Heather McGuire – Pianist

Heather McGuire runs a private music studio in Edmonton, Alberta where she teaches all levels of piano, theory, harmony, and music history. Heather also works as an examiner for Conservatory Canada and adjudicator for Alberta music festivals. As a pianist, she continues to perform solo and collaborative repertoire with a special interest in 20th-century music.

Heather graduated from her Master of Music degree at the University of Alberta in May 2020 where she studied under Dr. Jacques Després. She focused her graduate studies on contemporary piano music, performing many 20th and 21st century works and completing the research portion of her degree on the benefits of teaching contemporary pieces at beginner and intermediate levels. Previously, Heather received her Artist Certificate and Bachelor of Music from Lakehead University where she studied with Dr. Evgeny Chugunov. Heather has also had the privilege of briefly studying with other prominent pianists including Jacques Rouvier, Gwendolyn Mok, Eve Egoyan, and Richard Raymond.

Heather has received many accolades for her academic and performative work, including the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship for her focus on contemporary Canadian works and the Johann Strauss Award which allowed her to study at the Mozarteum University in Austria. Heather also received the Steinway Top Teacher Award for 2022.

In her spare time, Heather volunteers on the ARMTA Edmonton Branch Executive. She also enjoys many hobbies including gardening, cooking, reading mystery novels, and hiking in the Canadian Rockies.