Academic Background

BMus (McGill), MMus (Indiana), DMA (SUNY, Stony Brook)

Biography

As a concert pianist, Dr. Heather Taves has performed as guest soloist with Canadian symphony orchestras coast to coast. She has performed in recital at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Place des Arts in Montreal, Merkin Hall in New York City, the Prague Spring Festival in the Czech Republic, the Madras Philharmonic Society in India, and Radio Zurich in Switzerland. She has been featured on CBC TV and Radio 2, and has recorded music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. Taves is also an active composer, contemporary pianist and improviser. She has worked with such icons of twentieth century avant-garde music as John Cage, George Crumb, and Elliott Carter, and has premiered many works by composers including Glenn Buhr and Peter Hatch. Her recent creative work includes collaborating with Barbara Croall to direct “Spirit of Understanding,” a production which brings together Aboriginal non-Native musicians working in urban music, performance art and video. Taves obtained a Bachelor of Music degree with high distinction in performance from McGill University at age 19, a Master of Music degree from Indiana University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.