Connor Chee

Navajo  pianist and composer Connor Chee is known for combining his classical  piano training with his Navajo Native American Heritage. Connor made his Carnegie  Hall debut at the age of 12 after winning a gold medal in the World  Piano Competition. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the  University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Chee’s solo  piano music is inspired by traditional Navajo chants and songs.

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Chee has released four studio albums of original pieces and piano transcriptions of Navajo music. The Navajo Piano won Best Instrumental Recording at the 16th Annual Native American  Music Awards, and his piece “Beginnings” won Best New Age Song.

Chee’s 2020 release, SCENES FROM DINÉTAH,  features piano pieces written about elements of Navajo life and  culture. It was accompanied by the release of several music videos  filmed on the reservation, directed by Navajo filmmaker Michael Etcitty, Jr.

Chee's most recent release, THE NAVAJO PIANO (REVISITED),  features new recordings of his original 15 compositions from 2014, as  well as recordings of the traditional songs they were based on. Also  included are three new transcriptions for harp featuring Angelica Hairston  and Johanna Wienholts.