Classical artist, composer and master pianist Elizabeth Naccarato has created a veritable portal through time and space on the deeply peaceful and immersive experience offered by her new album “Salonnières”. This altogether unique release not only communicates a rare pause for our modern age where the listener can engage in ethereal beauty, it projects the mind’s eye to a different time and place altogether, allowing us to reflect and bring a gem back into the now. A subtle rapture pervades this powerful and essential work.
“Who you are, is where you’ve been”
During the Enlightenment era in France, a woman referred to as a Salonnière would host salon parties in her home. She would invite and facilitate musical artists, writers and thinkers in order to engage in stimulating and inspiring discourse. Among the pianists who played at these gatherings were Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Franz List and Claude Debussy. Chopin loved performing at these intimate gatherings, as he was less fond of large public performances. He probably perfected his improvisational skills during these events, and undoubtedly wowed the guests.
My piano composing has always been inspired by The Repertoire and the great composers.
“This collection contains some of those works, as well as my compositions that were inspired by them. The alberti bass of Mozart, the appoggiaturas and suspensions of Brahms, variations of Mozart and Chopin, improvisational runs, recitatives, and meters are some of the compositional devices that are indelibly imprinted in my mind and work. I hope that you listen to this record in an intimate space, and that it gives you serenity and inspiration. Thank you for coming and engaging.
Your salonnière,
Elizabeth
A native Texan, Elizabeth began her piano studies at the age of six at the Dominican Convent in Houston. She won her first piano competition at the age of nine, when she performed and competed in local and statewide events. At that time, her voice instructor noticed her ability for composition. She became a student of Bessie Griffiths and Ruth Burr, studying piano and theory many hours a week.
Elizabeth received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees from The University of Southern California where she studied with Daniel Pollack and John Perry. She was a three-time winner of the Hollywood Alumni S.A.I Scholarship and was awarded a highly coveted Teaching Assistantship at USC. Elizabeth has been a piano faculty member at The University of Southern California, University of Puget Sound and Adams State University.
Elizabeth performed solo Classical piano music extensively in Texas and on the West Coast, but it was when she moved to the Pacific Northwest that she began composing. Elizabeth released her first album Jarrell’s Cove in 1995, followed by North Sycamore, Stone Cottage, History, One Piano and Souvenir D’Italia & A Southwest Story in 2022.
In 2023, Elizabeth resumed her study with her beloved professor & concert pianist, Daniel Pollack. Elizabeth Naccarato has received critical acclaim for her work internationally, as well as awards & nominations for her recordings. Her new release Salonnières marries her performance of classical piano repertoire with her own classically inspired compositions.