Anne-Marie McDermott Named Artistic Director of Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series

Mainly Mozart has announced the appointment of pianist and arts leader Anne-Marie McDermott as the Artistic Director of its Spotlight Chamber Music Series, beginning in the 2026-27 season. The series showcases today's leading artists in up-close and personal concert experiences at the Scripps Research Auditorium, La Valle Coastal Club, and private residences.

Mainly Mozart also announces complete programming for the 2027 Spotlight Series, featuring McDermott, violinists Paul Huang and Erin Keefe, clarinetist/conductor/composer Osmo Vänskä, the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo, cellist Carter Brey, clarinetist Anthony McGill, and more. Across multiple programs, the artists will perform beloved cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire as well as vibrant new works by some of today's most compelling composers. See below for complete program details.

'We are delighted to welcome Anne-Marie McDermott back to Mainly Mozart as Artistic Director of the Spotlight Series,' said Mainly Mozart CEO and Artistic Partner Nancy Laturno. 'This new leadership role will highlight Anne-Marie's extraordinary talents as both a performer and a programmer, and the 2027 series lineup she has curated will deliver truly unforgettable musical experiences for our audiences.'

One of the most versatile, respected, and best-reviewed pianists of our time, Anne-Marie McDermott has played concertos, recitals, and chamber music in hundreds of cities throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has also made a name for herself as a curator and artistic leader of notable festivals and concert series, most recently at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival in Colorado, where she served as Artistic Director for 16 years. Under her stewardship, Bravo! Vail presented annual residencies by the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and doubled the number of performances presented each summer. She also launched the Piano Fellows program, an international chamber orchestra residency, a commissioning initiative, and new concert-series formats. Other festivals and institutions shaped by her leadership include Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival in Florida and the Chamber Music Festival at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

'It is a true honor and joy to rejoin Mainly Mozart to lead the Spotlight Series,' shared Anne-Marie McDermott. 'This role allows me to celebrate my passion for chamber music in an extraordinary city, alongside esteemed colleagues and close friends. 2027 can't come soon enough!'

About Anne-Marie McDermott

One of the most dazzling American pianists of her generation, Anne-Marie McDermott has performed concertos, recitals, and chamber music throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is an insightful interpreter of Baroque and Classical masterpieces, 20th-century modernism, and music by influential contemporary composers. McDermott has soloed with the New York Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She is currently recording the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Mexico City's Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería under Carlos Miguel Prieto. Her recordings also include the complete piano sonatas of Prokofiev, solo works by Chopin, Bach's English Suites and Partitas, and Gershwin's works for piano and orchestra. She received a 2024 Honorary Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music. McDermott is the Artistic Director of the Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival and of the McKnight Center's Chamber Music Festival. Her tenure as Artistic Director of Bravo! Vail Music Festival concluded in summer 2026.