About Julie Cheek
Pianist Julie Cheek, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, made her professional debut at the age of fourteen as soloist with the Arkansas Chamber Orchestra, performing the D Minor Concerto of Mozart. She has been a featured soloist many times since then with the ASO under Robert Henderson and David Itkin, and on the chamber series performing the Brahms F Minor Quintet. Julie has developed a career distinguished by performances with other symphony orchestras and classical recitals and masterclasses across America and in Europe.
Her recital presented on the 500th Fazioli piano was broadcast on "Performance Today" over National Public Radio, and she was also interviewed by the BBC radio in connection with concert tours in the British Isles. She appeared in recital three times on PBS television in Arkansas, and then made her national television debut on A&E's "Breakfast with the Arts" in 2001. She is noted for her lyrical expressiveness as well as technical precision at the piano. She is equally articulate with audiences in explaining the music in a relaxed, yet informative manner. For ten years, she has been a favorite entertainer on Silversea, Crystal and Radisson Cruise lines. Her travels have taken her all over the world.
Dr. Cheek earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Between degrees she studied at the Hochschule f'r Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. She has served on the faculties of the University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. She is currently working on a 13-part series for PBS, which will combine performing with her love of teaching. She currently resides in Little Rock with her husband, Dana Walker.
Beautiful classical solo piano music played by an artist with a refreshing approach to familiar classical pieces. Julie combines flawless technique with sensitive lyrical playing…
A brilliant virtuosic display of piano playing, this recording includes familiar piano repertoire, with the addition of transcriptions by Liszt. Julie Cheek has been noted…