Widely known for her brilliant, expressive, and technically confident playing, Erika Switzer grows her reputation as the collaborative pianist of choice.  Throughout Europe, North America, and South Africa, she has been praised for her ability to match emotional playing to dramatic texts.  She performs with many of Canada’s finest singers: baritone Tyler Duncan, soprano Martha Guth, tenor Colin Balzer, and soprano Edith Wiens.  In 2010/2011, Ms. Switzer will perform at Montreal’s Andre Turp Society with Julie Boulianne, mezzo-soprano, and Mr. Duncan, baritone, performing works of Mahler and R. Strauss.  She has two New York appearances coming up: the Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn Celebration at the Juilliard School, curated by Larry Todd; and at the Frick Collection in recital with Mr. Balzer; and in Canada, a tour with Ms. Guth and Mr. Duncan for Prairie Debut, which will include the premiere of newly-arranged songs by composer John Greer.

During the 09/10 season, Erika was honoured to be an official pianist for voice division of Munich’s prestigious ARD International Music Competition.  Ms. Switzer has also performed in many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Longy Hall, and Paris’ Salle Cortot.  Other European performances include the New Discoveries series in Baden-Baden Festspiele, and the Winners & Masters concert series in both Munich and Bielefeld.  She has also played at the Cape Classic Chamber Music Festival in Capetown, South Africa. In her native Canada, she has performed at the Chamber Music Festival of Montreal and MusicFest Vancouver.

Ms. Switzer has been recorded by the CBC, Dutch Radio (Radio 4) and in Germany for SWR and the Bayerische Rundfunk.  She has been broadcast live on WGBH in Boston in concert with Tyler Duncan, which broadcast on NPR in the US.  A committed teacher, Erika is a founding faculty member of the Vancouver International Song Institute, and has coached throughout Europe and North America.  Erika is also online with her bi-weekly podcast “Sparks and Wiry Cries”, on iTunes, co-hosted with soprano Martha Guth.  “Sparks and Wiry Cries” is becoming the online source for all things song, singers, and pianists; its first season of 24 episodes has now been completed.

Erika Switzer won First Prize for best pianist at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition and the Best Pianist award at the Robert Schumann International Vocal Competition. Following seven years of studies in Germany, Ms. Switzer is currently based in New York City where she is a C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellow at the Juilliard School of Music.