Meet Nic Gerpe | Concert Pianist and Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nic Gerpe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nic, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m a concert pianist and teacher from Pasadena, California. I did my undergraduate, Masters and Doctorate in Piano Performance at USC. Currently, I teach at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and I maintain an active schedule as a freelance soloist, collaborative pianist and recording artist.

Neither of my parents were professional musicians, but they were always incredibly supportive of my passion for music. I would say that some of the most important things they taught me were dedication, discipline, and perseverance, and they both instilled in me a strong work ethic and desire for excellence. I think that these qualities are applicable to any career choice and have really helped me to succeed in my various endeavors.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I was young, I really thought that I wanted to be a great jazz musician – some of my favorite artists were (and still are!) Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and Al DiMeola. At some point in high school, my Dad gave me some recordings of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, thinking that I’d enjoy them. Their music completely blew my mind – their original compositions were incredible, and were such an inspiring fusion of elements from classical, jazz and rock music. To me, one of the most influential aspects of their music were their electrified transcriptions of great works of classical music, particularly those from the 20th century. My first exposure to the music of Copland, Bartok, Janacek or Ginastera was through ELP’s arrangements of these composers’ works. I was totally intrigued by this music, and once I started listening to pieces by these masters I knew that this was the kind of music I wanted to play.

Once I got to USC, I told my teacher that I wanted to specialize in contemporary classical music. She was incredibly supportive and helped me throughout my career as a student to accomplish this goal, with the caveat that I had to be equally adept at playing the standard repertoire. I’m really thankful that she was so adamant about this – of course, the music of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and all the old masters are some of the greatest pieces ever written, and should be cherished, preserved, and passed down for all times. But what I have come to realize is that the core components of performance – expression, phrasing, imagination, color, line – apply to all music regardless of style or era. I think that being a solid classical player positively informs one’s abilities as a player of contemporary music, and vice versa.

At USC, I spent a lot of time working with student composers, and participated in the contemporary music ensemble. USC has a demanding and rigorous program and balancing the core requirements with extra concerts and collaborations was very time consuming and difficult. But it always paid off – by being willing to take risks and program new compositions, I became more and more in-demand as a player and was invited to perform more and more high-profile concerts. For example, I was very excited to give the world premiere of a Piano Concerto by Dale Trumbore with the USC Thornton Symphony. This, and other concerts, led to still more performances and I’m very proud to say that I’ve given dozens of World and regional premieres.

When I finished my studies at USC, I continued to collaborate with composers and ensembles dedicated to new music. I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the top composers and performers in the country, and have performed at such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Arts, and REDCAT. I was the co-founder of Panic Duo, a violin and piano duo dedicated to modern music. At the moment, I’m the co-curator of the Wicked GOAT series at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, which aims to bring contemporary concert music to younger audiences and their families, and to connect our audiences with the larger community of living artists in LA and throughout the country.

My current major project is the Makrokosmos 50 Project, which is a celebration of one of my favorite pieces of music – Makrokosmos, Volume I, by the American composer George Crumb. This piece is truly a landmark of 20th-Century piano literature. Crumb composed this piece in 1972 for his dear friend, pianist David Burge, and dedicated it to his great influence, the composer Bela Bartok. Taking its inspiration from Bartok’s “Mikrokosmos”, and Claude Debussy’s Preludes, as well as “the darker side of Chopin” and “the child-like fantasy of early Schumann”, it is a masterwork that not only utilizes the full dynamic and expressive range of the piano played from the keyboard; Crumb masterfully creates an entirely new coloristic and tonal palette by making use of extended, inside-the-piano techniques. Crumb evokes all manner of otherworldly resonances by utilizing techniques such as muted and strummed strings, harmonics, and various percussive effects. In addition, the pianist must chant, shout, sing, whistle, and moan like a ghost.

Crumb cites two beautiful lines of poetry as inspiration for this piece – one by the French mathematician Pascal: “The eternal silence of infinite space terrifies me”; the other by the German poet Rilke: “And in the nights the heavy earth is falling from all the stars down into loneliness. We are all falling. And yet there is One who holds this falling endlessly gently in his hands.”

There are twelve movements in this piece, which Crumb subtitles “Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac”. Each movement represents a different sign of the Zodiac, and each one is dedicated to a different friend, colleague, or musical or artistic influence of the composer born under that particular sign. For example, Crumb dedicates Movement 10 – Spring-Fire (Aries) to Burge, and Movement 5 – The Phantom Gondolier (Scorpio) to himself.

Crumb’s music in general, but Makrokosmos, Volume I in particular, has been a source of tremendous artistic inspiration for me throughout my musical life.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the composition of Makrokosmos, Volume I, I commissioned eleven composers – Vera Ivanova, Fernanda Aoki Navarro, Gernot Wolfgang, Eric Guinivan, Alexander Elliott Miller, Viet Cuong, Julie Herndon, Gilda Lyons, Timothy Peterson, Juhi Bansal, and Thomas Osborne, each to join me in writing a response to one movement of Makrokosmos, Volume I. This new celestial cycle is a celebration and commemoration of Crumb’s original masterpiece.

Makrokosmos is loaded with musical and extramusical associations – poetry, spirituality, and big metaphysical and cosmic ideas. To me, however, the most special thing about the piece is its celebration of connections between people – friends, family, teachers, colleagues and those who inspire us, shape our lives and make us who we are.

I’ve been fortunate to perform this program in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Hawaii, and I just finished recording it in studio for release as an album in 2023. The project has involved an immense amount of work – raising funds to pay for commissions, recordings, and travel; thousands of emails and phone calls to try and secure concert bookings; countless hours on social media working to promote the project, and of course; actually practicing the music to be able to perform it! But all of the work has absolutely been worth it – the project has been one of the most fulfilling and successful endeavors I’ve ever undertaken.

I’ve learned a lot of important lessons from these different projects, collaborations, and performances. One is the importance of strong work ethic, and the value of staying positive no matter what. There will always be setbacks and stumbling blocks along the way – people will not always be receptive to what you’re doing, you may send twenty emails pitching your project and receive one response, and on and on – but you really can accomplish anything by staying positive and not allowing minor setbacks to deter you from your goals. Another important, related item – be adventurous, and be willing to take risks. If you have a dream, something that you are truly passionate about, then go after it with all of your being.

Make sure to build and maintain a network of friends and colleagues who you enjoy working with, and who challenge you to always be the absolute best you can be. Some of the experiences that caused me to grow the most as a musician and artist were ones where I had the opportunity to work with performers who were much better than me. Without exception these experiences brought my playing to a higher level. Be humble, but always bring your best game.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love the outdoors, and my wife and I spend our time surfing, hiking, backpacking and diving. I’d have to take my friend to explore some of the amazingly beautiful places SoCal has to offer – we’d probably spend a lot of time at the beach and in the mountains! Of course, we’d also have to go check out some concerts and I think we’d definitely go see a show at Disney Hall, and at least one of the incredible LA series like Tuesdays at Monk Space, Monday Evening Concerts or Jacaranda.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents Ed and Mary; my wife Juhi Bansal; my teachers Bernadene Blaha, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Stewart Gordon and Alan Smith; my dear friend and mentor Susan Svrcek; my friends and colleagues at Piano Spheres – Aron Kallay, Gloria Cheng, Vicki Ray, Mark Robson, Heidi Lesemann and Cathy Uniack; my friends and colleagues at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.

Website: www.nicgerpe.com , https://makrokosmos50.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicgerpepiano/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicgerpepiano/

Image Credits
Brandon Rolle