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Historical Piano Concerts Series
About the Musicians

Amira Acre

Amira Acre, piano

A native of Montreal, Amira Acre began her piano studies at age three. At four she had her first professional engagement on radio, and at age five she won her first piano competition.  She studied with Abbey Simon at the Juilliard School, in New York City, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees, and later returned to the US to earn her doctorate in piano performance at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In Canada, she taught and performed both solo and chamber music. In both nations her concerts have been well received: "This is a pianist who adores the instrument and who demands we listen to her ideas... a real talent and a name to remember." (The Montreal Gazette) "Expertise and grace... Deftly illuminating interpretations and quite exciting". (NY Times)

She has received many scholarships and awards including three Canada Council Grants, and Fellowships to Tanglewood, Fountainebleau, and Banff. She was awarded full tuition scholarships at Juilliard from the William Petschek Piano Fund, and has won scholarships from La Fondation des Amies de l'Art.  She received first prize at the Artists International Auditions in New York and was a winner of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra competition.

Ms. Acre gave her New York debut in 1984 at Carnegie Recital Hall, which led to many engagements across Canada and the United States. She has performed in France, England, Belgium, Italy and other European countries. Besides performing internationally as a solo artist, Ms. Acre, a distinguished chamber musician, has performed in that role numerous times at Lincoln Center in New York City as well as in many music festivals in North America and Europe.

After being focused on music from age three, she turned her focus to raising her two surviving triplet daughters and her younger son. She is now happily returning to her career and sharing her love for the piano.

Amira’s playing can be heard online with six performances posted on YouTube, including the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2, recorded at Jordan Hall in Boston, Liszt’s b-minor Sonata with our 1846 Streicher piano, and Ravel’s Jeux d’eau on our 1877 Erard, recorded during our concerts. You can pick from among them or listen to all six just by clicking here !

We welcome Amira to her third performance in our Historical Piano Concerts series.