Collaborative Pianist Craig Terry

Lauded for his “sensitive and stylish” and “superb” playing, collaborative pianist Craig Terry enjoys an international career regularly performing with some of the world’s leading singers and instrumentalists. He will be featured at the NATS National Conference in Las Vegas, in concert with superstar vocalists Stephanie Blythe and Christine Brewer. CLICK HERE FOR INFO.

Terry also will lead a Collaborative Piano Master Class, strike up some after-hours fun with a Great American Songbook “Late Night NATS” session (Fri., June 22) and lead a breakout session titled “Performing the Great American Songbook with Singers” (Sun., June 24).

Terry has received wide acclaim for his presentation of classic American song. Most notably, he is featured with Stephanie Blythe on the album, As Long as There Are Songs, and in a Live from Lincoln Center national broadcast on PBS. (See below.)

In addition to his collaborative work with Stephanie Blythe and Christine Brewer, Terry has performed with such esteemed vocalists as Jamie Barton, Nicole Cabell, Sasha Cooke, Eric Cutler, Joyce DiDonato, Giuseppe Filianoti, Denyce Graves, Susan Graham, Bryan Hymel, Brian Jagde, Joseph Kaiser, and Quinn Kelsey, among others. He has collaborated as a chamber musician with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, the Gewandhaus Orchester, and the Pro Arte String Quartet.

Currently Terry is Music Director of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center and is in his eleventh season as Assistant Conductor at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Previously he served as Assistant Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera after joining its Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Liner notes from “As Long as There are Songs” with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and collaborative pianist Craig Terry

“The first half of what has been dubbed ‘The American Century’ witnessed an outpouring of popular song unrivalled by any other country on earth. During those rich years, music and lyrics of the highest craftsmanship flowed from the imaginations of our nation’s greatest popular songwriters. The most enduring of these standards from the golden years of Tin Pan Alley, music theater, and film comprise the canon now commonly known as the ‘Great American Songbook.’ These were songs intended for, or adopted by the most accomplished singers of the twentieth century, like Bing Crosby, Ethyl Merman, Judy Garland, Kate Smith, and Frank Sinatra. 

“Continuing this lineage of artists in our own generation is Stephanie Blythe, whose vocal beauty and communicative powers combine to express a nation’s hopes, dreams, loves, and values. On television and stages throughout our country she has breathed new life into these works in interpretations that still possess the ability to touch contemporary audiences. Her deep commitment and authority in presenting this repertoire have made Stephanie Blythe the reigning Queen of American Song in our time. Her creative partnership with the remarkable pianist Craig Terry in this collection marks a dynamic collaboration that celebrates our wealth of American song classics.” 

Recording Engineer John Meyer said of the song collection, “Ultimately it is the pure joy inherent in Blythe and Terry’s performance that brings this recording to life.”

More for collaborative pianists at the NATS National Conference

Personality and Performer: Defining a Satisfying Collaborative Relationship, with Jamie Reimer and Stacie Haneline (Sat., June 23)

It is the aim of this presentation to empower every musical collaborator with information to continue to make intelligent and informed choices when choosing collaborative partners. Through the use of the personality factors espoused by the Meyers-Briggs personality profile, the researchers will identify traits that predict the most satisfying partnerships. READ MORE