Elizabeth Gutierrez enjoys a multi-faceted career as a performer, teacher, pedagogue, composer and author. She currently holds the position of Piano Editor for Carl Fischer LLC and the Theodore Presser Music Company, two of America’s oldest and most esteemed music-publishing companies. Previously she served as a professor of piano at The University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Wisconsin-Madison and chaired the keyboard areas for both universities.
A native of Texas, Ms. Gutierrez received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin where she studied with Lita Guerra. Other teachers with whom she has collaborated include distinguished pianists Artur Balsam and Leonard Shure. She performs extensively as both a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and abroad and has been praised for her “exciting musicianship and thoughtful interpretation.”
Ms. Gutierrez is in frequent demand as a lecturer and clinician for workshops, conferences, and master classes in the U.S. and has also given presentations for universities and music teacher organizations in South America. Her piano students at both the pre-college and college levels have received top honors in competitions around the country and several now hold academic positions at universities in the U.S. and abroad. Several of her articles on teaching have been featured in the national music journal Keyboard Companion, and she is co-author of the highly-acclaimed A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music, a comprehensive reference guide to the standard piano repertoire. Ms. Gutierrez has achieved recognition as a successful composer of educational music for young pianists. Her piano solos have been selected for the National Federation of Music’s Junior Festival and for several state competition and audition lists.
An avid researcher and proponent for Latin American piano music, Ms. Gutierrez is particularly well known for her discoveries in this field. She is the recipient of numerous research grants and awards which have supported her research in multicultural piano music with special emphasis on the contributions of Latino composers. Many of the attractive pieces from this distinctive literature are featured in her lectures and recitals and will be published in forthcoming piano repertoire collections.
She is married to composer James Syler, a member of the music faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
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