Award-winning composer John Nichols, III first wrote for the Disklavier to create Pillars (excerpted above), which won the Conlon Music Prize in 2013. Though Pillars was written more or less within the scope of what someone could play with two hands, Nichols' subsequent works have challenged that notion altogether.

Canadian pianist Eve Egoyan, widely known for shattering genres with performances of contemporary works. Earwitness is a set of performance projects specifically using Disklavier, in which Egoyan has either commissioned or collaborated with visual artists for a completely immersive experience. 

Most of our DEN discussions about composition involve how to make the Disklavier most accurately record or perform in special circumstances. Many composers like to use Disklavier to explore rhythms and speeds that are beyond human playability. We've dealt with MIDI ins and outs, prepared strings, algorhythmic mutations of playing, you name it. Composer Hans Tammen turns all of that exactitude on its head, exploring the sonic creations made possible by the LIMITS of the Disklavier's own mechanical elements. In Music for Choking Disklavier (2006, Clang) Tammen built projects in the authoring environment Max/MSP to tax the Disklavier BEYOND its limits of velocity and data. In some moments the volume is set too low to make the hammers actually strike strings, producing extended spans of muted rhythmic thumping. In others, data overload causes the Disklavier to "choke", punctuating spans of silence with clumps of note-data all at once. The result is an eerie soundscape with its own beauty and interest. Don't take our word for it, though--listen for yourself!What's the most unusual thing you've ever done with a Disklavier? Let us know! Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Adventuresome, dazzling pianist Inna Faliks is well known for defying traditional convention as a classical artist. Sure, her pedigree includes a stellar list of prizes, orchestral performances, and international acclaim. Of course, she's one of the most in-demand teachers in the US. But her restless, creative spirit has sent her in many unexpected directions as well:

NYC--Yamaha Artist Tony DeSare is well known for crossing boundaries. His agility in interpreting American standards has landed him on serious jazz stages from Birdland to the Vail Jazz Festival, and even on the hallowed piano bench beside Marion McPartland. As an aficionado of more modern classics (and as true child of the 80s) DeSare has also paid tribute to rockers from Journey to Bon Jovi and Prince. In a live show, he’s just as likely to kick out licks (literally — with his size 10 Chuck Taylors in Great Balls of Fire), as mist your eyes with his original ballad “How I Will Say I Love You.”