Whether performing in old warehouses, basements, art museums, sculpture gardens, or traditional concert halls, Jeff Manchur engages audiences by combining classical piano music and storytelling. His repertoire ranges from J.S. Bach to Amy Beach to Charles Wuorinen, and from classical piano sonatas to new works for toy piano (he owns two) and electronics.
Jeff’s playing and speaking style invites the audience into a friendly and personable relationship. His narrative recital, Choosing Joy, was based on his experience as the husband of a breast cancer survivor. Jeff has brought his family’s story of love, courage, and victory to audiences in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
Jeff is expanding his performance work to the world of social media and online streaming. In January of 2021, he began Why Mozart Matters, performing the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas on his Facebook page. Each recital in the series features an interactive discussion of Mozart’s piano music, the art of piano playing, and a performance of one Sonata. Jeff asks questions to invite engagement that leads his audience to see the relevance of Mozart’s music to 21st century life.
He was raised in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, a community with a rich Ukrainian-Canadian subculture, and has studied piano with Sandra Dowhan, Joan Miller, Paul Barnes, Thomas Rosenkranz, and Louis Nagel. Now based in Maumee, Ohio, Jeff is on the faculty of Heidelberg University and has previously taught at Bowling Green State University, Marietta College, and the Toledo Symphony School of Music.
Jeff’s playing and speaking style invites the audience into a friendly and personable relationship. His narrative recital, Choosing Joy, was based on his experience as the husband of a breast cancer survivor. Jeff has brought his family’s story of love, courage, and victory to audiences in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
Jeff is expanding his performance work to the world of social media and online streaming. In January of 2021, he began Why Mozart Matters, performing the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas on his Facebook page. Each recital in the series features an interactive discussion of Mozart’s piano music, the art of piano playing, and a performance of one Sonata. Jeff asks questions to invite engagement that leads his audience to see the relevance of Mozart’s music to 21st century life.
He was raised in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, a community with a rich Ukrainian-Canadian subculture, and has studied piano with Sandra Dowhan, Joan Miller, Paul Barnes, Thomas Rosenkranz, and Louis Nagel. Now based in Maumee, Ohio, Jeff is on the faculty of Heidelberg University and has previously taught at Bowling Green State University, Marietta College, and the Toledo Symphony School of Music.
