Hailed as a “stunning pianist with incredible dexterity”, Canadian pianist Audrey Andrist has thrilled audiences around the globe, from North America to Japan, China and Germany with her “passionate abandon” and “great intelligence.” Ms. Andrist grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, and while in high school traveled three hours one-way for lessons with William Moore, himself a former student of famed musicians Cécile Genhart and Rosina Lhévinne. She completed Masters and Doctoral degrees at the Juilliard School with Herbert Stessin, and won first prizes at the Mozart International, San Antonio International, Eckhardt-Gramatté, and Juilliard Concerto Competitions. She is a member of the Stern/Andrist Duo with her husband, violinist James Stern; Strata, with her husband and Nathan Williams, clarinet, and the Andrist-Stern-Honigberg Trio with cellist Steven Honigberg. She is the principal pianist of ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston, Texas) and the PostClassical Ensemble in Washington, DC. She has performed at Lincoln Center in New York, the Phillips Collection, Kennedy Center and Library of Congress in Washington, Place des Arts in Montreal, and the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. With the CBC Vancouver Orchestra and maestro Mario Bernardi, she presented the world premiere of Andrew P. MacDonald’s Piano Concerto, composed especially for her and commissioned by CBC Radio.
An avid performer of new music, Ms. Andrist has recorded for more than a dozen record labels and has presented over 75 world premieres as a soloist and with various ensembles. In her many intrepid adventures in modern music, she has played a wide variety of instruments, including synthesizer, harmonium, celesta, melodica, paper accordion, mbira, tack piano, bass drum and slide whistle! She and the ensembles with which she performs regularly play music by young student composers, working with the students to hone their craft, and mentoring them in the composition process. A devoted teacher, Ms. Andrist lives in the Washington, DC area, where she teaches at the Washington Conservatory and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and where she is in constant demand as a soloist, chamber musician, adjudicator and master class teacher. In her spare time, she is an enthusiastic cook and hockey fan.
Teaching
Affiliate Artist
Classical Piano
Education
B.M. in Piano Performance, University of Regina
M.M. in Piano Performance, The Julliard School
D.M.A. in Piano Performance, The Julliard School
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