MICHAEL "STU" STOINSKI
aka "Stu The Piano Guy"
Singer / Songwriter/ Entertainer 

Michael “Stu” Stoinski was born and raised in the Northern Chicago Suburbs and found his love for music at a very young age. "Stu" is a nickname bestowed upon him in high school stemming from his last name to help separate him from all the other "Michael"s in the school/world. 

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As a child, he would spend countless hours listening to music from his "checked-out" library records & when he was supposed to be sleeping, he would hide his Fisher Price Tape Recorder under his pillow and listen to cassette tapes while falling asleep. 

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Though his earliest memories of being drawn to the piano come from toddling towards the mini-tinker pianos, the piano genuinely stole his heart at the age of 8 when he attended a musical where the production had a clear, see-through piano on stage. He begged his parents for lessons. Using gloves laid on the floor in front as his imaginary keyboard, he would pretend to play the piano along with TV theme songs or live music performers. After months of begging, his parents finally started him on lessons at the age of 9 and got a "rent-to-own" piano. A piano he still has today. His lessons began with a classical music teacher (Georgia Cobb). She gave Stu his piano groundwork, but she was strict with her music style and refused to teach anything other than classical. Stu had to move on. His next teacher (Eric Sutz), taught him how to play songs he really enjoyed with more freedom.  Stu took these more “free-style” lessons for six more years and truly credits Eric (along with historical performers) for creating the foundation of the musical style he embodies today.

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Stu started out getting invited to play annual random events from weddings or anniversary celebrations to fund-raisers. After getting pulled into a garage band, he thought about performing solo. Encouraged by a passionate friend, Stu walked into a local establishment asking if he could play that night for drinks & tips. He then took the next step, auditioning at "The Redhead Piano Bar" (Chicago) that ultimately launched his performing career. He was an original member in the Wisconsin based band, “Bella Cain” for the first 18 months of their development. He is most commonly a “one-man-show” but does occasionally play with a drummer. Today, Stu is booked-up regularly playing at countless bars and restaurants, entertains for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and numerous other special events, & still creating music. He is known for his fun attitude, passionate free-style playing and high energy.  

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Stu's biggest inspirations have been songwriters (Billy Joel, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Phil Collins, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow). Of his accomplishments, Stu's passion is for his original music. He has funded and recorded two albums at Uptown Recording (Chicago). This inspired Stu to pursue education in music engineering. Post his BA of Science (English Major/Psychology Minor) & during 2020, he acquired an online  Associates Degree in Music Engineering from the Los Angeles Film School (LAFS) with a 4.0 GPA. He's currently developing his own personal recording studio to help further his song writing & creative passions. 

 

Stu currently offers a large array of services, including, but not limited to, weddings, special events, composing and more!  He plays mainly in-between Milwaukee and Chicago but has enjoyed being flown around the country to perform for various events. From a cook-out in swim shorts, to a black tie wedding in a tuxedo, Stu can customize your musical experience to be exactly what you want for your event.

For more information please feel free to contact him on the Contact page of this site!