UNO Associate Professor of Piano Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor was named a National Finalist in The American Prize in Piano Performance (solo), 2025—professional division. The piece she submitted was Omaha-based composer Bryan Stanley’s Piano Sonata no. 2 from her Midwest Piano Sonatas recording released last summer by Navona Records.

Stanley’s Piano Sonata no. 2 was composed in 2018. There are clear cyclical elements between the movements. The listener experiences neo-classical or neo-romantic impulses in the work, whether it is the concise sonata-allegro form of the first movement, the theme and variations of the third movement, or the atmospheric lyricism of the extensive middle movement.

More information about the recording can be found at https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6653/