Atzinger has been praised by critics for his “personal interpretive vision” and “virtuoso aplomb”. He was also winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs Artist Competition, the Simone Belsky Piano Competition, and the Premio Città di Ispica prize at the IBLA Grand Prize Competition in Ragusa-Ibla, Italy in addition to receiving honors from the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition, the National Society of Arts and Letters, and MTNA. Additionally, he has received grants and fellowships from the Theodore Presser Foundation, the American Composers Forum, the Minnesota State Arts Board, Foundation La Gesse, and the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation.
In addition to degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan, Atzinger earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. He counts among his teachers Julian Martin, Robert McDonald, Anton Nel, David Renner, and Carolyn Lipp. Prior to his faculty appointment at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, he taught at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Mr. Atzinger is represented by Parker Artists, New York (parkerartists.com).