Synesthetic Alchemy w/Alexander Schwarzkopf
In this episode of Piano Tech Radio Hour, host Ethan Janney welcomes concert pianist, composer, and educator Alexander Schwarzkopf.
The conversation traces Alexander’s remarkable career path, from his early public performances at age eight, to becoming a scholarship student at Colorado College by age twelve, and competing internationally. His doctoral research on Falco Steinbach’s Figures 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano has led to performances, workshops, and lectures worldwide. Alexander shares stories of working closely with piano technicians, illustrating how subtle adjustments to instruments can dramatically enhance performance.
The discussion explores the intersection of piano technology and artistry. We learn of Alexander’s work with the Macrocosmos Project Festival. We explore how his synesthesia shapes his creative process. Alexander shares about the inspiration behind works like Liquid Piano and Synergy. He emphasizes the importance of deeply listening to an instrument’s resonance, adapting to its qualities, and fostering intentional collaboration between performer, technician, and manufacturer to bring music to its fullest potential. The episode also offers insight into his teaching philosophy, passion for new music, and his unique integration of visual art with musical composition.
Bio:
About:Alexander Schwarzkopf
Raised in Colorado Springs in a family of artists, his father, an architect and string player from Stuttgart, Germany, and his mother, an actress and professional puppeteer, Alexander Schwarzkopf began public performances at eight years old. By twelve, he was a scholarship piano student at Colorado College. He has competed and performed in the U.S., Germany, Italy, and the former Yugoslavia.
Raised in Colorado Springs in a family of artists, his father, an architect and string player from Stuttgart, Germany, and his mother, an actress and professional puppeteer, Alexander Schwarzkopf began public performances at eight years old. By twelve, he was a scholarship piano student at Colorado College. He has competed and performed in the U.S., Germany, Italy, and the former Yugoslavia.
His doctoral research produced a published structural analysis of Falco Steinbach’s Figures 17 Choreographic Etudes for Piano, leading to performances and lectures internationally. A dedicated advocate of new music, Alexander has premiered his compositions in the U.S. and Germany, collaborated with contemporary music festivals such as the Macrocosmos Project, and commissioned works from other composers.
Currently based in Eugene, Oregon, he teaches private piano lessons, facilitates music exploration for children at the University of Oregon Spencer View Co-Op Family Center, and continues to perform, compose, and create multimedia art. His work often blends synesthetic perception, visual art, and innovative compositional techniques, reflecting a deeply personal and cross-disciplinary approach to music-making.
𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓❗❗
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Creators and Guests
Host
Eathan Janney
Eathan has 20 years of experience as a piano technician. He studied with Dave Miller, the staff piano technician for the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Dave Carpenter, the inventor of the Verituner electronic tuning device, provided mentorship for Eathan in Chicago. Eathan also worked with Ken Eschete and Bill Schwarts, the staff piano technicians at Northwestern University in Chicago. In 2009, he founded Floating Piano Factory of New York, a company that allows piano technicians to move from Apprentice to Craftsman level while offering value pricing to clients as technicians progress toward mastery. In 2017 he founded Piano Technicians Masterclasses, an online project designed to offer cutting-edge instruction from piano industry masters to anyone on the globe with an internet connection.