Jeremy Bartunek

2024 Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist and Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching winner Jeremy Bartunek has been an active musician and performer in the Minnesota and Chicago area since 2001. He has released two full length albums. His first, The Long Awaited Christmas, is a collection of solo piano arrangements of Christmas songs. His second, Songs Don't Need Words, is an all instrumental album featuring original compositions. He is the founder and director of the Northbrook 28 Children’s Choir, a choir for 1st through 5th grade students in Northbrook District 28. Under his direction the NB28CC has performed at the Illuminate Northbrook Festival (2022), at Daley Plaza in Chicago, and at Wrigley Field Gallagher Way (2022). In addition, he has led pit orchestras with the Jacksonville Theatre Guild, and directed the Triopia High School Concert Band and Concert Choir. As a performer he has appeared on “Good Morning America,” at the House of Blues in Chicago, with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (IL), Opera Music Theater Orchestra (Wheaton, IL), and York Drama Department orchestra.

He has composed five full length musicals with his co-writer, Jeremy Blair. Together Blair and Bartunek produce the annual Winter Festival of the Arts performances at Greenbriar school, as well as the spring musical.

Currently, Bartunek is a DMA candidate at the Boston University College of Fine Arts. Through the Golden Apple Foundation he was a visiting research fellow at Northwestern University (IL) in the spring and summer of 2021. He earned a Master of Music degree from Western Illinois University, Orff Certification (I, II, and III) and Kodaly Mastery Certificate (I, II, and III) from DePaul University, as well as two undergraduate degrees (BM Composition and BME). He has served on the faculty of Lincoln Land Community College, Northbrook District 28, Community School of the Arts, and Triopia CUSD #27.

He is an active adjudicator, accompanist, performer and educator and resides in Chicago, IL. You can purchase his albums on iTunes and Amazon. Contact him directly for information about performing his musicals.

Works:

Detective James Marshall and the Circus Phantom (musical), co-written with Jeremy Blair. 2023 (2020)
Zoomsicle, The Musical, co-written with Jeremy Blair, 2021
Going to America (musical), co-written with Jeremy Blair, 2019
7 Rings, arranged for Percussion Ensemble, 2019
Like, Totally; An 80’s Musical, co-written with Jeremy Blair, 2017
Detective James Marshall and the Ashberg Diamond (musical), co-written with Jeremy Blair. 2016
Songs Don’t Need Words, an album of original compositions, 2013
The Long Awaited Christmas, solo piano Christmas arrangements, 2012