About

Esmée Gilbert, born and raised in St. John’s, NL, is a pianist, teacher, and collaborator. She holds a BMus in joint Piano Performance and Musicology (Honours) from Memorial University, a MMus in Piano Performance from uOttawa, and an Artist Diploma (DEPA in collaborative piano) from The University of Montreal. Her primary teachers include Tim Steeves, Leopoldo Erice, Peter Allen, Francis Perron, and Liz Upchurch. She has performed in masterclasses for celebrated pianists Enrico Pace, Jane Coop, Janina Fiawlkowska, and Charles Richard-Hamelin, among others.

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​As a collaborative pianist, Esmée has a keen interest in string repertoire and
accompanied upper string students at both uOttawa and University of Montreal. An active chamber musician, Esmée is co-founder of Ursa Duo with cellist Connor Cornick. She has performed at festivals including Tuckamore, Scotiafestival, Quartetfest and has held two residencies at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance. In addition to working with string players, Esmée has a wide range of collaborative experience including accompanying Art Song classes at both uOttawa and UdeM, Opera Workshop at Memorial University, as well as working with ballet classes, choirs, and musical theatre.

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Esmée enjoys working closely with composers and has commissioned and premiered several new works for solo piano and chamber ensembles. She has received funding from both ArtsNS and ArtsNL for various commissioning and creative projects, including a full recital of solo piano music by composer Isabelle Riche in 2022. Esmée has performed in LAMP’s “NOW” new music concert series and was formerly a core member of Ottawa-based contemporary music collective Ensemble Allure.

Currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Esmée holds an active private teaching studio. She is on faculty at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts where she teaches and works as a collaborative pianist.