Elinor Freer

A native of Montana, pianist Elinor Freer has built a versatile career as an pianist, educator and creative musician. Praised for her “utmost sensitivity” (Harrisburg Patriot News) and “profound commitment and understanding” (General-Anzeiger, Bonn) Ms. Freer has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and China, including appearances at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, The Valery Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, the Akademie múzických in Prague, and more. Her performances have aired on “Performance Today,” National Public Radio, and she has recorded for Cedille Records. Recently she performed and served as a member of the jury at the Macao International Piano Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Ms. Freer has been the recipient of numerous prizes, awards, and fellowships including those from the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, American Pianists Association Auditions,  the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Center. She holds degrees with honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Southern California, and, as a Frank Huntington Beebe scholar, a Performer’s Diploma from the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht in The Netherlands. She feels a immense debt of gratitude towards her former teachers and coaches, including Paul Schenly, John Perry, Kyoko Hashimoto, Peter Serkin and Gilbert Kalish.

Passionate about finding ways to use her musical skills to make a difference, she founded and directed residencies in rural Kansas and Montana, bringing live music onto street corners and into schools, psychiatric hospitals, banks, and even grocery stores. In 2024 she founded ROC City Concerts at the Eastman School of Music, a series of live concerts for underserved populations in Rochester, NY, which includes student and faculty performances at a local prison, juvenile detention center, substance abuse treatment facility, veteran’s home, and more. In addition, she has been partnering with researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center to develop a piano training program for older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Early results show promising data on the effects piano playing has on cognitive health. Ms. Freer currently serves as Associate Professor of  Piano and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music where she received the 2025 Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching.