Amy Beach: Children’s Carnival, Op. 25

Jeremy VanSlyke presents Amy Beach: Children’s Carnival, Op. 25, a collection of six-character pieces that continue the tradition of 19th-century piano cycles for young pianists. Composed in 1894, each piece portrays a stock character from early European pantomime, popular in late-19th-century America, and serves as a vehicle for the lively dances of the Harlequin theater. This fun and imaginative collection reflects Beach’s dedication to writing engaging pedagogical works and offers an excellent introduction to her music for young musicians.

Jeremy VanSlyke is a pianist and music producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, whose passion for classical music began at a young age in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He studied piano performance at McGill University in Montréal under Georgian pianist Marina Goglidze-Mdivani, and with Dr. Roger Lord in New Brunswick. His career spans both stage and studio, with experience in orchestral and chamber music, as well as award-winning sound and video recordings that have garnered millions of online streams. He contributed both piano and engineering to the world premiere of Michael Tilson Thomas’ I’m Nobody, a piece for soprano, viola, and piano featuring Grammy-nominated artist Measha Brueggergosman-Lee. Their recording of the work was released in September 2024 on Pentatone’s Grace multi-volume set. A dedicated educator, Jeremy serves as a collaborative pianist at Lipscomb University, where he works closely with voice students in preparation for performances. He is also the owner of Leaf Music, a classical music record label he established in 2012. In 2025, Leaf Music earned five JUNO nominations and 17 East Coast Music Award nominations.