Umi Garrett

Umi Garrett is a highly accomplished solo, collaborative, and chamber pianist based in New York City. She has performed numerous solo and collaborative recitals in the United States and internationally, most recently through presenters such as the Chopin Foundation of the United States, the Grace Goudy Distinguished Artists Series, the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series, and the Clark Art Institute. Garrett has performed and toured with orchestras such as the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony and Pops, Symphony Boca Raton, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Wuhan Symphony Orchestra, and the New Mexico Philharmonic. Garrett is also a passionate performer of new music, collaborating with and performing pieces by acclaimed composers such as Samuel Adler, inti figgis-vizueta, and Gabriela Smith. 

As a soloist, Garrett was awarded first prize at the Juilliard School’s Concerto Competition and was named a finalist at the National Chopin Piano Competition, the Young Concert Artists Competition, and the Canada International Piano Competition. As a collaborator, Garrett was awarded the John Newmark Prize for Best Collaborative Pianist for her performances with finalist Nathan Meltzer at the 2023 Montreal International Violin Competition. She has also worked with prize-winners at renowned competitions such as the Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition, Primrose International Viola Competition, and the Sphinx Competition. In the summer of 2024, Garrett was a collaborative pianist for the prestigious Program for Piano and Strings at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. 

Garrett has released three solo albums and recently released her first chamber music album of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for piano and cello, recorded in collaboration with cellist Emily Mantone, through PARMA Recordings. Garrett has worked closely with artists and instructors such as Midori, Lydia Brown, Jonathan Feldman, Robert Levin, Veda Kaplinsky, Julian Martin, and Joseph Kalichstein, and have performed in masterclasses for Leon Fleischer, Helmut Deutsch, and Aldo Ciccolini. Garrett received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Hung-Kuan Chen where she was a recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. She is currently continuing her education at the Juilliard School through the Artist Diploma program, and is working at the Yale School of Music this season as a Collaborative Piano Fellow. Garrett is a Young Steinway Artist.