Mary Jo Pena

Pianist Mary Jo Peña earned her Bachelors of Music Degree in Piano Performance from Northwestern University in Chicago then moved to New York City to pursue her Masters of Music Degree in Piano Performance at Manhattan School of Music.  She has inspired audiences as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.  Ms. Peña has recorded pieces for baritone and piano based on poetry by Pablo Neruda for Capstone Records, as well as contemporary vocal and chamber music for CRS records.  Ms. Peña has appeared in Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, on Vermont Public Radio and has toured several times in Japan and lectured at Universidad de Cuenca in Ecuador.  Her recent projects include creating ViaSoul – a collective of artists, musicians, dancers, writers, digital media artists from around the world and a performance platform for projects involving experimentation and cross-media collaborations.  As well, Ms. Peña has been an avid teacher of children and adults, maintaining a private studio in New York City for over 15 years.