BIOGRAPHY

Marissa is passionate about performing as both a soloist and a collaborator. She currently acts as Principal Keyboard of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and an Associate Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She can also be heard regularly performing with orchestras throughout the Midwest as an ensemble keyboardist. Marissa is one of the founding members of the chamber music collective OLEA through which she performs new and underperformed works for small chamber ensembles. Her debut album, In 24 Years: The Music of Lili Boulanger (November 2023), serves as the first complete recording of Lili Boulanger’s repertoire for the piano as both a solo and collaborative instrument. Information on upcoming and recent performance engagements can be found here.

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Marissa has been teaching music in a variety of settings since 2013. Her teaching career has included both individual and group lessons in piano and music theory at both the pre-college and collegiate levels. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty member teaching piano and music theory at the City Colleges of Chicago in addition to maintaining a roster of private piano students. Visit the LESSONS page to learn more about Marissa's teaching philosophy and how to enroll in private lessons.

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A native of the Philadelphia suburbs, Marissa moved to Cincinnati in 2015 to study at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (CCM). She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from CCM in 2019 under the guidance of Michael Chertock, and her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance in 2022 under the guidance of James Tocco and Michael Chertock. Other significant pedagogical influences include Marvin Blickenstaff and Dr. Erin Bennett. In addition to her degrees in piano, Marissa also earned a Master of Music degree in music theory from CCM in 2023.