Biography

Nicholas Fanara is a classical pianist currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School, studying under Professor Julian Martin, where he will graduate in 2026. He is an alumnus of The Mannes School of Music, where he was honored with The Steinway Award and numerous performance opportunities in connection with The Mannes Sounds Festival. At Mannes, Nicholas studied under Dr. Thomas Sauer. Before pursuing his undergraduate degree, Nicholas was the winner of the 2019 LaGuardia High School Concerto Competition and a recipient of the Marianne & Michael Shapiro Music Fund Award for Music as he studied under Dr. Barbara Podgurski.

Nicholas has appeared in various notable venues, including Alice Tully Hall, The Scandinavia House, Steinway Hall, and the Rose Studio at Lincoln Center, where he has performed both solo and with others. Beyond solo performances, he holds a deep passion for chamber music and collaborating with fellow musicians. He has toured Spain with The New York Youth Symphony as part of their chamber program and plays annually with the trio formed during his time at Mannes, known as “The Thirteenth Street Trio”. In addition to his chamber experience at Mannes, he has also been invited to record for WQXR by Simone Dinnerstein for her Young Artist Showcase. Nicholas has had the privilege of participating in masterclasses with esteemed artists such as Anne-Marie McDermott, Richard Goode, Jerome Lowenthal, Jeffrey Swann, and John O'Connor.

Driven by a desire for a better understanding of the music he plays, Nicholas also cultivates a strong passion for music analysis. He has extensively studied Schenkerian analysis, first during his four years at Mannes and then for a year of private study under Dr. Yuval Shapira. Along with this, he is greatly interested in Hepokoski and Darcy’s contributions to our understanding of Sonata Form, and the writings of Carl Schachter. This analytical work (although limited in its direct application to performance) sparks imagination and curiosity in the music it is designed to illuminate. Nicholas is currently a Teaching Fellow at The Juilliard School in the Theory and Analysis department.