About Me
A Senior at the esteemed Eastman School of Music, where he is majoring in Jazz Performance and Music Education, Christopher (Chris) Ziemba is already a highly acclaimed jazz and classical pianist, conductor, composer and arranger. At the age of 7, Chris made his debut on the concert stage, appearing with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, and Amherst Symphony Orchestras. In 2000, Chris conducted the Buffalo Choral Arts Society in the world premiere of his composition, Soft and Silent.In April of 2002, Chris, as composer-pianist and story subject, was honored as part of the production team for WGRZ-TV2 that received an EMMY Award in the category of Religious Programming. In the fall of 2000, the Niagara University Theatre Department commissioned Chris to compose original incidental music for the North American premiere of a stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. The Buffalo News wrote of his work: “Also on the plus side…a haunting musical score by the young pianist…set a mood of dark enchantment.â€After the Associated Press wrote a nationally circulated article about his musical abilities, Chris was featured on CBS This Morning and American Journal and appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. A finalist in Marvin Hamlisch’s 2002 Star Search competition, The Buffalo News stated: “His hands flew like hammers…Ziemba played with warmth and grace…very self-possessed…â€In 2004, Chris was the recipient of the Eastman School of Music’s prestigious Howard Hanson Scholarship and the Rochester International Jazz Festival Scholarship. In 2003, he was awarded the Dean L. Harrington Scholarship for Outstanding Performance at the New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA). His jazz composition, Ambienz, was the only student work selected for performance by the school’s faculty in concert at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, featuring jazz notables Ed Shaughnessy, Vince DiMartino, Curtis Fuller, Todd Coolman, and the late Frank Mantooth.Since arriving at Eastman, Chris has been the pianist of choice for outstanding jazz musicians, such as Dave Rivello, Mike Kaupa, Rich Thompson, Dave Mancini, Clay Jenkins, and Jeff Campbell. He has appeared regularly at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Strathallan Hotel, Bobby McGee’s, Little Theatre, Lodge at Woodcliff, and Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Chris has also toured with The Irish Tenors. During the summer months, Chris is a featured jazz performer at the world-renowned Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan, where the classic movie A Moment in Time was filmed.In March of 2008, Chris made his concert debut in Carnegie Hall. He was selected as one of only four jazz pianists in the world between the ages of 18 and 30 to participate in the prestigious Fred Hersch Workshop in New York City. This 5-day professional development clinic culminated in a Young Artists Concert at the legendary hall for the participants. In May, Chris also participated in Eastman’s Conservatory Project at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This event featured five of the jazz department’s most talented performers in a special trio concert.Most recently, Chris was invited to record with the legendary Marian McPartland for her famed NPR radio broadcast "Piano Jazz." The hour-long feature will be released to radio stations in early 2009, so stay tuned!Chris has studied jazz piano with Bobby Jones; Paul Hoffman; Bill Dobbins; Harold Danko; and Fred Hersch, who is the most frequently recorded jazz pianist of modern times. In addition, jazz guitarist, Bob Sneider, has recorded several of Chris’s arrangements.A member of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), Chris is looking forward to continuing studies toward a Master’s Degree while pursuing a multi-faceted musical career in jazz performance, composition and arranging, recording, film and television, and education. He is currently student teaching at Williamsville East High School in East Amherst, NY, from which he graduated in 2004.
