Liz Story

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Liz Story
Born (1950-10-28) October 28, 1950 (age 75)
Genres New-age; Jazz
OccupationsMusician, composer
InstrumentPiano
Years active1983–present
Labels Windham Hill, Novus, DMI
Website www.lizstory.com

Liz Story is an American pianist. Often characterized as a New-Age musician, her works resemble a combination of jazz and classical music. [1] [2]

Contents

Early years

Born in San Diego, California, Story played classical music as a child. She studied at Juilliard School and Hunter College. After hearing pianist Bill Evans perform at a club in New York City, she studied jazz piano with Sanford Gold, whom Evans recommended. [3] Story then studied music at University of California in Los Angeles and the Dick Grove Music Workshops. [2]

Professional musician

Between 1983 and 2005, Story released ten full-length record albums, including two albums of jazz standards. [4] William Ackerman of Windham Hill Records signed her to his label in 1983. Often compared to George Winston, another Windham Hill artist, her early solo piano recordings found favor with New-Age music listeners. [5] [2]

A 1986 solo performance at New York music venue The Bottom Line garnered a favorable review from noted music critic Stephen Holden, who praised her technique and ability to "give each song a scrupulous sense of compositional unity." [1]

Story composed and performed the songs "Forgiveness" and "Worth Winning" for the 1989 film Worth Winning . Her hands were used in the film to simulate the piano playing by actress Madeline Stowe. [6]

Career interrupted

Story experienced a hemorrhage of the brain during a performance in 2019, necessitating a recovery period to re-learn how to play her music. By 2023 she returned to performing, including events at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. [7]

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (November 17, 1986). "Music: Liz Story, Pianist". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Liska, A. James (1 May 1987). "Music MAKING MUSIC, LIZ STORY STYLE". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  3. Kohanov, Linda. "Liz Story | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  4. "Liz Story Live In Concert". The Prescott (AZ) Times. 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  5. "Grammy nominated pianist and Windham Hill recording artist Liz Story to headline concert in Lanesboro". Winona Post. Sep 28, 2016.
  6. "Worth Winning (1989)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  7. "Windham Hill Pianist Liz Story to Celebrate 40 Years of Music in Kennedy Center Debut on April 25th in Washington, D.C." KRON News. EIN Presswire. February 4, 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  8. "Liz Story | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-03-20.