Piano Soloist for CLSO Poetry and Sound
Hailed as a “forward thinking classical pianist” (Midwest Record) and praised as “… a delight for the ears and the soul” (Encuentro Universitario Internacional de Saxofón, Mexico City), pianist Ann DuHamel enjoys a multi-dimensional and eclectic musical career. Her performances have spanned 19 countries and 37 of the United States, including Carnegie Weill Recital Hall. Piano Magazine applauded her debut album Rückblick: New Piano Music Inspired by Brahms for the “depth of programming and playing;” in Piano Bulletin, Dutch reviewer Olga de Kort wrote that Rückblick is “an extraordinary, fascinating CD, musically very strong … Kudos to the pianist who [assembled] a collection so passionate, technically excellent and inspiring.” Ann actively champions and commissions contemporary composers, including pieces by Minnesotan composers Jocelyn Hagen and Grammy-award winning Edie Hill. Ann also appears on Tyler Kline: Orchard; Fanfare Magazine praised her performance as “alive … [played with] aching expression.” Tracks from Rückblick and Orchard have been featured on radio stations across the U.S.
Ann received the prestigious 2023-24 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Musicians for her project “Prayers for a Feverish Planet,” a series that responds to the climate crisis with 60+ new works from composers around the world. Featured in interviews on Modern Notebook Radio (WSMR) and Minnesota Public Radio’s All Things Considered with Tom Crann, Ann has performed the portions of the project more than 50 times, including as a featured PEDx presentation at the 2023 National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago. La Circular: Revista de Cultural Rural y Circular (Spain) wrote, “Ann DuHamel’s concert at the Porto [Portugal] Pianofest demonstrated … the ability of classical music in general, and the piano in particular, to transmit the concerns and thoughts of the contemporary world.” A past President of Minnesota Music Teachers Association, Ann earned the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa under the tutelage of Ksenia Nosikova; prior to her time in Iowa, she was Assistant Artistic Director for Paul Wirth at the Central Minnesota Music School in St Cloud. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota Morris, where she devotes herself to the mission of sharing high quality traditional and contemporary classical music with students and the greater community. Ann is thrilled to return for her fourth appearance with the CLSO, performing the iconic Piano Concerto No. 2 of Sergei Rachmaninoff in his 150-year celebration.
