream music media.

Ms. Witkowski’s previous three releases, Length of Days (2005), Wide Open Window (2003), and Having to Ask (2000) clearly demonstrated her prowess as “one of the best of the new generation of jazz pianists” (Jazz Journal International) and showcased her rich fusions of jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban music.

In 2007, Ms. Witkowski teamed with historian Dr. Tammy Kernodle to premiere Moving with the Spirit: The Sacred Jazz of Mary Lou Williams at New York’s Saint Peter’s Church. Moving with the Spirit has since been presented at the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Festival, the International Association of Jazz Education conference, and at Duke University.

An active composer, Ms. Witkowski’s congregational music appears in the hymnals Singing the New Testament (Faith Alive) and Swing a New Song to the Lord (Presbybop). She has received commissions for the 2010 United Methodist Women’s Assembly, the Rochester (NY) based women’s choir, Concentus, and the Northwestern College Jazz Ensemble. In 2006, she was a presenter at the Calvin College Worship Symposium.

Ms. Witkowski also embodies a love of Brazilian culture. Fluent in Portuguese, she has toured three times in Brazil, most recently appearing at Modern Sound in Rio and at the Recife Jazz Festival. Her travels have also led to performances at the Tel Aviv Opera House and Espaço Bis in Rio de Janeiro. She spent the summer of 2004 touring internationally as the pianist for vocalist Lizz Wright, and since 2006 has been the pianist in the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra. In November 2009, she appeared as a mezzo-soprano in performances of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil with Gotham Scholars, a 20-voice chamber choir. As a pianist, she plays in drummer Vanderlei Pereira’s Brazilian jazz group, “Blindfold Test,” and also appears on recent releases with the Schumacher/Sanford Sound Assembly and Joseph C. Phillips’ large ensemble, Numinous.

Ms. Witkowski holds a M.A. in jazz piano performance from the City College of New York and a B.M. in classical piano performance from Wheaton College (IL).


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	Photo credit: Janis Wilkins Deanna Witkowski Winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a past guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, pianist/composer/vocalist Deanna Witkowski has been heralded for her “consistently thrilling” playing and her “boundless imagination” (All Music Guide). Her 2009 release, From This Place, focuses on her sacred jazz material with musicians including Donny McCaslin and John Patitucci. Marrying ancient and modern sacred texts with the richness of jazz, Ms. Witkowski's genre-defying release led to wide-ranging exposure, including a return appearance on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday and accolades in both reiigion media and mainstream music media. Ms. Witkowski’s previous three releases, Length of Days (2005), Wide Open Window (2003), and Having to Ask (2000) clearly demonstrated her prowess as “one of the best of the new generation of jazz pianists” (Jazz Journal International) and showcased her rich fusions of jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban music. In 2007, Ms. Witkowski teamed with historian Dr. Tammy Kernodle to premiere Moving with the Spirit: The Sacred Jazz of Mary Lou Williams at New York’s Saint Peter’s Church. Moving with the Spirit has since been presented at the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Festival, the International Association of Jazz Education conference, and at Duke University. An active composer, Ms. Witkowski’s congregational music appears in the hymnals Singing the New Testament (Faith Alive) and Swing a New Song to the Lord (Presbybop). She has received commissions for the 2010 United Methodist Women’s Assembly, the Rochester (NY) based women’s choir, Concentus, and the Northwestern College Jazz Ensemble. In 2006, she was a presenter at the Calvin College Worship Symposium. Ms. Witkowski also embodies a love of Brazilian culture. Fluent in Portuguese, she has toured three times in Brazil, most recently appearing at Modern Sound in Rio and at the Recife Jazz Festival. Her travels have also led to performances at the Tel Aviv Opera House and Espaço Bis in Rio de Janeiro. She spent the summer of 2004 touring internationally as the pianist for vocalist Lizz Wright, and since 2006 has been the pianist in the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra. In November 2009, she appeared as a mezzo-soprano in performances of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil with Gotham Scholars, a 20-voice chamber choir. As a pianist, she plays in drummer Vanderlei Pereira’s Brazilian jazz group, “Blindfold Test,” and also appears on recent releases with the Schumacher/Sanford Sound Assembly and Joseph C. Phillips’ large ensemble, Numinous. Ms. Witkowski holds a M.A. in jazz piano performance from the City College of New York and a B.M. in classical piano performance from Wheaton College (IL).

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