Rena Sharon

“By turns dreamer, adventurer, warrior, and wanderer.. few pianists can match the deep compassion of her playing..Sharon captures it all” —Vancouver Sun

Born in Montreal, Canada, Rena Sharon began her life in chamber music at the age of eight. Her early studies were with Professor Dorothy Morton, and she continued her training at the Eastman School and Indiana University. Principal teachers were Menahem Pressler and Gyorgy Sebok, Janos Starker, and Joseph Gingold.

Called “one of the finest musicians of her generation” and a “national treasure”, she began concertizing throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe at the age of 19. In 1987 she was awarded “Best Pianist” diploma at the International Voice Competition of Rio de Janeiro. Among Canada’s foremost chamber musicians, her performance spectrum also comprises solo recitals and concerti. She has collaborated in recital with many distinguished artists including Ben Heppner, Steven Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Scott St. John, Pamela Frank, Steven Dann, Kevin MacMillan, Richard Margison, Marina Piccinini, James Somerville, Laura St. John, Martin Beaver, James Ehnes, Susan Platts, Benjamin Butterfield, Wendy Neilsen, William Preucil.

In addition to her concert schedule, Ms. Sharon also lectures extensively about Art Song topics and about Chamber Music. “I Love Lieder”, her popular lecture/recital, is an introduction to the collaborative interaction of poetic and musical language in the art song genre. Her presentations have been described as “lightsome, witty, humourous, warm and accessible, yet profoundly passionate and evocative“. Her unique presentations about chamber music have been heard at the Whistler Summit on Collaborative Governance, the CRANE seminar for mediators, the International Association of Collaborative Professionals ( an organization of lawyers in family practice) and the Music and Neuroscience symposium at the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind.

As an advocate of innovative performance genres for Art Song, Ms. Sharon created a company of singers and pianists in 1994 called The Song Circle, for which she conceptualized and collaborated on the production of 9 theatre-pieces including “Hearts and Flowers” and “Songs of the Earth”. Song Circle has performed hundreds of recitals, lectures, and theatre works in venues such as the CBC Vancouver Salon, CBC Radio Song Salon, Festival Vancouver, the Vancouver International Writers Festival, The Seattle Chamber Music Festival Winter Series. A recent lecture and performance for Winnipeg Virtuosi with Tyler Duncan, Erika Switzer, and Phoebe MacRae, was described by the Winnipeg Free Press as “superb…a unique concert that tackles some of the myths about classical music head-on…. The Song Circle has been re-formed as Renegade Muse, and has spawned several other Canadian song-related production projects with alumni of the UBC program.

In 2006 Ms. Sharon assembled a Canadian team of singers, collaborative pianists, and song scholars to co-create the Vancouver International Song Institute (www.visi.ca) , an intensive summer program for the interdisciplinary study and performance of art song and other genres. VISI produced its first session in 2007 with 99 participants and a distinguished faculty renowned Canadian and international performers, poets, composers, and scholars. The program was partnered with a Peter Wall Institute symposium on Art Song (www.artsong.pwias.ubc.ca) that included cognitive psychologists, physicians, music therapists, and neuroscientists.

VISI’s program highlights the study of song as a global phenomenon of fundamental human expressivity and a gateway to humanities and science explorations. Its mandate is innovative advocacy of Art Song education and performance, and its teaching goals focus on authenticity, connectivity, and creativity in performance practice. Ms. Sharon currently functions as VISI’s Artistic Director.

Ms. Sharon is also the Artistic Director of the Young Artist Experience (www.youngartistexperience.ca) at UBC, an interdisciplinary summer program for teens combining intensive chamber music studies with explorations in other arts, sciences, humanities, and social responsibility. Its faculty is comprised of UBC professors and sessional faculty, as well as visiting guest artists. YAE was originated by Professor Jane Coop. Its Co-Director until 2007 was Prof Eric Wilson, and its current Co-Directors are Professor Corey Hamm and Jasper Wood. Guest faculty and visiting artists have included Martin Beaver, David Harding, Odette Creanga, Amanda Forsyth, Martin Reiseley, Scott St. John, Yegor Dyachkov, the Borromeo Quartet, Anton Nel. Workshops facilitators have included University of Michigan Professor of Environmental Law Dr. Edward Parson, UBC Professor of Astrophysics Dr. Jaymie Matthews, and UBC Professor of Genetics Dr. David Ng. YAE has collaborated with the Peace It Together project for Israeli and Palestinian youth, and performs for the Artsway HealthArts Society in hospital and hospice environments.

In 2005 and 2006 Ms. Sharon traveled to Rwanda for concerts and teaching at the Kigali Music School, National University in Butares, and the Milles Collines hotel under the auspices of the Canadian Consulate. Events included artistic collaborations with Rwandan drummers and dancers in improvised performances surrounding keyboard works of Bach. Her experience was the subject of an article in the Canadian literary hournal “The Walrus”, entitled “A Pianist in Rwanda” by Deborah Kirshner.

Currently the Professor of Collaborative Piano Studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, she is a recipient of the Dean of Arts Award for teaching, research, and community outreach. Ms. Sharon is well-known to CBC radio audiences, and has recorded for Marquis, Finlandia, Atma, Brava, Summit, Sono, CBC-5000, and Boston Records.