Lauded by critics for his “vivid, bold playing” (MusicWebInternational) and “dramatic presence” (Fanfare), pianist and composer Andrew Cannestra maintains an active career as a soloist and a sought-after chamber musician and collaborator.

As a soloist, Dr. Cannestra won the grand prize in the 2021 Aeolian Classics Emerging Artist Competition, where he was unanimously lauded by the jury for his “probing artistic vision”, as well as the bronze medal in the 2024 Seattle International Piano Competition. His discography includes two solo albums. The first, Mystic Pool, was released in 2022, featuring one of his own compositions alongside works by William Grant Still, Alexander Scriabin, Frederic Chopin, and Henri Dutilleux. More recently, he recorded eight works by Józef Wieniawski on the Naxos label as part of the Romantic Piano Series, including several world premiere recordings. His recordings have been broadcast on radio stations across the United States as well as abroad in the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania. Recent concerto appearances include the Oregon premiere of the Amy Beach Piano Concerto with the University of Oregon Symphony as well as the world premiere of Ryan Johnston’s Piano Concerto no. 1 with Boston-based Horizon Ensemble. He has given recitals at some of Chicago’s premier venues such as Guarneri Hall and Ganz Hall, and he has been featured as guest artist for the recital series Henry Fogel Presents and by PianoArts.

Dr. Cannestra also regularly collaborates as both a chamber musician and duo partner, having performed with every standard orchestral instrument. He founded the flute-cello-piano trio Oasis Ensemble with flutist Dawn Weiss and cellist Louis Lowenstein, performing regularly across the state of Oregon to high critical acclaim. He has shared the stage with members of the Emerson Quartet, Viano Quartet, Delgani Quartet, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, and Montreal Symphony, and has been invited to perform chamber works at the Manchester Music Festival, the Redwood Arts Council, the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy, the Grande Ronde Symphony Chamber Series, and the American Viola Society. He has also performed live on All-Classical Radio (OR) and Vermont Public Radio, and served as orchestral keyboardist for the Oregon Bach Festival.

Equally accomplished as a composer, Dr. Cannestra often performs his own solo piano music in concert. Recent commissions include Oregon Soundscapes, a cycle of piano works commissioned by the University of Oregon, which was premiered in spring 2025, and The Last Thoughts of a Young Man, a chamber song cycle to be premiered during the 2026-27 season. Notable performances of his other works include a series of performances of Flight on the St. Olaf Orchestra’s 2019 tour of Norway; a performance of Scherzo by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2017; a performance of The Chronicles of Stumpy, the Squirrel Without a Tail by the St. Olaf Band; Elegy for orchestra, premiered by the St. Olaf Philharmonia; and a movement from String Quartet no. 1 premiered by the Artaria String Quartet. His music has also been featured in Peter Nelson’s award-winning animated film, Intruder Man. His dual experience as both a performer and a composer has made him an in-demand adjudicator for score calls from organizations such as Cascadia Composers Forum and the Oregon Piano Institute.

Dr. Cannestra holds degrees from the University of Oregon (DMA), the Chicago College of Performing Arts (MM), and St. Olaf College (BM), having studied with Alexandre Dossin, David Riley, Adam Neiman, Christopher Atzinger, Kent McWilliams, Sylvia Wang, Eun-Joo Kwak, and Ken Bruce. Outside of music, he enjoys hiking, chasing the northern lights, cooking, coming up with bad puns, and spending time with his wife, fellow pianist Kaitlyn Clawson-Cannestra.