LONG AND SHORT BIOGRAPHIES

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Concert pianist ONI BUCHANAN performs an incredible range of piano literature, with her focus and expertise running from the miniature keyboard works of François Couperin to the syncopations of Bach to the fire and brimstone of Beethoven to the moody cycles of Schumann to the lush expanses of Ravel to the sarcasm and lyricism of Prokofiev to the peasant dances of Bartók, and—bringing her into the most contemporary musical moment—to the exceptional works of women composers writing today. Ms. Buchanan’s concert programming is often interdisciplinary in nature, directly engaging the intimate connections between the arts, and frequently including adventurous contemporary works alongside established repertoire, bringing works from disparate centuries into fascinating and enlightening conversation. Ms. Buchanan has performed solo recitals in major cities throughout the U.S. and abroad, at such U.S. venues as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) in Berkeley, the Bechstein Piano Centre in NYC, the Lane Series in Burlington, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Harvard University Hall Concert Series, among many others. She has performed internationally at the Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Municipal (IBAM) and the Centro Cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo in Rio de Janeiro, the Casa Thomas Jefferson in Brasília, the Associação Cultural Cachuera! in São Paulo, the William H. Buset Centre for Music and Visual Arts in Thunder Bay, and at the University of Guelph and Conrad Grebel University College in Guelph and Waterloo, respectively. In addition, Ms. Buchanan has given ensemble performances in New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, at Harvard University, and at the New School of Music in Cambridge, MA, and has been a concerto soloist with the Waynesboro Community Orchestra (VA), conducted by Eric Stassen.

Oni Buchanan received her Master’s degree in piano performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, her Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Virginia, and conducted three years of her music studies at the University of Iowa School of Music while pursuing an M.F.A. in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her teachers have included Russell Sherman, Stephen Drury, Daniel Epstein, Patricia Zander, Uriel Tsachor, and Mimi Tung. In addition, she studied at the Aspen Music Festival in the studios of Joseph Kalichstein and Gabriel Chodos, and has been an active participant and performer in the New England Conservatory Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (SICPP).

Ms. Buchanan is also an award-winning poet, and holds a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia and an M.F.A. in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her second book of poetry, Spring (University of Illinois Press, 2008), was selected by Mark Doty as a winner of the National Poetry Series, and also received the 2009 Massachusetts Book Award. Her first poetry book, What Animal (UGA Press, 2003), was chosen by Fanny Howe as winner of the University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry Series competition. Ms. Buchanan’s poems are featured in several anthologies including The Best American Poetry 2004 and Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century, and have been published in numerous journals across the country, including Conduit, New Orleans Review, Copper Nickel, Columbia Poetry Review, Seneca Review, and Gulf Coast. A Flash version of Oni Buchanan's kinetic poem The Mandrake Vehicles" is on permanent display at the Conduit website, and has been chosen for inclusion in the Electronic Literature Collection, Volume 2 (ELC2). Oni is currently at work on a large-scale interactive poem videogame, on which she is collaborating with composer and bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, and which has received sponsorship and support from the LEF Foundation as well as the Electronic Literature Organization.

In addition to her active performance schedule, Oni maintains a private piano studio in Boston. Her discography includes three solo piano CDs on the independent Velvet Ear Records label.


SHORTER BIOGRAPHY:

Concert pianist ONI BUCHANAN performs an incredible range of piano literature, with her focus and expertise running from the keyboard works of Couperin through Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Ravel, Prokofiev, Bartók, and—bringing her into the most contemporary musical moment—to the exceptional works of women composers writing today. Her concert programming is often interdisciplinary in nature, directly engaging the intimate connections between the arts, and frequently including adventurous contemporary works alongside established repertoire, bringing works from disparate centuries into fascinating and enlightening conversation. Ms. Buchanan has performed solo recitals in major cities throughout the U.S. and abroad, at such venues as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) in Berkeley, the Bechstein Piano Centre in NYC, the Instituto Brasileiro de Administração Municipal (IBAM) in Rio de Janeiro, the Casa Thomas Jefferson in Brasília, the Associação Cultural Cachuera! in São Paulo, and the William H. Buset Centre for Music and Visual Arts in Thunder Bay.

Oni Buchanan received her Master’s degree in piano performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, her Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Virginia, and conducted three years of her music studies at the University of Iowa School of Music while pursuing an M.F.A. in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her teachers have included Russell Sherman, Stephen Drury, Daniel Epstein, Patricia Zander, Uriel Tsachor, and Mimi Tung.

Ms. Buchanan is also an award-winning poet. Her second book of poetry, Spring, was selected by Mark Doty as a winner of the National Poetry Series, and also received the 2009 Massachusetts Book Award. Her first book, What Animal, was chosen by Fanny Howe as winner of the University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry Series competition. Ms. Buchanan currently maintains a private piano studio in Boston. Her discography includes three solo piano CDs on the independent Velvet Ear Records label.