Minneapolis pianist Jerrod Wendland is a performer, educator and collaborator of the first order. Virtuosic and versatile, he is equally at home in classical or popular styles, in art song or opera, in the concert hall or the classroom. All of his activities are united by his conviction that every person has a unique artistic voice, that every performance is an improvisation, and that music is not a museum piece, but a living art.

Jerrod hails from St. Louis and Seattle and earned degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.) and the University of Minnesota (M.M., D.M.A). He has studied piano with Stefanie Jacob, Jane Allen, Peter Tákacs, Laura Loewen and Timothy Lovelace. In 2006 and 2007, he served as Artistic Director of the Annas Bay Music Festival, an organization that presents classical music in rural Washington. He has also participated in numerous performances of contemporary music (e.g. Pierrot Lunaire) and new music, and is also a conductor, praised for his “assured, unobtrusive and economical” technique and “consistently insightful interpretation.”

At present, Jerrod is working at the frontiers of recital programming, looking for ways to unite poetry, music and the history of ideas in a way that is rich, poignant and exciting for audiences. He has also developed Piano Chats, a series of short educational programs that are fun as well as informative. He is also the Twin Cities’ premiere tango pianist, performing regularly with Rogue Tango, the Hiawatha Tango Orchestra and other artists.