Interview with Anne-Marie McDermott
by Bethany Tillerson (photo credit: © Opus 3 Artists)

Anne-Marie McDermott has made a name for herself in classical music for her decades of experience, her broad repertoire as a pianist, and her prominent role as artistic director of successful music festivals like Bravo! Vail Music Festival and Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival. Anne-Marie McDermott speaks in depth on her background in music with Rob Kennedy, and how she became the musician she is today.

McDermott: When I was young, my oldest sister was already playing the piano, and I always wanted to push her off the bench because I wanted to play. My sister, Kerry, started on the violin, but we all also started on guitar and mandolin. And at the same time, we were studying Irish step dancing. I was a gymnast as well. So there was a very well-rounded exposure to many things at that age. All of us studied with one teacher, so he taught piano, violin, guitar, mandolin, singing, all of it. Music filled the house all the time. Neither of my parents were musicians at all.

My father managed to get a deal at Manhattan’s School of Music’s prep division for all three of his daughters to go on full scholarship. We had no means to pay to go into the city to Manhattan School of Music every Saturday, so this was what made it possible. I started studying with an Italian man, Del Amo Cara. He was super disciplined and he really taught me the art of how to practice. Because if you don’t know how to practice, you’re not really going to get better. I loved working with him and the discipline that he imparted on me. And he made me understand that if you practice well today, you’re going to sound better tomorrow. It’s very basic, but it’s something that becomes a bit addictive when you realize, “Whoa, I’m getting better because I’m understanding how to practice.” So from there, when I was 14, I started working with Constance Keene. And again, she was very, very disciplined with me. In all honesty, I left most lessons crying because she was so hard on me. I’m sure I needed it to a degree, but it was pretty tough.

Many influences have shaped her professional career, and Anne-Marie McDermott is outspoken about how accepting every opportunity that came her way as a young musician was extremely important to her development into the person she became.

McDermott: There’s not one path for any young person with their career. I think what shaped my career so much, especially at the beginning, was that I was willing to walk through any door that opened. I always like to recommend to young people to be open, because something may come your way. There was one time I was in New York and I was out shopping. My manager called me and said, “Can you play Beethoven’s Second Concerto tonight?” She knew it was a piece I had played quite a bit. And I said, “Well, let me go home and play the piano for a minute.” She said, “No, we need an answer now,” because the concert was in Florida and I was in New York, so I said, “Yes, okay.” I hadn’t played a concerto for a year and there was no time to practice. And it was a really good performance, because I realized that there were not enough cells in my body for me to be nervous. Every part of me had to just be super focused on what I was doing. From that I learned that if it’s in your brain, your fingers will be fine. For the most part, they’ll listen to you. 

An opportunity like that then opened up a lot more opportunities. When you start a career as a young person, it’s important to realize you’re going to have that career for the next 40, 50, 80 years. Every foundational step matters and leads to something else. It’s not just one thing. It’s not that you’re going to win one competition and that’s going to make your career. It doesn’t work that way, in my opinion. A career isn’t defined by a decade. A career is defined very much by the longevity of the career.

In addition to being a talented performer, McDermott has dabbled in concert planning and artistic management—something she never dreamed of doing when she started out in a classical music career.

McDermott: I had the opportunity to start a small chamber music festival in Ocean Reef, Florida, 17 years ago, with a dear friend of mine as executive director. He had a lot of experience. So I decided, absolutely, let me try this. I loved bringing that element of the music business into my life and realizing some artistic dreams of putting together a group of seven musicians and seeing what magic you can create with wonderful musicians and great repertoire. And then that feeling–the concert happens that you’ve programmed and you’ve invited the artists and you see the audience loving it. It’s kind of an addictive feeling. 

On her admission to the Bravo! Festival’s management and jury, McDermott had a lot of great, insightful things to say that apply to more than just classical music careers.

McDermott: I was more nervous for my first interview than I had ever been for any concert ever. It was a whole different world because I had to speak about how I would construct a six-week festival that has the Dallas Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, tons of chamber music. They offered me the position and I remember I sat in a chair and the first thought I had was: I need good help. I always recommend this to young people–surround yourself with wonderful, provocative people, even if they have different ideas than you do. That’s great. You can debate things, but surround yourself with great people. So that’s what I did. I just finished my 12th summer at the Bravo! Festival and I can’t even describe how much I’ve learned, but I think we are all capable of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. If you’re doing work that you have a passion for, somehow you figure it out. Rafael Bronstein, he had this great expression–the greater your discipline, the greater your freedom. And isn’t that the truth? If you’re organized and disciplined, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.

Anne-Marie McDermott was kind enough to give clear, valuable advice to young people pursuing careers in classical music.

McDermott: When you do a competition, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, because you’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. That’s because it is subjective. Just go for it with courage and with great preparation. And if a great result happens, relish it and go with it. If it doesn’t, just go back to the drawing board and just keep trying. My brother didn’t really have a great passion for music and he didn’t find any joy in the process in practicing. So Raphael Bronstein said to him one day, “You should explore all of your options as a young person and only go into classical music if this really is your passion and you can’t imagine yourself doing something else,” because you’re going to need that passion. Because again, no career is just a straight line. 

There are so many avenues in the classical music field for young people to be able to pursue. One of them is being a performer. But there are lots of other, different paths. There are careers in artistic administration that I think are very exciting, or as an executive director, a pianist in a dance studio, or a church organist. How beautiful is that? There are so many areas.

We were privileged to speak with such an acclaimed musician as Ms. McDermott for My Life In Music. You can listen to Rob Kennedy’s full interview with her on The Classical Station at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 3rd.