Nicole Pesce

Pianist, keyboardist, composer, and arranger Nicole Pesce entertains
audiences with a unique blend of virtuosity, humor and pizzazz. Nicole’s
“Happy Birthday Variations” has over 20 million combined views on
YouTube.

Nicole has performed for Muhammad Ali, Ricky Martin, George Bush,
Sr., Waylon Jennings, Taylor Hicks, George Benson, Janet Napolitano,
Shaquille O’Neal, Jimmy Carter, Chris Rock, Steve Nash, The Gypsy
Kings, Rose Mofford, Glen Campbell, Margaret Cho, Katy Hobbs, Kate
Gallego, and Brian Setzer. She’s appeared with American Idol contestant
David Hernandez, Moscow Ballet, Zowie Bowie, and has accompanied
The Cast of Mary Poppins, Young Frankenstein, and Mamma Mia.

In 2024, Nicole became an artist in residence for the Scottsdale
Philharmonic, performing the “Warsaw Concerto” with the orchestra.
Later that summer, Nicole performed at “Crooners” supper club in
Minnesota with We3, and the “Hot Jazz Jubilee” festival in Sacramento,
CA – with renowned boogie woogie artists Brian Holland and Caroline
Dahl. 2024 concluded with a holiday show at the KERR Cultural Center in
Scottsdale, AZ with We3, and an appearance at the Vista Performing Arts
Center with former American Idol Contestant Aubrey Logan.

Currently, Nicole presents “virtual” piano concerts to folks all over the
world, actively composes songs, and offers several Master Classes for
Arizona Music Fest’s Educational programs: including “Women in Jazz”,
“The Great American Songbook”, “Forgotten Composers” and more.

During the Spring/Fall/Winter season, Nicole enjoys a full-time schedule
performing as the headlining jazz pianist at the Wrigley Mansion in
Phoenix, AZ, …along with sold out concerts all over the valley at the MIM,
the Sundial, Chandler Center for the Arts, The Nash and more!

2025 has included Nicole accompanying Francine Reed at the NASH,
Appearing with The Fabulous Five for AZ Music Fest, and headlining two
shows on Valentine’s day at Arizona Broadway Theater. Summer plans
include a Mid-west tour and there’s plenty more to come!

**Read on about the early beginnings…..

At the age of 7, Nicole began playing piano; by age 10, over 500 songs
were committed to memory, and she won First place in the Discovery
National Television Competition. at 12, she appeared on the Jerry Lewis
MDA Telethon which aired to over sixty million viewers; followed by an
extensive US tour. During a year-long residency in Las Vegas, Nicole
performed for Debbie Reynolds on stage at Debbie’s hotel and Casino.
Numerous performances followed for Rich Little, Buddy Greco, Pat
Boone, Lew King and Barbara Stanwyck.

Nicole has appeared on Phoenix’s prime time news, television, and radio
stations, including Fox 10 News with Rico D’Amico & Cory McCloskey,
Good Morning Arizona, In Your Life, Sonoran Living, The Pat McMahon
Show, Arts on the Town – AM 1480, and Channel 3 News. Magazine and
newspaper articles include Phoenix Magazine, The AZ Republic, The New
Times, Phoenix Downtown Magazine and West Valley Living. Nicole was
featured on AZTV’s daily mix series in 2019.

As a composer with a catalog of over 300 songs, Nicole was
commissioned to write the title track to the compilation CD “Amada” –
dedicated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Following
the CD release, Nicole’s original music was featured in a documentary
film for the Komen foundation presented at the Pink Tie Gala in Tampa,
Florida. Nicole recently composed and recorded original music for the
“Beams” singer/songwriter series at the ASU Kerr Cultural Center in
Scottsdale, AZ.

Arizona Foothills Magazine honored Nicole with the “Best of 2014
Award” for Best Local Band/Musician. With a repertoire consisting of
over 12,000 memorized songs; Nicole is often dubbed “the human iPod”
and is recognized as one of the “top ten musicians to hear in Phoenix” by
the Arizona Republic.

For over a decade, Nicole was the headlining pianist at the Ritz Carlton
Hotel in Phoenix where she regularly entertained fans with everything
from Bach to Lady Gaga. Previous performance venues include: The
Orpheum Theater, Tempe Center for the Arts, Herberger Theater, Desert
Ridge Marriott, Soundbites in Sedona, The Royal Palms, Phoenician
Resort, Fairmont Princess Hotel, Eisendrath House in Tempe, Biltmore
Resort, Wickenburg Community Center, and the Shemer Arts Center.

In 2016, The “We3” trio was formed consisting of vocalist Renee Patrick
and violinist Suzanne Lansford. The ensemble (along with guest drummer
Sheila Earley) began performing sold out shows everywhere from the
MIM to the Chandler Center for the Arts and “We3” was featured on
AZTV’s daily mix TV series hosted by Pat McMahon.

During the Summer of 2018, Nicole and We3 made their Chicago debut,
playing at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, Marie’s Club, and Serbian
Village. In 2019, We3 traveled to Europe and performed at various
Parisian jazz clubs including Duc Des Lombards, Le Baiser Salé and La
Chope Champerret. The tour concluded with a special visit and impromptu
performance by Nicole and Renee at the prestigious Fazioli Piano Factory
and Concert Hall in Sacile, Italy.

For much of 2020, 2021 and 2022, Nicole and We3 premiered “Live-
streaming” virtual concerts that included tributes to composers like Henry

Mancini and Frederic Chopin. Nicole – along with the “Sensational 7”,
became one of the first artists to open Phoenix Theatre’s outdoor stage
with a two-week run of “Happy Birthday Dionne!” (A tribute to legendary
vocalist Dionne Warwick featuring the music of Burt Bacharach.)

In February of 2023, Nicole appeared as a featured headliner for Arizona
Music Fest’s premiere concert series, presenting “Isn’t It Romantic – A
Swingin’ Valentine’s Day” show. The performance featured Nicole
alongside the acclaimed international piano duo of Stephanie Trick and
Paolo Alderighi. Nicole’s “2-pianos, 6-hands” concert is one of AZ Music
Fest’s premiere concerts: During the spring of 2023, Nicole performed for
the Fresno Sounds of Mardi Gras Festival, AZ Classic Jazz Festival, and
the International Jazz Festival at the Mesa Arts Center.

Future endeavors include more extensive recording and composing, and
who knows? …the summer seasons are wide open for national and
international performances. Be sure to stay tuned and visit
www.nicolepesce.com for updates!