New York Youth Symphony, Michelle Cann & Michael Repper
Biographie New York Youth Symphony, Michelle Cann & Michael Repper
Michelle Cann
A champion of the music of Florence Price, Ms. Cann performed the New York City premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra in February 2021, which the Philadelphia Inquirer called “exquisite.”
Highlights of her 2021–22 season include debut performances with the Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis symphony orchestras, as well as her Canadian concert debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. She also receives the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, and the 2022 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. Embracing a dual role as both performer and pedagogue, her season includes teaching residencies at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and the National Conference of the Music Teachers National Association.
Ms. Cann regularly appears in solo and chamber recitals throughout the U.S., China, and South Korea. Notable venues include the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), and the Barbican (London). She has also appeared as cohost and collaborative pianist with NPR’s From The Top.
An award winner at top international competitions, in 2019 she served as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s MAC Music Innovator in recognition of her role as an African-American classical musician who embodies artistry, innovation, and a commitment to education and community engagement.
Ms. Cann studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where she holds the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies.
Michael Repper
Praised by the Baltimore Sun for his “confidence and expressive nuance,” Michael Repper is one of the most sought-after young conductors in the world. With work spanning four continents, Mr. Repper has an international reputation for engaging and exciting audiences of all spectrums, and for promoting new and diverse musical talents. Mr. Repper is a recipient of both the 2020 and 2021 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Awards, which were given in recognition of his work with the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall, Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, and other ensembles worldwide. An ardent supporter, advocate, and educator of young people, Mr. Repper’s mission is to use music as a vehicle for positive change within our communities. As of January 2022, Michael is the Artistic Director of the Central Ensembles of Sinfonía por el Perú, one of the world's most versatile social impact music organizations, headquartered in Lima.
As an educator, Mr. Repper has traveled to Europe and South America to work with young ensembles. As Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Maryland, he ushered in a slate of innovative educational programming, such as the Reinecke Youth Chamber Music Scholarship and Fellowship Program, providing $1000 scholarships and performance opportunities for students in the Mid-Atlantic. He conducts several masterclasses each year for orchestras from all over the United States on behalf of the New York Philharmonic.
Mr. Repper has been named a Music Director finalist for the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, and made his debut with the Colorado Symphony in January 2022. Catch news his full season of upcoming concerts at Carnegie Hall and worldwide at mikerepper.com.
Mr. Repper has collaborated on large-scale productions of symphonic and theatrical works with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival, Peabody Institute of Music, and the New School of Music, among others. An avid pianist, he regularly performs as a soloist alongside his orchestras and choruses, and as an orchestral player as well. Most recently, he played in the Chicago Symphony for their performances of Bernstein’s Mass, which was broadcast on PBS Great Performances.
Alongside the standard repertoire, Mr. Repper is especially invested in programming new music and showcasing fresh talent. His ensembles have performed dozens of world premieres and pursued innovative commissions, as well as a variety of Carnegie Hall premieres from established and emerging composers. Mr. Repper was the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conducting Fellow for two seasons, and he continues to serve as a New Music Consultant to the Baltimore Symphony. A trusted ear, Mr. Repper is asked to assist and cover at orchestras nationwide, including the St. Louis Symphony, and for Naxos recordings with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. His experience with choruses has been recognized with significant positions, including his tenure as the Music Director at the Baltimore Basilica, the first Catholic Cathedral in the United States. Internationally, Mr. Repper has performed with some of the most highly regarded ensembles and in the world’s greatest venues, including a debut with the São Paulo Symphony in 2016, and at the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona in 2019.
