Piano
María GARCía
piano program director
Soloist, collaborative pianist, and teacher, pianist María García has been praised for her “dynamic, warmly expressive, and exciting style”. She served as All Classical Radio’s Artist in Residence for the years 2022-23 and Linfield College’s 2024 Artist in Residence. María has recorded solo and chamber works for All Classical’s groundbreaking Recording Inclusivity Initiative, volumes 1 and 2, as well as recordings for Third Angle Ensemble, including its upcoming release of Phillip Glass’ 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof.
María’s piano journey began in her native Puerto Rico at the age of four, making her debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra by the age of 10. She holds a Bachelor of Music with Distinction in Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and completed her Master’s Degree in Music as well as Doctoral Studies at SUNY Stony Brook. Her principal teachers include Luz M. Hutchinson, Victor Rosenbaum, and Gilbert Kalish.
An accomplished chamber musician and soloist, Maria has performed on stages across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Norway, Canada, Israel, Venezuela, Tunisia, Colombia, and Puerto Rico. A passionate teacher and musical coach, María has served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division, the Lawrence Eisman Center for Preparatory Studies in Music at Queens College, New Jersey City University and the 92nd Street Y School of Music.
A Portlander since 2012, María has become an integral part of the local music scene. She collaborates with leading musicians and musical ensembles like Third Angle Ensemble, 45th Parallel Universe, Chatter PDX, Oregon Symphony, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. She was a founding member of the award-winning 20 Digitus Duo. Maria leads a large teaching studio from her home in NE Portland and is a member of OMTA.