Pianist Jonathan Biss brought a program of musical compositions regarding tragedy and catharsis to life on the stage of Bailey Hall on Friday evening. His performance, as well as his mental health talk and piano masterclass on Thursday, allowed him to uniquely connect with the Cornell community.
Biss is a pianist and musical educator who specializes in classical music scholarship. He is also the co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music Festival held in Marlboro, Vermont.
Biss’ two-hour performance on Friday evening drew approximately 600 audience members and was part of the Cornell Concert Series’ 2024-2025 season. Biss' performance featured three pieces, as well as an encore finale.
Biss' program consisted of classic pieces and modern works. It included classical pieces by Franz Schubert, a 19th-century Austrian composer, as well as “…Expansions of Light,” a modern piece composed by Tyson Gholston Davis in 2023, a composer studying at The Juilliard School.
In addition to playing a mixture of classical sonatas and a modern music piece, Biss also employed another instrument: his breathing.
During particularly intense sections of pieces, Biss' breathing would intensify and become more abrupt in tune with the composition, adding to the chaotic energy of the notes. Regarding his breathing, graduate student Sam Kemiji said that he was “wondering the whole time if it was a ‘hot mic’ … The breathing … was very eerie in the second song for me.”
Kemiji was drawn to Biss' performance because of his interest in Schubert’s works, specifically the opening composition, “Sonata in C Minor, D. 958,” which conveys themes of existential struggle, fleeting beauty and an unresolved emotional journey, according to the Cornell Concert Series program for the show.
Following “Sonata in C Minor, D. 958” came “…Expansions of Light.” Graduate student Logan Mims commented on the two pieces’ common theme of catharsis, describing the performances as a journey that takes the audience through tragedies and bursts of energy. Mims said, “I enjoyed the slower, more meditative aspect [of the piece].”
Graduate student Victor Chen appreciated the third piece “Sonata in A Major, D. 959,” which embarks on a profound emotional journey, navigating the depths of depression, anger and eventual acceptance — as highlighted in the event’s program brochure.
“The music makes me feel really relaxed,” Chen said. While Chen had not heard of Biss before, he left Bailey Hall pronouncing that Biss was “pretty good.”
Biss' performance was held in conjunction with his Midday Music series talk on performance and mental health on Thursday afternoon with hosts Prof. Ronald Hoy, neurobiology and behavior, and Prof. Xak Bjerken, music. Sitting down with over 30 students and local Ithaca residents, Biss discussed his experience dealing with imposter syndrome and anxiety on stage.
Biss considered himself “very lucky” to have had a professional career that developed so quickly. However, he also learned to ignore his own anxiety for the sake of performance. “I think the lesson learned was ‘Don’t worry about what you’re feeling, and as long as nobody else can tell that something is going on internally within you, I guess that’s fine,” he said.
This process of avoidance only worsened his mental health over 20 years of performing. “I wasn’t dealing with my emotional and psychological state in any way,” Biss said, recalling how there were even cases where he couldn’t finish a concert because of it. However, despite the toll it took on him, he explained that it was “not visible or audible to anyone else.”
Walking his listeners through his journey of overcoming anxiety and panic attacks on stage, Biss urged them to not push away their anxiety and mental health, listing music and meditation as ways to combat stress.
“Meditation has allowed me to sit with whatever feeling is in my body, and they’re all things that I can manage,” Biss said.
However, Biss stressed the importance of music in his life, stating, “Music is my respite, my comfort, and it’s like a lens through which I see the world.”
