Biography

Pianist Gabriel Merrill-Steskal is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Michigan, where he studies with Logan Skelton. As a performer, he has won awards in international competitions on both piano and fortepiano (including the Seattle International Piano Competition, Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and SFZP International Fortepiano Competition) and recently was a fellow at the Gilmore piano festival and Pianofest in the Hamptons. He has also recorded for Blue Griffin Records as part of an upcoming album of new piano music by William Horne. Before turning to music full-time, he completed his undergraduate degree with a double major in music and chemistry, graduating summa cum laude from Whitman College, where he studied piano with David Hyun-Su Kim.

In addition to performance activities as a soloist and chamber musician, Gabriel is an active teacher and scholar. He has extensive experience playing fortepiano, which he studies with Matthew Bengtson, and he is interested in 18th and 19th century performance practice. He is currently Visiting Artistic Researcher at the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, presenting original lecture-recitals on historical pianos throughout Spring 2025. A thoughtful pedagogue of piano and music theory, Gabriel is a Graduate Student Instructor at the University of Michigan, where he teaches class piano and private lessons to undergraduate students. His most recent research projects include studying prolongational aspects of folk-based pitch structures in Bartók's music, and examining characteristics of embellished repeats in Mozart and Chopin. Aside from all things piano, he enjoys spending time outside running and rock climbing.