Pianist Naida Cole has been hailed as "a dazzling star" by Gramophone magazine. In regular performances in major halls around the world she has quickly established a reputation as an individual artist with her own unique voice. This is evident in her repertoire choices as well as her musical partners, most notably Gidon Kremer.

A native of Toronto, Naida Cole studied with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, Marc Durand at the Université de Montréal, Marina Geringas at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and Fleisher, Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Dimitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts'ong, and Charles Rosen at the Fondazione lnternazionale per il pianoforte in Cadenabbia, Italy. In 1997 Naida Cole added to her collection of prizes at competitions in Canada and Japan by winning the prizes for best performance of the commissioned work and best chamber music performance at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Gidon Kremer and his ensemble Kremerata Baltica have collaborated regularly with Naida Cole. She is a regular guest at Kremer's Lockenhaus Festival in Austria and they have toured together in Europe and the US appearing in major venues including New York's Carnegie Hall, Cleveland's Severance Hall and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Reviewing the Carnegie Hall concert James Oestreich of the New York Times wrote "Naida Cole rivalled Mr. Kremer in virtuosity." Naida Cole also appears on the Grammy award winning Gidon Kremer CD After Mozart released on Nonesuch Records.

Naida Cole is an exclusive Decca recording artist. Her first recording of music by Fauré, Chabrier, Satie and Ravel was nominated for a Juno Award in Canada and has been universally acclaimed, hailed by Gramophone Magazine as "a stunning debut" from "an artist to watch" and listed in its critics' favourite CDs of 2001. BBC Music Magazine called the disc "exceptionally accomplished" and awarded it five stars – the highest rating. Her second CD will be released during the 2002/2003 season and will include Ravel's Miroirs, Bartok's Improvisations and Liszt's Sonata.

As a recitalist and soloist, Naida Cole has always programmed a wide range of works, regularly performing French and contemporary music alongside the masters. She has been acclaimed throughout North America for her performances of Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'Enfant Jesus. She has also presented the music of Bartok, Beethoven, Brahms, Chabrier, Chopin, Corigliano, Debussy, Fauré, Liszt, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Schubert, Schumann, Scriabin and Stravinsky. She also works regularly as a chamber music artist.

Naida Cole has appeared frequently with the major Canadian orchestras including the Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony and National Arts Centre Orchestras and has also performed with Gidon Kremer's Kremerata Baltica, the London Sinfonietta and the Munich, Warsaw and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras. As a recitalist she has performed in Wigmore Hall and throughout North America including the Kennedy Center. As a chamber musician she has appeared in the Lockenhaus, Ravinia, Spoleto USA and Ottawa Chamber Music Festivals.

Upcoming engagements include a tour with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica of Europe and the US, a tour of major Canadian orchestras including the Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras plus appearances with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, NHK Symphony and at the New York International Piano Arts Festival.

© 2000 - 2002 Naida Cole