Rebecca J Carda Leigh, concert pianist
Rebecca J Carda Leigh, concert pianist, studied at the most prestigious music schools in the United States, including a BA in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music with such faculty as Nina Svetlanova, Rebecca Penneys, German Diez, Jackson Berkey, Madame Rosalyn Tureck and Dr. Ana Maria Trenchi de Bottazzi. Ms. Carda Leigh has played at the foremost concert halls, such as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, Steinway Hall, The John F. Kennedy Library Boston, The Cardinals Villa Chicago, The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series Chicago, Caramoor, Kilbourn Hall, Howard Hanson Hall, Lena Hall Chautauqua, the Chautauqua Amphitheater, St. Augustine’s Church Bexhill-on-Sea England, and Witherspoon Concert Hall Omaha. Her prizes and honors are numerous: The Forsythe Memorial Award, the Gertrude Vayo, the Eleanor Daugherty, the George Eastman Scholarship, the Chautauqua Summer Music Festival and Aspen Summer Music Festival. Her patrons have included Mary Jane Jarvis of Westport, CT, Elyssa Lindner of the Metropolitan Opera, and Mrs. Howard Hanson (wife of the late composer/conductor Dr. Howard Hanson). Besides performing, she produced, arranged, orchestrated, and performed keyboards on two vocal albums under the NCA label, as well as doing the same for vocalist Pippa Leigh, and numerous students.
She has been an appointed teacher for the American Music Scholarship Association, the Germaine Pinault School of Music, and is a member of the Leschetitzky Association. She adjudicated such competitions as the Leschetitzky Gifted Young People’s Concert and the World Piano Competition as a regional judge. She is the accompanist for choirs and orchestras at Riverside, Julian Curtis, and North Mianus Elementary school, Eastern Middle School, and Central Middle School. She holds the American Protégé International Competition 2013/2023 Diploma for extraordinary dedication and achievement in the field of teaching music and presenting students to perform. Her students perform at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, and Steinway Hall. They show talent and dedication, winning such awards as the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, American Protégé International Piano Competition, The World Piano Competition, The Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition, The Leschetitzky Association Gifted Young People's Concerts competition, and the Fairfield American Chamber Orchestra competition. Ms. Carda Leigh also helps them produce and create websites, music videos, and recordings to showcase their talent online.
She is the 2022 Steinway Top Teacher Award recipient for dedication to music education, artistry, quality, and exquisite musical expression. Rebecca is the founder of the new Summer Concert Series and the First Friday Concert Series held at The Greenwich Arts Council with some concerts in Partnership with The Wallace Center.