Pianist Kara Huber to perform at PCOFA in March
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Kara Huber
New York Concert Review hailed her as ‘absolutely dazzling’ – ‘in a word, flawless’. Grammy nominated pianist, Kara Huber, will come back to her home state of Illinois to perform at the Paris Center of the Fine Arts on Saturday, March 5th.
Huber was born in Effingham, Illinois, but grew up in Oakland. “My older brother, Cole, started piano lessons when we were younger,” Kara said. “I wanted to do everything he did, so my parents put me in lessons shortly after.”
Both Cole and Kara studied the piano as they grew up with teachers Alice Jayne, Laura Swickard and Dr. David Hobbs. “Cole and I attended Kindermusik when we were toddlers and I started studying piano privately at the age of five,” Huber told us.
Private lessons eventually led Kara to being admitted to the Interlochen Arts Academy, at sixteen, for her junior and senior years of high school, where she made her orchestral debut with the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra.
After graduating, Huber attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. “I attended the university for a Bachelors of Music in piano performance,” Kara said. “I also have a Master of Music, Artist Diploma and Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance and conducting.”
Kara’s first professional recital was at the Rising Stars Piano Series in South Hampton, New York in 2012. She has also made numerous solo appearances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Piano Virtuoso Series at the Canadian Opera Company.
Recently, Huber has made her debut at Carnegie Hall in the Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Series at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Yamaha Canada Young Artist Series. “I’ve performed all over the US, Canada, Europe and Australia,” Huber said.
She was also featured with the York Symphony Orchestra under Denis Mastromonaco and Michael Rohac as well as conducted and performed with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra in Toronto.
Huber has also worked under Charles Dutoit and Gerard Schwarz. Kara has also performed in Master Classes for internationally renowned artists such as Richard Goodge, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Peter Serkin, Frederic Chiu, Valentina Lisitsa, Ian Hobson, Steven Mayer, Jeffrey Swann, Robert McDonald, Jerome Rose and Graham Johnson. Her past teachers include Michael Coonrod, Frank Weinstock, Yoshi Nagai, Paul Schenly and Jerome Lowenthal.
During her career, Huber has received numerous prizes and awards for her performances. Those awards include the Audience Favorite Award in the Cincinnati World Piano Competition, Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, The Stetcher and Horowitz Foundation’s New York Piano Competition, Piano Arts Solo and Concerto Competition, National Foundation of the Advancements of the Arts, Oberlin International Piano Competition, Missouri Western Young Artist Piano Competition and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.
Kara has also attended summer festivals such as Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, Pianofest in the Hamptons, Eastern Music Festival, Mannes International Keyboard Institute and Festival as Indiana University Piano Academy.
In 2017, Kara recorded with the ARC Ensemble for Chandos Records. This record was nominated for a 2017 Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble.
“It was an honor to work with the ARC Ensemble,” Kara said. “It was a shared experience with my amazing collaborators.”
Kara continues to work closely with living composers and has collaborated with Percussion Group Cincinnati.
In addition to being a pianist, Kara is a teacher, collaborative and chamber pianist and accompanies vocalist, instrumentalist and ballet classes. When she’s not making music, Kara enjoys baking, hot yoga, spending time with her rescue dog, Mosby, and her four year old niece, Aurora.
In March, Kara will come back to the area where she grew up, something that she is looking forward to. “It’s always a joy to perform for a home town audience and see so many old friends and mentors,” Kara said.
If you would like to attend Kara’s performance at the Paris Center of Fine Arts, visit their website at www.pcofa.net and click on upcoming shows.
