Moving Deanna's piano to Chicago!

July 2024 update: My Steinway piano ("Mary Lou") and I are moving to Chicago! Thanks to many of you, I purchased my piano in October 2021 after having gone for ten months without an instrument. I've recently completed my PhD at the University of Pittsburgh and am moving to Chicago on August 4. This move is another leap of faith: I know that more plentiful work opportunities await in Chicago, but I am financing this move on my own.

Now I need your help to move my piano to Chicago. The move (just for the piano) is $6000. I've paid half of this fee upfront and am seeking to raise the funds to cover the full cost.

To help accomplish this, on Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m. EST I'll perform a 45-minute solo concert from my Pittsburgh living room and will live stream the event at https://www.facebook.com/deannajazz. All donations will go towards moving my piano to her new home (and mine) in Chicago.

Whether or not you can attend the event, you can donate here at GoFundMe (or at Venmo or Paypal) to my piano moving fund! Thank you for your continued support.

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2021 piano fundraiser (the story of how I found my piano!):

Hi. I'm an internationally touring jazz pianist and composer and am about to release my seventh recording, Force of Nature (MCG Jazz), featuring compositions by the groundbreaking jazz musician, Mary Lou Williams. I'm also eagerly anticipating the release of my first book, a new Williams biography entitled Mary Lou Williams Music for the Soul (Liturgical Press), that will be published in late August. In addition, I've newly relocated from my longtime home in New York City to Williams's hometown of Pittsburgh, the place I call "the city where jazz is love." 

Now I need your help. You see, my old, upright piano didn't make the move--and every pianist needs a piano!

I've been looking for a new piano--"the one"--and I've found it, or, I should say, I've found her. She's currently in Lancaster, PA, she's a seven-foot Steinway B piano, and I've named her Mary Lou. Mary Lou has a rich, singing tone and is extremely responsive to touch-- two things that are super important for pianists.

Since February, I've been doing online fundraising concerts to go towards my piano fund. I'm a third of the way there: so far, I've raised $10,000 from my music e-news subscribers and fans. I need to raise another $20,000 by September 30, or Mary Lou will go to another buyer.

You can hear me play Mary Lou in the video below, and also check out my weekly YouTube series, Off the Page Sacred Jazz , as well as my most recent live streamed concert. Stay in touch by subscribing to my YouTube channel or signing up for my music email newsletter. And stay tuned for piano updates on this page!

Thank you for contributing to my piano fund. I can't wait to post video of me playing Mary Lou in my living room!

 

Above: Deanna plays "Mary Lou," the Steinway B piano that she is raising funds to purchase.

 

 

Above: Deanna leads her trio in an all-Mary Lou Williams concert at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, Pittsburgh