Francine Kay Performance Faculty: Piano

“Exquisite…daring…mesmerizing…”

– National Post

Noted for “a rare sonic magic” (Le Devoir) and “ardent lyricism” (Gramophone), pianist Francine Kay is acclaimed for the beauty, intensity, and depth of her interpretations.

Since making her debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the Pro Piano Competition, Francine Kay has been a regular guest at international festivals such as Music Mountain, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Nowy Sącz International Music Festival (Poland), the Chopin Festival in Mariánské Lázně (Czech Republic), and the Zodiac Academy and Festival (France), where she is on faculty every summer. 

Ms. Kay has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, the Lincoln Center’s Rose Studio, Salle Gaveau in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. She has appeared in recital on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the Bargemusic series in New York City and most recently in Berlin at the Schwartzsche Villa. She has been a soloist with orchestras across Canada and the United States, including the Washington Sinfonietta, the Princeton Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony, the Princeton University Orchestra, Princeton University Sinfonia among others. As a chamber musician, Francine Kay has performed throughout America and Europe and has enjoyed collaborations with outstanding musicians, vocalists and groups such as the Harlem and Penderecki string quartets and Trio Arkel amongst others. 

Francine Kay’s JUNO-nominated Debussy CD was chosen as Disc of the Month by the German publication Fono Forum, and her latest release Things Lived and Dreamt (2023, Analekta) has been receiving international acclaim and was featured as Album of the Week by numerous radio stations including WCLV Cleveland, the CBC, and RTÉ Ireland.

Ms. Kay’s performances can be heard frequently on CBC, NPR, the BBC, Radio France, the EBU, SiriusXM’s “Symphony Hall”, Chicago’s WMFT network, and Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ.

Francine Kay on faculty member at the Princeton University Music Department where she is a devoted teacher of piano and chamber music.