Dr. Terry Klinefelter is a versatile artist, at home in jazz clubs as well as the classical concert stage. She has performed at the Kimmel Center, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the Chadds Ford Winery Jazz Festival, Jazz at the Springs, COTA Festival, Endless Mountain Music Festival, and Exuberance, among many others.
Known for her lyrical style and beautiful sound, she has made several appearances on the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series and also performed abroad in Mexico and Italy. She has collaborated with dance companies, serving as pianist with the Pennsylvania Ballet in the early nineties, and also more recently with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (Mozart’s “Twinkle” Variations, Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, and annual performances of The Nutcracker).
Terry has given world premieres of the music of composers Manny Album (Viola Sonata with Manny Vardi), Haskell Small, and David Bennett Thomas (Tarry Not, written for her in 2011).
Concerto performances include the Chester County Pops (Rhapsody in Blue) and the Bux-Mont Chamber Orchestra (Beethoven Piano Concerto #5). Terry also performs regularly as Principal Keyboard with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, accompanying guest artists such as Ann Hampton Calloway, Dee Daniels, and Capathia Jenkins (Aretha Tribute). Highlights of the 2019-20 season include a complete concert performance of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with an all-star cast, and concerts with Broadway legend Lisa Vroman. Also on the current season is an appearance with Allentown Symphony (“Women Rock”)
Terry has also performed with George Shearing (opening of Bally’s Grand, Atlantic City), crossover violinist Diane Monroe, renowned early music soprano Julianne Baird (several tours of “The Songs of Jane Austen”), Ronan Tynan (“Irish Tenors”). She recently presented a performance of Maria Schneider’s triple Grammy-winning song cycle, Winter Morning Walks with an ensemble including tenor saxophonist, Scott Robinson.
Dr. Klinefelter is Associate Professor of Piano and Jazz Studies at West Chester University. She also serves as an adjudicator and presenter for regional competitions, masterclasses, and festivals. Her own students, both collegiate and private, are a diverse group who have performed in all kinds of settings, including recitals, jazz clubs, concerto competitions and masterclasses with Ann Schein and Fred Hersch.
As a recording artist, Terry has performed as a sideman, and also produced two CDs as a leader, Simple Gifts (described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “on the cosmic cusp where Mozart might meet Mingus”) as well as Zingaro, which features original jazz compositions and standards, as well as several new songs based on the works of renowned poet Dana Gioia. It reached #30 on the national jazz radio charts, and was featured on Radio WRTI’s “Hot 11” Countdown for several months.
Terry Klinefelter is a Steinway Artist.