Anne-Marie McDermott, Piano

A luminous, boldly emotive pianist who also conveys great sensitivity and spirituality through her playing. Anne-Marie McDermott is widely celebrated for her expressive performances on the worlds most illustrious stages. A highly versatile musician, Ms. McDermott is at home with a wide range of repertory, be it Bach or Prokofiev, Mozart or Rachmaninov. Whether she is playing as a solo recitalist, soloist with orchestra or as part of a chamber music ensemble, Ms. McDermott conveys the message of the composer in deeply felt, spontaneous playing.

Ms. McDermott's 1997 debut with the New York Philharmonic under Christian Thielemann (Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, K. 271) was a great success and is symbolic as a springboard. Since that concert, McDermott has shown the world that she is a musician of the first order. With each successive season, she brings audiences to their feet in more of an extraordinary fashion. Her mastery of and recent focus on the keyboard music of Prokofiev and Bach have earned her tremendous acclaim.

Anne-Marie McDermott's 2001-2002 season highlights include solo recitals and orchestral appearances throughout the United States. She performs Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the North Carolina Symphony (Gerhardt Zimmermann conducting), Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Indianapolis Symphony (Pavel Kogan conducting) and Copland's Piano Concerto with the Florida Philharmonic (Michael Stern conducting). She opens the Chattanooga Symphony's season in performances of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with violinist Ida Kavafian and cellist Peter Wiley.

As an Artist Member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Ms. McDermott is highly active with chamber music. Highlights of this 2001-2002 season include the world premiere (in New York City) of Aaron Jay Kernis Trio in Red with David Shifrin and Fred Sherry, a tour with Ida Kavafian and the Miami String Quartet in performances of Chausson's Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, and Schumann's Piano Quintet with the Guarneri String Quartet at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Concerts & Lectures series.

Ms. McDermott's spring 2001 performances included the Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Virginia Symphonies, among others. Each concert was met with thrilled audiences and outstanding critical acclaim. Also during the 2000-2001 season, Ms. McDermott appeared internationally in duo performance with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and was honored by Yamaha in a solo recital at Lincoln Centers Alice Tully Hall.

Sought after by the major festivals such as Mainly Mozart, Mostly Mozart and Ravinia, Anne-Marie McDermott regularly performs recitals and chamber concerts throughout the United States and abroad. She has appeared at many festivals including Santa Fe, Spoleto, Chamber Music Northwest, Bravo! Colorado, Newport, the Dubrovnik Festival in the former Yugoslavia, and the Festival Casals in Puerto Rico.

Ms. McDermott began playing the piano at age 5, and at the age of 12 performed the Mendelssohn Concerto in G minor with the National Orchestral Association at Carnegie Hall. She studied at the Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship student with Dalmo Carra, Constance Keene and John Browning; and participated in master classes with such noted artists as Leon Fleisher, Menahem Pressler, Misha Dichter, Abbey Simon, Rosalyn Tureck, Michael Tilson Thomas and Mstislav Rostropovich.