Pianist Maria Pikoula has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber
musician and in a wide variety of settings in Europe, North America and
Russia. She gave her official solo debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall
sponsored by Artists International Presentations and has been featured soloist with the
Liepaja Symphony Amber Sound Orchestra, the oldest orchestra in the Baltic
States. Other venues include the Kennedy Center and the beautiful Sala dos
Espelhos at Lisbon’s historic Palaçio Foz. She has also been featured artist
at the Hellenic Consulate in New York, the Hellenic Embassy of the United
Nations, and gave a special gala performance for Greece's Ambassador to the
United States.
Maria Pikoula is the featured pianist in
Orchid Classics’ newly released album From Sappho’s Lyre, featuring
four major works by composer Constantine Caravassilis. Based on
sapphic poetry and themes, From Sappho’s Lyre uses 2600-year-old
poetry by Sappho, as well as recent translations and original verses by
American classicist, author, and poet Jeffrey M. Duban, alongside Pulitzer Prize winner Sara
Teasdale’s historical poem Sappho in its entirety. Recording sessions for
the project included venues in Baltimore, Toronto and New York and
culminated with the recording of the album’s title work - a multimedia,
scenic cantata for two solo voices, chamber orchestra and choir,
pre-recorded audio, and narrator - at the DiMenna Center for Classical
Music. During this multi-year process, Maria collaborated with an array of
award-winning musicians including cellist Sophie Shao, oboist
Katherine Needleman, mezzo soprano
Carla Jablonski, soprano Jenni Klauder, flautist
Anna Urrey, violinist Abi Králik, baritone Brian Mummert and clarinetist
Noémi Sallai, among others.
Maria’s debut solo album, Variations & Inspirations
(2016), features works by Mozart, Brahms, Schubert-Liszt, Jacques Hétu and
Constantine Caravassilis. She also recorded for the ANTARA project in
London, UK and her performances have been broadcast on radio stations in
North America and Europe.
Maria’s academic distinctions include the W.O. Forsyth Memorial
Award, the Manhattan School of Music Merit Scholarship, as well as the Eleni
Gatzoyiannis, John Silber and Richmond Awards. In 2001 Maria was inducted to
the Golden Key International Honour Society. She has been honored as a
recipient of several accolades and awards in national and international
competitions. These include the Artists International Presentations Special
Prize, the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Award, First Prize at the GWUC
National Music Competition in Chicago, the Hellenic American Women's Music
Award, and First Prize and Gold Medal at the Greek National Competition.
Maria holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from
Boston University, where she studied with Anthony di Bonaventura on
full scholarship. She received her Master's Degree in Piano Performance from
the Manhattan School of Music in New York under Arkady Aronov and her
Bachelor's Degree with Honors from the University of Toronto under Boris Lysenko.
She taught at Boston University, and she is
currently on the faculty at Valencia College.
About
Maria
Píkoula