Lisa's Bio
Lisa Emenheiser, pianist, is one of Washington DC’s most recognized performing artists.
She has been performing for the National Symphony Orchestra for the past 20 years, and
appears as their Pops pianist and as acting principal keyboardist when necessary. A
graduate of the Juilliard School, where she earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music
Arts Club” competitions.
Ms. Emenheiser has performed in recital at Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fischer Hall,
Carnegie Recital Hall and has appeared in concerts at the National Gallery, Phillips
Collection, Smithsonian Institute, Kennedy Center and at the embassies of France,
Austria, Germany, Britain, Slovenia, and Spain. As described by the New York Times,
Lisa “played the piano dazzlingly”, and by The Washington Post, she “shimmered and
beguiled, shifting easily between virtuosity and transparency.” Ms. Emenheiser has
appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the
Virginia Chamber Orchestra, the Fairfax Symphony, the McLean Orchestra and was one
of the featured soloists at the Kennedy Center’s Piano 2000 Festival. Ms. Emenheiser was
also a soloist for the Kennedy Center’s “Journey to America” Festival held in 2002, and
in 2006 was both a soloist for the NSO's Composer Portrait: Mozart, and participant in
the "AfterWords" led by Music Director, Leonard Slatkin.
An established chamber musician, Ms. Emenheiser has performed with Julius Baker,
Eugenia Zukerman, Ransom Wilson, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Nadja Salerno-
Sonnenberg, as well as with principal members of the New York Philharmonic, The
Cleveland Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra. She has appeared in solo
and chamber performances across the United States, as well as internationally, including
performances in London, Manchester, Berne, Haifa, Nice, Mexico City, Zagreb and
Ljubljana. Ms. Emenheiser has performed in numerous summer music festivals,
including Aspen, Hidden Valley, Strings in the Mountains, Snake River Chamber
Players, Penn-Alps, and Masterworks. Her vast orchestral performances are equally as
extensive, including tours of Europe, and American residencies in Alaska, Maine,
Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, Alabama, Vermont, Oklahoma, and North Dakota.
Lisa also is an avid performer of contemporary music. She is the pianist for the 21st
Century Consort and Opus 3 Trio. She was featured on national television as an expert
artist commentator and performer in the PBS documentary entitled “Exploring Your
Brain”, in which she performed Ginastera’s Piano Sonata No. 1 and discussed the topic of
memory. A committed teacher, Lisa holds a private studio in her home, and has
represented the NSO on various occasions by teaching masterclasses and serving as their
piano instructor for the Kazakhstan liaison held last year.
Ms. Emenheiser has recorded for the Pro Arte, VAI Audio, Centaur, Arabesque, Delos,
AUR, and Cascades labels.