At some point in your life, someone or other has tried to tell you that people like Bach, Beethoven and Mozart were geniuses; but has anyone ever explained why? Jerrod Wendland’s Piano Chats bring classical music back down to earth in a way that’s funny, irreverent and engaging. Between dazzling performances of musical gems from around the world, Jerrod tells stories, answers questions from the audience and helps to unlock the secret of how music moves us.

The individual chats are organized into three groups (click the link for info about individual programs): First, there is the Meet the Composer series, which focuses on works by a single famous composer and tells their life story. Next is the Postcards series, which looks at music from a particular country or region. The final series, Evocations, brings together music from different times and places that deals with a certain idea or mood.

Each program is roughly an hour long (depending on audience participation), and requires only a room with a piano. Are you interested in a piece or composer you don’t see represented here? Or, would you like to hear a longer version of one of these programs? Please let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.