About Eugenia


Eugenia Cheng is a pianist, mathematician and founder of the Liederstube.  She was born in the UK and holds three degrees from the University of Cambridge. As a pianist, she performs regularly both in Chicago and Europe. She has recently performed at Chicago Symphony Center, the Harris Theater, the Driehaus Museum, the Dankhaus, Mayne Stage, the Smithsonian, Seattle Town Hall and Dublin National Concert Hall. She has given live broadcasts on WFMT and BBC Radio 3 and performs regularly for the PianoForte Foundation including 14 performances at the annual Schubertiade. In 2013 she founded the Liederstube, an intimate oasis for art song in the Fine Arts Building. Over 150 singers have sung at the Liederstube to date, including internationally renowned performers such as Gerald Finley and Richard Wiegold, and the Liederstube has also hosted events in New York, London and Amsterdam. Eugenia studied with Christine Pembridge and Ronald Smith in the UK, and has been coached by Piers Lane, Bernard Roberts, Roger Vignoles, Robert Tear and Ian Bostridge. Eugenia is also a mathematician, and is currently Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She previously taught at the University of Chicago, and gained tenure at the University of Sheffield, UK where she is now Honorary Fellow. She is dedicated to bringing mathematics to a wider audience. Her first popular mathematics book “How to Bake Pi” was published by Basic Books in 2015 to widespread acclaim from the New York Times, National Geographic, and NPR’s Science Friday, to name just a few sources. She was interviewed on radio and television across the world and appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The book is being translated into seven languages so far and her second book, “Beyond Infinity” was published in 2017.

Chopin Ballade no. 3

From the Memorial Concert for Christine Pembridge


Gallery by Paul Crisanti of PhotoGetGo