Performing on the World Premiere Concert “Concertino for Bassoon, Piano and Three Strings” by Jonathan Bartz, “8 Minatures for Chamber Ensemble” by Stefan Cwik, and “American Nights” by Arthur Gottschalk.

Dr. Cole Burger currently serves as Instructor of Music at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he teaches Class Piano, Accompanying, and Music Theory. He has previously served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas at Austin and on the faculty of the Armstrong Community Music School of Austin Lyric Opera.  Cole is also head of the piano department at Camp Encore/Coda in Sweden, Maine.

Deeply committed to social justice, Cole has previously served as the Case Planner for The Guest House of Milwaukee, a men’s anti-homelessness agency and shelter, through his membership in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. He has also organized and performed in various benefit recitals for worthy non-profit organizations that have raised over $34,000.

As a performer, Cole has débuted many solo and chamber works, and was the 2007 2nd prize winner of the Janice K. Hodges Contemporary Piano Performance Award at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Other concerts include the Honors Recital at the First Annual Chinese-American International Piano Institute at the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China, and solo appearances in Italy, England, Germany, France, and Norway. He was also a semifinalist in the 2008 Seattle International Piano Competition.

Cole holds degrees in piano performance and economics from the University of Texas at Austin and Northwestern University. He is grateful to the wonderful piano instructors with whom he has studied, including his parents, Tanya Ellezian, Jane Chu-Harrington, Sylvia Wang, David Renner, and Anton Nel.

Cole is an enthusiastic proponent of the Feldenkrais method, and daily seeks greater awareness, flexibility, and curiosity.