Heather Schmidt | Composer, Pianist, Writer, Artist & Filmmaker

“The Gryphon Trio gave a noonday concert to premiere Heather Schimdt’s Lunar Reflections. … The performance was an unequivocal success with the audience, oneself being no exception. It would be wonderful to hear this piece again and give it more consideration.”

“I had the rare opportuity to hear Heather Schmidt’s Lunar Reflections today… The music was complex and impressive, really effective…”

“The final piece on the program, Lunar Reflections by former Calgarian Heather Schmidt, was a superb closing number. Each movement depicted a different kind of moon and had its own unique character. Often the melodies were reminiscent of folk dances. The piece ended clamorours and triumphant, their ‘heavy metal movement’ said their pianist Jamie.”

“Lunar Reflections, a five-moon suite commissioned from 34-year-old Canadian pianist and composer Heather Schmidt for last summer’s Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, showed how new music and easy listening can co-exist.”

“It isn’t often you can spend an evening in the same space with Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssoohn-Hensel — and Heather Schmidt… a formidable talented composer/pianist who was born and raised in Calgary but now enjoys an illustrious, multi-faceted international career based out of Toronto.”

“Heather Schmidt is a rarity in the musical world. Most musicians would consider themselves fortunate to build a successful career as a performer or as a composer. Schmidt is in demand throughout North America and in Europe in both capacities. ‘It’s only in the recent century that the two roles have become separate,’ she says. ‘As a performer I find that I perform with a composer’s insights, and likewise music that I write is affected by my experience as a performer. They’re really intertwined.’”