Elyse Mach is Professor of Music at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She has given concerts throughout Europe and the United States, appearing as piano soloist with the NBC Symphony and the Netherlandische Philharmonic Broadcasting Orchestra. She has written nine books on pianoand pianists and has been a contributing music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. She is active as a consultant, clinician, master class teacher, and frequent adjudicator, and she has guest lectured at Northwestern, Yale,The Julliad School, and many other institutions. She is the first recipient ofthe Board of Governors Universities Distinguished Professor Award and was honored by a proclamation issued by… the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Illinois.