Dr. Deborah Nemko - piano

Pianist and Fulbright scholar Deborah Nemko recently returned from the Netherlands where she presented solo performances at the Havik Festival, the Utrecht Conservatory, and the Bethanienklooster, focusing on rediscovered repertoire by Dutch composers from the time of Anne Frank. Fascinated by the connections between music and social issues, Ms. Nemko helps audiences experience the immediacy of music as it intersects with life. She has performed in a wide range of settings, from castles and art museums, to major concert halls including New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Active as a solo and chamber recitalist, Ms. Nemko’s performance credits abroad include concerts in Tokyo at the Kwansei Gaukin University; in China at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and the Shanghai Normal University. Back home in the states she has performed at The Breakers (Newport, RI), Illinois State University, the John F. Kennedy House (Brookline, Mass.), the Dallas Art Museum, and the Universities of Nevada, Rhode Island, and Maine at Fort Kent.

Known for her inventive programming that highlights context and relevance, Ms. Nemko uses discussion and dialogue to bring works of art into the here and now for audiences so they can find personal connections and meaning. Her diverse repertoire ranges from Ginastera and Ravel, to works by Tania Leon, Phillip Glass and William Bolcom. Ms. Nemko has also commissioned and performed works by Scott Brickman and Dianne Rahbee.

Ms. Nemko’s explorations of some of the lesser-known corners of the repertoire have led to performances that actively engage audiences in discovering new approaches to listening. Her programs have explored cultural alienation, war, and the relationship between music and architecture and music and American literature.

A committed educator, Dr. Nemko has served as faculty at the International Master Classes (Vresse, Belgium) and at the Grumo International Music Festival (Tesero, Italy). In the States, she is Professor of Music at Bridgewater State University and member of the faculty ensemble, Trio Fiero. She also serves as faculty to the New England Conservatory’s Preparatory and Continuing Education Program. Deborah has taught courses and workshops on everything from Contemporary music and American popular music, to women composers, chamber music, pedagogy, to techniques for overcoming performance anxiety, and frequently offers custom-designed community education programs along with her mainstage recital offerings.