Kevin Gunia
composer and pianist
In addition to his work as a composer, Kevin Gunia regularly performs on piano and holds a bachelor's degree in piano performance from Rutgers University. His primary focus is on American music from the 20th and 21st centuries. He has been a featured performer at the West Coast Ragtime Festival and the Historic Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival. His primary piano instructors were Allison Brewster Franzetti, Paul Hoffmann, Vladimir Valjarević, Robert Taub, and Karina Bruk.
Do, Do, Do (George Gershwin, 1926)
Between 1926 and 1928, George Gershwin recorded ten 78rpm disc improvisations on his own tunes. These were never written down by Gershwin himself. I transcribed Gershwin's own recording, note for note. This recording is from the virtual 2021 West Coast Ragtime Festival.
From the Southland (Harry T. Burleigh, 1909)
From the Southland is Harry T. Burleigh's only work for solo piano. This six-movement piece encompasses a variety of American styles, and fuses original music with spiritual tunes.
Intermezzo For A Lonely Orchid (Michael Chisholm, 2021)
This contemporary ragtime work is dedicated to me, one in a series of masterful compositions written by Michael Chisholm in 2021. Though in a traditional form, Intermezzo features melodic and harmonic surprises. Often happy music, this rag is melancholy in nature.
Semi-Simple Variations (Milton Babbitt, 1956)
This avant-garde work is likely Milton Babbitt's most approachable solo piano piece. With a duration of approximately one minute, Babbitt presents a theme with five variations, based on a number of twelve-tone rows. The rhythm can also be analyzed with a serial technique.