Susan
Merdinger

American pianist and conductor Susan Merdinger is a dynamic, internationally acclaimed artist known for her expressive performances, innovative programming, and diverse musical voice. Hailed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for her "daring, enormously joyous presentation," Merdinger has been compared to legendary artists such as Leonard Bernstein, Annie Fischer, and Nadia Reisenberg. Fanfare Magazine praised her recordings as "exquisitely detailed and full of life," particularly her celebrated Carnival album.

The 2026 season marks an exciting new chapter. Merdinger is Co-Artistic Director of Sanctuary Sounds: Masterworks for the Spirit, a new concert series at Highland Park Presbyterian Church. In February 2026, she appeared as soloist with the Highland Park Strings under the direction of Allan Dennis, performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos with pianist Steven Greene at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall. By special invitation, she is featured in Sheridan Road Magazine's October 2026 Power Women issue.

Susan Merdinger, pianist and conductor

A celebrated soloist, Merdinger made her Carnegie Recital Hall debut at just 24, after winning the prestigious Artists International Competition. She has since performed at leading venues including Merkin Concert Hall, Sala Felipe Villanueva in Mexico, the Scottish National Orchestra Centre, Diligentia Hall, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Her international debut recital tour, sponsored by the International Concert Administration, took her across Europe and earned her recognition as a performer of exceptional skill and artistry. Her performances have been broadcast on WQXR, WFMT, and BBC Television, and she has appeared as a guest artist on The Listening Room and Impromptu. She has performed for dignitaries and celebrities including John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Governors of Connecticut and New York.

Merdinger's festival appearances include Chautauqua, Norfolk, Fontainebleau, the Summit Music Festival, and the Burgos International Music Festival in Spain, where she has garnered acclaim in both recital and concert. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, she has championed works by composers such as Morton Gould, Augusta Read Thomas, Ilya Levinson, and Aaron Alter, including works dedicated to her.

An active chamber musician, Merdinger has performed with internationally recognized artists and ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and members of the New York Philharmonic, and has collaborated with violinists Ilya Kaler, David Yonan, and Michaela Paetsch. She has performed more than thirty piano concertos under esteemed conductors including Gabriela Díaz Alatriste, Francesco Milioto, Mina Zikri, Mattia Rondelli, and Lawrence Rapchak. Recent seasons have featured performances with her Sheridan Solisti Trio and the Highland Park Strings, conducting the Northshore Chamber Orchestra, and a tour of California, Florida, and Illinois with her program "Four Centuries of Variations," including a presentation for the North Shore Music Teachers Association and a performance for the Musicians Club of Women at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago. In 2025, she performed Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Northbrook Symphony under the direction of Mina Zikri.

Susan Merdinger, pianist

A noted recording artist, Merdinger has released more than eleven albums, including American Melting Pot and French Fantasy, both praised in Fanfare Magazine and American Record Guide. She is a winner of The American Prize's Lorin Hollander Award (2020) and has earned two gold medals from the Global Music Awards.

A dedicated conductor, Merdinger brings to the podium an extraordinary breadth of experience developed through decades as a soloist, duo pianist, and chamber musician. Her conducting studies began under the mentorship of Robert Kapilow and Otto Werner Mueller at Yale University and the Yale School of Music. Known for her innovative programming and deep musical knowledge, she has guest-conducted numerous orchestras and commands a substantial orchestral repertoire. Her vision for Sheridan Solisti reflects her lifelong commitment to fostering new music and mentoring young artists.

Merdinger holds degrees and diplomas from Yale University, the Yale School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the École Normale de Musique in Fontainebleau, France. Her teachers included "Steinway Immortals" Claude Frank, Ozan Marsh, Constance Keene, Gaby Casadesus, and Walter Hautzig.

Merdinger is an Artist Faculty member at the Summit Music Festival and the Burgos International Music Festival, and the founder of Sheridan Music Studio, which encompasses a private teaching studio, record label, and live-streaming platform. A Steinway Artist since 2012, she continues to captivate audiences and nurture the next generation of musicians, blending technical mastery with a profound emotional depth that sets her apart as a transformative artist and educator.

Susan Merdinger, conductor