Gerald Rizzer has been active in Chicago music culture for over 50 years. He created The Chicago Ensemble, professional chamber music group, and served as its artistic director and pianist throughout its 45 years. The Ensemble presented subscription concerts of diversified classical music repertoire, appearing in different combinations of strings, woodwinds, voice and piano.

Acclaimed for imaginative programming and high performance standards, The Chicago Ensemble held the “Discover America” competition for new chamber works, presenting winning works in concert. The group presented workshops for adult amateur players, gave  demonstration/performances for children at Sulzer Regional Library, toured regionally, and was frequently the featured guest in WFMT live broadcasts.

Mr. Rizzer taught at Sherwood Community Music School for many years. There he taught piano and theory to students of all ages and accomplishment levels. He created and ran teen and adult chamber music programs and theory classes, and formed and ran an intensive summer chamber music  institute for teens.

For thirty years. Mr. Rizzer taught music appreciation classes at DePaul University. Proceeding from 25-year membership in the music theater workshop at Theatre Building Chicago, Mr. Rizzer wrote the music to several musicals. Highlights were presented in a retrospective concert at Sherwood.

Mr. Rizzer has issued four CDs with short piano pieces, written and performed by him: Gerald Rizzer Plays His Songs Without Words. The third CD also includes settings for baritone and piano of poetry by A. E. Housman, and the fourth CD is of pieces for one hand only.

Mr. Rizzer is also the composer of many arrangements for different combinations of voice and instruments. Mr. Rizzer directed choirs in synagogues for many years and for several years had a group for Jewish art music called Shir, which presented a subscription series and toured.

Mr. Rizzer received a B.A. in Music from the University of Chicago (Phi Beta Kappa) where he performed Beethoven’s 4^th Piano Concerto; a Masters in Music from Yale University (awarded Charles Ditson fellowship ) where he performed Brahms’ 2^nd Piano Concerto; and brief study at Juilliard School of Music.