Allegra Chapman

piano

Pianist Allegra Chapman is an omnivorous soloist, chamber musician, and curator with a wide-ranging repertoire of music from Bach to Ligeti and a passion for connecting audiences with historically overlooked and living composers. Her performances have been described as “fervid by impeccably controlled” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “brilliant” by the San Francisco Classical Voice. A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Bard Conservatory of Music, she is a member of Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and Chordless duo with soprano Sara LeMesh.

In 2023, Chordless won First Prize in the Federation of the Art Song Fellowship competition in New York City and gave recitals at the Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers University and the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum where they held a residency. Other recent performance highlights include Rhapsody in Blue with the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra, Cal Performances with Eco Ensemble, and a concert of two triple concertos with Delphi Trio and the San Jose Chamber Orchestra—Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and the world premiere of Clarice Assad’s A Story of Mermaids. Allegra has performed internationally at venues including Alice Tully Hall, San Francisco Jazz Center, and Xi’an Concert Hall. From 2020-2023, Allegra was the pianist of the Delphi Trio with violinist Liana Bérubé and cellist Tanya Tomkins.

As a curator, Allegra was the founding co-artistic director and executive director of the critically acclaimed festival Bard Music West from 2017-2020. Described as “a brilliant San Francisco festival” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “stunning and moving” by the San Francisco Classical Voice, Bard West presented three multi-disciplinary festivals exploring the works of composers from the past 100 years, and a concert series featuring the music and influences of emerging composers. A passionate new music advocate, Allegra has worked with some of the leading American composers including Gabriella Smith, Joan Tower, Melinda Wagner, and Charles Wuorinen.

Allegra is on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory’s Pre-College division. She makes her home in San Francisco with her husband and baby, rescue dog, and an ever-growing library of over 1000 books.