Natalie Sherer

Dynamic pianist Natalie Sherer thrives in collaboration with singers and instrumentalists alike. Her experiences converge in her multifaceted career as a performer, vocal coach, and teacher. Sherer earned the D.M.A. in Collaborative Piano, studying with renowned pianist Martin Katz, from the University of Michigan.

Sherer’s musical journey began over 25 years ago when she was drawn to the piano and started her studies as a child, greatly supported by her artistic family. Growing up in a home filled with classical music developed her ear and imagination in connection to music. She soloed with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra at age 14 and performed numerous solo recitals before earning the Bachelor of Music (studies at Wheaton College with Karin Edwards and Mark Edwards and the Manhattan School of Music with Donn-Alexander Feder) and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance and a Collaborative Piano Cognate (Roosevelt University with Winston Choi, Dana Brown, and Angela Yoffee). Along the way, discovering the joy of collaborating well has been an inspiring, enriching journey. Sherer fosters security, confidence, and creativity with her musical partners and finds joy in creating moments of beauty and connection for audiences.

Sherer was the recipient of a Brown Loranger Fellowship in the Professional Program at SongFest 2022 and was recently selected as an emerging artist to perform in Sparks & Wiry Cries’ NYC SongSLAM Festival. After joining the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) 2020 Intern Program as a pianist/coach, she performed at the NATS 2022 National Conference. In February, at University of Michigan, she premiered “Sorrow & Ecstasy: The Complete Songs of Henri Duparc,” a semi-staged musical narrative following four characters’ journeys of love and loss. Additional dissertation recitals included a program featuring Rachmaninov’s Sonata for Cello and Piano with Anne Richardson of the Bavarian Radio Symphony and Grieg’s Haugtussa cycle with Antona Yost, as well as a lecture recital, “Metamorphosis,” which explored macro- and micro-transformations in Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor.
In 2019, Sherer performed and coached at the Prague Summer Nights Young Artist Festival and was a Vocal Chamber Music Fellow for the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC). A frequent recitalist, she performs in concerts, competitions, and masterclasses in the midwest and enjoys working with a wide range of musicians from students to professional artists, including former Lyric Ryan Opera Center Young Artist Will Liverman. In addition, she has recently performed in events and masterclasses for Martin Katz, Graham Johnson, Jake Heggie, Javier Arrebola, Nicholas Phan, Caitlyn Lynch, Sheila Silver, Kayo Iwama, B.E. Boykin, John Musto, Thomas Hampson, Jesse Blumberg, and Joélle Harvey.

Pianist for the trio “Artful Song,” Sherer brings 19th century salon-inspired performances to contemporary audiences. She has also performed with organizations including CAIC, Hampsong Foundation, Pianoforte Foundation, Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) OperaFest, Schubertiade Festival, Credo Music, Lynx Project, Fourth Presbyterian Church’s Concert Series, Fortnightly Club of Chicago, Musicians Club of Women, Genesis Concert Series, CHAI Collaborative Ensemble, and Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium. In addition, she has performed numerous solo piano recitals, in professional choirs, and as a guest soloist with orchestras, both as a pianist and soprano.

As a freelance artist, Staff Pianist at Roosevelt University and DePaul University, and Graduate Student Staff Assistant at University of Michigan, Sherer performed with numerous choirs, voice, and instrumental studios, including those of Mark Crayton, Cheryl Frazes-Hill, Eric Esparza, Nicole Cabell, Maria Lagios, Nicholas Phan, Isabel Leonard, Amanda Majeski, Stanford Olson, George Shirley, Louise Toppin, Stanford Olsen, Allan Glassman, Richard Stillwell, Danielle Belen, Richard Aaron, David Halen, and Fabiola Kim.

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