Connor Chee, piano

Connor is a Navajo pianist and composer known for combining his classical piano training with his Native American heritage. He 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, Connor’s solo piano music is inspired by traditional Navajo chants and songs. 

He has released 5 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. 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. Connor’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., Connor’s most recent release, Across the Desert: The Long Walk Home, stands as a musical tribute to the Navajo people’s journey through adversity and the triumphant return to their cherished ancestral lands.