TRACY ANNE SMITH is garnering increasing praise for her expressive performances, rich tonal palette and musical control. Cuban guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer praised her “polyphonic hands” and “tremendous sound” while American virtuoso Benjamin Verdery commended her “ability to express the emotion of a work to its core.” As a visiting artist at festivals such as the Alexandria Guitar Festival, and the 7th International Festival of Guitar in Culiacán, Mexico, she has performed in solo recitals, taught Masterclasses and served as a Competition jury member. She was also chosen emerging Artist-in-Residence at the Strathmore Performing Arts Center in Bethesda Maryland.
In October 2007, she recorded a debut CD to be released in the autumn of 2008. It features 20th and 21st century masterpieces including Lilac.Star.Bird., a work written for her by Taiwanese composer, Ying-Chen Kao. A prize-winner in international competitions, most recently the NGW Classical Guitar Competition in New Milford, CT, her solo playing has brought her to the concert platform in Germany, England, France, Italy, Spain, the USA, Mexico and her native Canada.
In a chamber music setting, she is a founding member of the ChromaDuo with Canadian virtuoso Rob MacDonald, an ensemble with a deep focus on the creation and performance of new music for the genre. She also appeared as a featured soloist in Verdery’s piece Ellis Island at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y, and on electric guitar at Peabody Conservatory with the CAGE Avant-Garde Ensemble, in a work by John Cale.
She has been invited to perform in over fifty Masterclasses with the most prominent guitarists in the world, including Oscar Ghiglia, David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Roland Dyens and Leo Brouwer. She is currently completing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of Manuel Barrueco and Julian Gray. She earned her Master’s Degree at Yale University School of Music, and her Undergraduate Degree at University of Toronto, where she studied with Jeffrey McFadden and Norbert Kraft.
In September 2007, she joined the Faculty at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC.
Also, I'm glad Zane added the "guitarist" part down there, or I would have kept getting him confused with that other Zane Forshee, the one who's not a guitarist.
