The project:

Keys Across America is an educational experience for all ages and all audiences. The project will reach first-time concert-goers and seasoned music-lovers alike. KAA will be presented at numerous universities, offering additional collaboration through masterclasses and Q&A/discussion sessions with the next generation of pianists and educators.

First and foremost, Keys Across America is a recital program featuring a rich cross-section of American piano music—from the lyricism of Amy Beach and Edward MacDowell to the boldness of Florence Price, Aaron Copland, Ned Rorem, and Louis Moreau Gottschalk. At the heart of the program is a tribute to a few composers from the Second New England School — Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell and Arthur Foote — who helped shape a distinctly American musical identity in the late 19th century. As a Massachusetts native, it’s especially meaningful to highlight the deep cultural legacy of the region on a national level. In addition, two new commissions from American composers Laura Kaminsky and Avner Dorman appear on the recital, marking state premieres for these works.

What makes Keys Across America unique is its educational mission. Throughout the program, I’ll be speaking from the stage, guiding the audience through the historical context of each work and the lives of these trailblazing composers. This type of engagement is something I’ve believed in since childhood, beginning with performances at senior centers in central Massachusetts. This engagement remains one of the most meaningful aspects of my work today — connecting with my audience to assist in deepening their connection to these composers and their masterpieces.

Keys Across America launched in November 2025, and runs through the 27-28 season.

Reviews:

  • I'm grateful (read ecstatic) that we were able to host the launch of your 'Keys Across America' project because your performance was memorable on so many levels.

    If I were writing a review it might be headlined with something like "pianistic prestidigitation without pretense." Your technical command was exceptional and totally in the service of the musical narrative and voice of each composer and their work.

    And the repertoire selections were redolent of the fabric of America's cultural mix from late 19th-century romanticism and pianistic bravura, to 21st-century contemporary issues and idioms.

    One might wonder if such an eclectic program would cohere, yet there was a felt or experiential flow that carried the audience through from the exuberance of Copland's "Buckaroo" played with panache to the emotion-laden "Lament and Variations" of Dorman's brand new work. Your insightful, moving "Ballade" by Beach and nimble virtuosity in Arthur Foote's "Scherzo" were again representative of your huge range of pianism.

    I also want to thank you for your insightful and effective masterclass. You provided a wealth of musical insights delivered with clarity and simpatico. And your at-sight pianistic demonstrations were simply stunning.

    Truly, your artistic vision and voice are deserving of the widest possible hearing and I know that our School of Music, and the entire community, were greatly benefitted by your time here in Southern California.

  • None of us knew Mackenzie at all and, aside from reading his bio, we had little to go on when we engaged him at Lawrence.

    We decided to gamble because of the strong recommendation of one of his former teachers, and that gamble paid off big time. 

    Mackenzie’s recital was stupendous.  The program was varied and fascinating, the explanations were engaging and enormously helpful, and the playing was, quite simply, phenomenal.

    This is playing of international stature— incredible sound and speed, impeccable musical instincts, and a flair that is irresistible.  

    Mackenzie should be heard everywhere. It’s impossible not to love him.

Presenters:

The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

The Gina Bachauer Foundation (Salt Lake City, UT)

The New England Botanical Garden (Boylston, MA)

New England Conservatory (Boston, MA)

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)

Spokane Symphony (Spokane, WA)

The College of Charleston (Charleston, SC)

Grand Piano Series (Naples, FL)

The University of Montana (Missoula, MT)

Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)

The University of Hawai’i (Honolulu, HI)

Pensacola State University (Pensacola, FL)

Center for Musical Arts (Lafayette, CO)

San Antonio Music Teachers Association (San Antonio, TX)

Nebraska Wesleyan University (Lincoln, NE)

Steinway Gallery Cleveland (Cleveland, OH)

Dame Myra Hess Memorial Recital (Chicago, IL)

Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA)

Steinway Gallery Tampa Bay/Clearwater (FL)

CSU Fullerton (Fullerton, CA)

UTSA (San Antonio, TX)

SCFPA (Patagonia, AZ)

WYO Performing Arts & Education Center (Sheridan, WY)

The University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)

UMKC Conservatory (Kansas City, MO)

The University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS)

Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA)

Ouachita Baptist University (Arkadelphia, AR)

University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS)

Truman University (Kirksville, MO)

Baylor University (Waco, TX)

Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL)

South Dakota Music Teachers Association

Wisconsin Music Teachers Association

Salon Piano Series (Madison, WI)

SUNY Binghamton (Binghamton, NY)

Join the tour!

Interested in Keys Across America? Please reach out by filling out the contact form.