Natalie Tsaldarakis

Natalie Tsaldarakis is a London-based, Greek pianist and doctoral researcher at City, University of London. Her earlier studies in piano performance saw her working with several Juilliard pianists (Dimitri Toufexis, Dr. Bedford, Dr. McHugh) which first set her on a path to researching pianistic traditions. At the conclusion of her graduate studies in the US and in recognition of excellence in performance Natalie was elected member of the American National Music Honour Society Pi Kappa Lambda, and upon her return to Greece became assistant and mentee of new music specialist, concert pianist Danae Kara (1994-1996). Natalie graduated with a second Master’s degree (the first being in piano performance) under well-known musicologists such as John Rink and Nicholas Cook from Royal Holloway (2007). Natalie’s ongoing research interests in the largely untold British history of pianism, have led her to pursue PhD studies under Dr. Ian Pace at City with a focus on pianist and pedagogue Gordon Green (1905-1981).

Natalie has published a review in the North American British Music Studies Association newsletter (2019), and her revival recording of Helen Hagan’s piano concerto with the Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble can be heard in Yale University’s commemorative video of the composer (2017) which further led to the ensemble’s inclusion in the American Piano Concerto Compendium (W. Phemister, 2018) and was recently also featured on WQXR’s Hear Me Out series (2021).

Since 2020 Natalie is a Convivium label Artist. The first CD 'Elements of London' (2020) under this label featured works for piano duet by British composers Hugh Shrapnel and John E. Lewis. Recently, Natalie recorded two further CDs under the label with music by Hugh Benham: For Piano (released October 2021) and a separate one with music by Clive Osgood, and George Richford for both piano duet (with the Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble) and for piano solo (release in February 2022).