Hannah Mayer

Biography

Hannah Mayer is a pianist and composer from the San Francisco Bay Area, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. Hannah graduated from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD in May of 2024 with a Bachelor's in Jazz Piano Performance. Hannah has always been deeply inspired by musical theatre composers, and enjoys arranging showtunes to be placed in an improvisational context. Hannah’s debut album pays tribute to one of their greatest influences, Stephen Sondheim (“Hannah Mayer & Friends Play Sondheim”), which was recorded during their time in Baltimore with their quintet, with whom Hannah led 2.5 years of monthly performances at An die Musik.

Since moving to NYC this past summer, Hannah has been in their first year of the BMI Lehmen Engel Musical Theatre Songwriting Workshop as a composer, has accompanied cabaret performances at Green Room 42 and 54 Below, and works as an accompanist at Ballet Academy East on the Upper East Side. Hannah has played in the pit orchestra for productions including School of Rock the Musical (Oakland School for the Arts; Oakland, CA; John Kendall Bailey), Les Miserables (YMTC; Berkeley/El Cerrito, CA; David Möschler), and Curtains (Saint Paul's Schools, Baltimore; MD; Jack Rifkin). They have been commissioned to write vocal arrangements of individual songs including "For Good" (Wicked) and "3500" (Hair). In 2018, Hannah composed, arranged, and music directed a 30-minute musical adaptation of the Ray Bradbury short story, "All Summer in a Day," that was performed at Shotgun Players' Ashby Stage in Berkeley, CA.

Hannah has had the immense honor of being mentored by the great Brazilian guitarist/vocalist/composer Toninho Horta, recording and performing alongside him during his time in New York and at California Brazil Camp. Hannah has also shared the stage with notable musicians including Melissa Aldana, Etienne Charles, Warren Wolf, Charenée Wade, Sharel Cassity, and Pedro Martins. They have performed nationally and internationally at venues/festivals including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Small’s, Nublu, The Jazz Standard, Keystone Korner, the Jazz Showcase, BopStop, Yoshi’s, Herbst Theater, the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Tri-C Jazz Festival, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, and recently curated a band of alumni from their high school, Oakland School for the Arts, to perform in Shijiajuang, China for a cultural exchange this past spring. Hannah has been a member of Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead led by Jason Moran, Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz, and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, and was a YoungArts winner in jazz piano and jazz composition.