S01E10 - Anthony DeMare

Contemporary Pianist, Anthony de Mare shares his journey to his
current career.  He talks about his influences that formed
his path to studying classical piano, leading him to find an
affinity to the repertoire of contemporary composers.  At
the University of Buffalo he found his way to new music exploring
late Liszt to the present and hosting a radio program about new
music.  He examines the skills that a pianist needs to be
successful at learning contemporary music and the importance of
including contemporary music within standard repertoire
curriculum.  We discuss the difficulties that arise from
learning and teaching contemporary music, how competitions fit
into creating a career, and defining what is included in
contemporary piano music.  Reinventing himself every five
years or so, he shares his current project “Liaisons”,
commissioning 36 of the world’s foremost contemporary composers
from across the musical spectrum to “re-imagine” one of
Sondheim’s songs as a solo piano piece.