McKenna Girdeen

About McKenna

McKenna Girdeen holds a Bachelor of Music in Applied Piano from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Utah State University. With over 15 years of piano experience, she is a passionate advocate for underrepresented composers and for mental health awareness within the professional music community.

Her small-town roots start in Ellsworth, WI where she began performing at age eight, making her debut at a local senior living center. Since then, she has pursued a life rooted in music.

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, she studied with Nicholas Phillips and participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists including Artina McCain, Kate Boyd, and Chee Hyeon Choi. She continued her studies at Utah State University under Sasha Kasman Laude, and has collaborated with faculty members Cahill Smith, Kevin Olson, Ben Laude, and Mayumi Matzen. Girdeen also performed in a masterclasss for Sohee Kwon and internationally renowned pianist Nikolai Lugansky.

As both a performer and scholar, Girdeen is dedicated to elevating the works of historically underrepresented composers. She has presented research on figures such as Florence Price and Mélanie Bonis at national conferences, including the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the MTNA Collegiate Symposium. Her repertoire includes works by Leoš Janáček, Florence Price, Mélanie Bonis, Hélène de Montgeroult, Margaret Bonds, and Cécile Chaminade.

Beyond her academic and performance pursuits, Girdeen stays active as a collaborative pianist, accompanist for vocalists and instrumentalists, private teacher, and gigging musician at churches and weddings. Off the bench, you’ll likely find her hiking, rock climbing, running, or indulging in her unofficial side hustle as a coffee shop critic.