Margo Garrett

Piano | Professional Development Program Chair

The large roster of artists with whom pianist MARGO GARRETT has long performing relationships include sopranos Kathleen Battle, Barbara Bonney, Elizabeth Futral, Beverly Hoch, the late Judith Raskin, Lucy Shelton, Dawn Upshaw, Benita Valente, mezzo Shirley Close, tenors Anthony Dean Griffey and Paul Sperry, violinists Jaime Laredo and Daniel Phillips, violist Paul Neubauer, and cellists Sharon Robinson, Matt Haimowitz, and the late Stephen Kates. Her recordings can be found on Albany, CRI, Deutsche Grammophon (1992 Grammy for Best Vocal Recital), Dorian, Musical Heritage Society, Nonesuch, and Sony Classical.

A devoted teacher, Ms. Garrett headed the newly created Collaborative Piano Department at The Juilliard School from 1985 – 1991 at which time she became the first holder of the Ethel Alice Hitchcock Chair in Accompanying and Vocal Coaching at the University of Minnesota’s School of Music, the first privately endowed collaborative chair in the US. She returned to the Juilliard faculty in 2000. Ms. Garrett directed the Tanglewood Music Center vocal fellowship program for the last 6 of her 19 years of teaching there, was awarded the 1989 American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) Most Creative Programming Award and, from 1999 through 2006, was Faculty Chair of The Steans Institute for Young Artist’s vocal and chamber music programs at Chicago Symphony’s Ravinia Festival. Recent seasons have found Ms. Garrett in residence at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, a judge at the 15th International Schumann Vocal Competition (2008) in Zwickau, Germany and at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in New York, in residence at Vancouver International Song Institute, Taiwan Normal Teacher’s University, University of Michigan, and at The Music Academy of the West. This is her fourth visit to Song Fest.