Stephanie Nilles' music was perhaps best described by a friend as "Ella Fitzgerald on speed beating some sense into Regina Spektor." Trained in piano since the age of 6, Stephanie holds a BA in classical piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and has been a finalist as the Young Concert Artists' International Competition and the Corpus Christi International Piano Competition. These days, she is usually out on the road with a Roland and small PA system performing her own politically-influenced folk/jazz tunes at colleges and dive bars. She has appeared at such venues as Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, The Bitter End, and The Cutting Room, and she has collaborated with artists like Bobby McFerrin and Christian Howes, in styles ranging from free improv and burlesque accompaniment to funk fusion and classical chamber music.