Amanda Halstead

Pianist Dr. Amanda Halstead is an active soloist, chamber musician, collaborator, and orchestral pianist. She has performed on numerous concert series including the Norfolk Chamber Consort, the Church of the Epiphany Concert Series in Washington D.C., Bachfest Series in Norfolk, and the Smithfield Chamber Music Series in Virginia. For the past seven seasons, Dr. Halstead joined the Virginia Arts Festival as resident pianist for the John Duffy Composers Institute, a symposium dedicated to promoting contemporary opera and cultivating new works. Also an orchestral musician, Dr. Halstead appears frequently as principal pianist with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and JoAnn Falletta, conductor. She has performed with other ensembles such as the Richmond Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to performing, Dr. Halstead is a music educator in the private studio and in the classroom. She has taught courses such as music literature, music theory, ear training, piano pedagogy, and Musician Wellness at universities including Old Dominion University and Christopher Newport University. In 2010, Dr. Halstead was appointed faculty member at the Levine School of Music in Washington D.C. where she currently teaches private lessons. Dr. Halstead earned her Bachelor’s degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas and her Master’s and Doctorate from the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati. Her former teachers include Frank Weinstock, Eugene and Elizabeth Pridonoff, and Dr. Robert Roux. Dr. Halstead currently resides in Springfield, Virginia with her husband, Matthew and their son, Jasper.