Frances Renzi
“Frances Renzi has a way of making music come alive” wrote Boris Nelson of the Toledo Blade. Whether in recital, as orchestral soloist, or as chamber musician, her artistry remains apparent. She consistently enthralls critics and audiences alike.
Pianist Frances Renzi has appeared as soloist with many orchestras including those of Dallas, Houston, Toledo, and the New Hampshire Music Festival. She has given recitals in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States. She has also performed recitals and given masterclasses in Taiwan and China.
An extraordinary chamber player, she frequently collaborates with distinguished artists, and is much in demand as a chamber music performer. She appears regularly as a featured guest artist on the Toledo Symphony Chamber Series and also performs each summer at the New Hampshire Music Festival. She was a founding member of the Toledo Trio at the University of Toledo and performed with them for 27 years.
She has recorded solo and chamber music for Centaur, Educo, Koch International, Musical Heritage Society, Azica, Audite, and Decca/Argo. Her recording of 20th century etudes by American composers Ned Rorem, Vincent Persichetti, and George Perle received enthusiastic reviews. Fanfare Magazine described her playing as “…absolutely superb…crystal-like articulation, impeccable rhythmic precision, unflagging energy, and a truly remarkable understanding of these pieces…” A recent recording of chamber music of Paul Schoenfield was nominated for a Grammy. Her performances as a soloist and chamber musician have been broadcast on radio and television across the nation including a presentation on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.
She was a solo pianist for the New York City Ballet performing Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes and participated in the Stravinsky Festival at Lincoln Center.
A native of Texas, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas and her Master’s degree from the Juilliard School where she was a scholarship student of Rosina Lhevinne and Beveridge Webster. An experienced teacher as well as performer, she is Professor Emerita at the University of Toledo. In 2000 she received a commendation from the Ohio Senate honoring her outstanding university career of 27 years.
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