Kevin von der Heydt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and started studying piano at the age of four. He graduated “magna cum laude” from the widely acclaimed Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. There he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance, studying with Zadel Skolovsky. He was also a favorite accompanist for the students of the Distinguished Professor of Violin, Josef Gingold.
Following his university studies, Kevin worked in Mexico City and the Braunschweig State Theatre in Germany as an accompanist and music coach. After a short stint as a freelance musician in New York City, he accepted a full-time position as resident pianist at the Greenbrier Resort Hotel in West Virginia where he worked for many years. In this position he performed a large repertoire of classical and contemporary music with violin, as well as solo and collaborative performances with instrumentalists, singers and dancers.
More recently he has been developing a series of “Concert and Commentary” programs that focus on a composer or genre, engaging the audience with a deeper understanding of those works and their composers. He has presented the complete Nocturnes and Ballades of Chopin. Perhaps his affinity for Chopin comes in part from his maternal grandfather who was a Polish-born composer. Kevin has produced concerts on Impressionism and the works of Debussy. He has delved into the Beethoven Sonatas and a history of the Keyboard Prelude. One concert-goer offers this description: “Kevin von der Heydt is a humble performer whose work is stellar. He delivers to the audiences of all ages his heart, his mind and his enthusiasm.”