The Gilmore International Keyboard Festival invited an eclectic group of twelve composers to write one variation each on the theme of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations. No one variation exceeds 4 minutes. The great pianist Gilbert Kalish then arranged the collection for its debut as a whole work, adding Bach's theme to the beginning and to the end, and inserting Bach's Variation 13 in the middle. However, Kalish clearly states it is up to the pianist to decide how to perform these works, whether as a whole or specific movement(s) only. Contributing composers include C. Curtis-Smith, Jennifer Higdon, Mischa Sarche Zupko, Stanley Walden, Bright Sheng, Derek Bermel, David Del Tredici, Fred Lerdahl, William Bolcom, Lukas Foss, Ralf Gothoni and Fred Hersch. 66 pages.

New York, New York: C. F. Peters Corporation ©2007

Pianist Guy Livingston invited dozens of composers to provide him with a composition of 60 seconds. He then recorded them. This piano solo by William Bolcom is one of them. The tempo mark is quarter note equals 60, exactly.

New York, New York: Edward B. Marks Music Co. ©2007

The title, Abendmusik, is German for "evening music." This quiet and ethereal two-piano work is one movement, four pages in length, and takes approximately three minutes to play. The tempo mark reads "leisurely, clam, with great smoothness and repose." It will gently carry the listener away.

New York, NY: Edward B. Marks Music Co. ©2006

A collection of standard 20th and 21st Century American music that should be a part of every pianist's repertorie. Featured composers are Leroy Anderson, Felix Arndt, Samuel Barber, Amy Beach, Bix Beiderbecke, Dave Brubeck, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Morton Gould, Charles Griffes, Scott Joplin and more!

This unique five-movement work for solo piano was a collaboration between Bolcom and Curtis-Smith, both on the faculty at the University of Michigan. For a year, each composer would write ten measures before passing the piece back to the other, making these pieces true compositional collaborations. It was premiered by James Giles on November 15, 1998. Movements are: Get Up!; Moonlight on Ice; Snippets (Some Short, Some Long); Sarabande Mortelle and Fuzzy Wuzzy's Serenade.

New York, NY: Edward B. Marks Music Co. ©2008

Dedicated to the memory of Darius Milhaud, this piano duet is in two short movements. Tempo marks for each are "1. Gently, not slow" and "2. Barcarolle." They are lovely and accessible compositions. The composer indicates they may be played as an introduction to another piece, or as "bookends" for a group of small works.

If you are two virtuoso keyboard players and have two pianos, a harmonium and a harpsichord at your disposal, this may be the contemporary piece for you. Written in two movements, War in Heaven and The Caves of Orcus, it is not for the faint of heart.

New York, NY: Edward B. Marks Music Co. ©2006

For solo piano. First Printing. A reflective work for solo piano written for the 70th Anniversary of the Music Library Association. The title is from Galway Kinnell's poem When One Has Lived a Long Time Alone. Duration: ca. 7'. 13 p.

New York: C. F. Peters ©2000

Commissioned jointly by the BBC and the Royal Philharmonic Society as part of their New Generation Artists scheme, this solo piano piece was premiered by Jonathan Biss on July 1st, 2003.

New York, NY: Associated Music Publishers ©2006

Carnegie Hall commissioned Dr. Chen to compose this piece for Emanuel Ax. It's a beautiful, light piece, five minutes in length, inspired by a Chinese folk ballad.

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania: Theodore Presser Company ©2007