ABOUT

Sisters Michelle and Kimberly Cann have been making music together since they were in elementary school in Florida. Both grew up playing multiple instruments — steel drums, bassoon, violin, trombone and tuba, to name a few — but the piano was their first love. They won many of the same competitions (often simultaneously in the junior and senior divisions!) performed as soloists with the same ensembles, such as the Florida Orchestra, and worked with many of the same artists, including Christopher O’Riley, host of the nationally syndicated radio and TV show, “From the Top.” They have performed across the USA including a recent Washington, DC debut at the National Gallery. The sisters are both passionate about outreach and education. Their masterclasses and recitals have been praised as enormously fun, interactive and informative.

Michelle Cann

Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, Michelle Cann has become one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation. Cann was the recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization. She also received the Cleveland Institute of Music’s 2022 Alumni Achievement Award and the 2022 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. A celebrated chamber musician, Cann has collaborated with leading artists including the Catalyst, Dover, and Juilliard string quartets, violinists Timothy and Nikki Chooi, and cellist Thomas Mesa. She has appeared as co-host and collaborative pianist with NPR’s From The Top, collaborating with actor/conductor Damon Gupton, violinist Leila Josefowicz, and violinist and MacArthur Fellow Vijay Gupta. Cann’s numerous media appearances include PBS Great Performances’ Now Hear This hosted by Scott Yoo and Living the Classical Life with host Zsolt Bognár.

A staunch believer in community-building through music, Cann has served as the director of two children’s choruses in the El Sistema-inspired program Play On Philly and was part of the inaugural class of ArtistYear fellows at the Curtis Institute of Music. Through ArtistYear, she worked with community partners City Year, Teach for America, and AmeriCorps to provide arts education and access to underserved communities in Philadelphia.

Cann holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Paul Schenly and Dr. Daniel Shapiro, and an Artist’s Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Robert McDonald. She joined the Curtis piano faculty in 2020 as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies. She joined the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music in 2023.

Kimberly Cann

Kimberly Cann made her solo début at age 12 and her orchestral debut (with Beethoven´s “Emperor” Concerto) at age 13. She received her Masters Degree from the Eastman School of Music (studying with Barry Snyder), and in 2006, accepted the positions of Visiting Professor of Music and Artist-in-Residence at Northern Caribbean University (Jamaica). Kimberly is the Founding Director of Piano Lab Studio, whose faculty contain fellow professional artists committed to providing a unique, well-rounded music education for two-year-old beginners to aspiring concert artists and adult amateurs in their nineties. She also founded an El Sistema-inspired program called “Keys for Kidz” which is geared towards providing free group-piano instruction for under-served children. Kimberly has functioned as a board member of the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Piano Forum, and other organizations. She maintains a thriving teaching studio in Asheville, NC and performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician.