Rebecca Willett
Rebecca Willett, age 21, a Young Steinway Artist, has felt from a young age that God is calling her to be a musician. She began her music education with piano at age 4 and added violin at age 7. Rebecca performs regularly on piano as a soloist and chamber musician.
During high school, Rebecca traveled from Virginia Beach to NYC to study with internationally acclaimed pianist, conductor and teacher, Ignat Solzhenitsyn.
Rebecca has been blessed to have been a student of gifted teachers: Melody Diehl, Anne Bugg, Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Suzanne Guy, Dr. Jason Peterson, and Dr. Lelia Sadlier.
After being accepted to seven conservatories, Rebecca chose to attend Mannes School of Music in New York, New York beginning August 2012 to study under Irina Morozova. In 2013, Rebecca continued her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Kathryn Brown and Daniel Shapiro.
In July 2013, Rebecca was named Runner Up in the Cremona International Piano Competition and performed in the Winner's recital in Cremona, Italy.
Rebecca has won first prize in numerous concerto competitions. She made her solo orchestral debut playing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in g minor with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in April 2009. She performed the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor twice in March 2010 with the Bay Youth Symphony Orchestra and the York River Symphony. She performed Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in g minor with the Hampton Roads Philharmonic in 2015. After performing in the 2008 Terrific Talented Teens Concert through Sundays at Four, Rebecca was asked back in 2009 to present a full recital. Rebecca has performed as a soloist in the Virginia Symphony’s Young Artist Showcase many times, since the age of 10. She was also chosen to perform in 10-Piano Concerts in Sacramento, California and Matsumoto, Japan.
She has spent many of her summer weeks furthering her music studies at violin and piano institutes and camps, including the prestigious Southeastern Piano Festival, the International Institute for Young Musicians, Credo Chamber Music, Cremona International Music Academy and Bowdoin International Music Festival.
Rebecca has participated in master classes with Benedetto Lupo, Brian Ganz, Harold Protsman, and Dr. Douglas Weeks. She has had private instruction from: Kathryn Brown, Sergei Babayan, Edmund Battersby, Alvin Chow, Leonard Richter, Reiko Uchida, Dr. Marina Lomazov, Dr. Joseph Rackers, Dr. Jack Winerock, Leah Brammer, Linda Nakagawa, and Dr. Haruko Kataoka.
Rebecca is also active in the world of new music. She has premiered works by the composition department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is one of the founding members of Union, a new music ensemble in the Cleveland area. Rebecca is the daughter of Scott and Kimberly Willett and the sister of Caroline and Eliza Willett.
For more information, please visit: rebeccawillett.net
Tel. 757-472-8020