Tanya Bannister

Pianist. Artistic Leader.
Advocate for the Future of Classical Music.

PC: Ettore Causa

PC: Ken Kubota

A woman with wavy brown hair wearing a black sleeveless dress sitting at a piano.

PC: Lisa Marie Mazzucco

“A beautiful piano tone is a rare thing these days, and she has it.” 

- American Record Guide

Praised by The Washington Post for her playing “with intelligence, poetry and proportion,” pianist Tanya Bannister is also a respected leader in the arts, bringing a rare combination of artistic excellence and entrepreneurial vision to her role as President of Concert Artists Guild (CAG).

A former CAG competition winner herself, Tanya leads the organization with a deep understanding of the evolving needs of young musicians. Since assuming leadership, she has transformed CAG’s artist support model—launching a rolling artist selection process, expanding career development programs, and establishing innovative initiatives such as the CAG Conductors Program and Citizen Musician Training. Her work has positioned CAG as a forward-thinking incubator for emerging classical artists, empowering them to build meaningful and sustainable careers.

Arts Leadership

  • A woman with brown hair, wearing a white dress with black polka dots, standing at a clear podium with a microphone, smiling while speaking at an event.

    President, Concert Artists Guild

    Tanya currently serves as President of Concert Artists Guild (CAG), a pioneering nonprofit that supports emerging classical musicians through management, mentorship, and career innovation. A former winner of the CAG International Competition, she brings firsthand experience and conviction to her leadership. Bannister has spearheaded a transformation of the organization—launching a year-round artist selection model, expanding programming with the CAG Conductors Program, and establishing Citizen Musician Training, a series of programs and initiatives that equip artists with entrepreneurial skills to build meaningful, sustainable careers. Under her leadership, CAG has also forged a transatlantic partnership with the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in London, offering its artists an expanded platform for international exposure and career development.

  • Group of nine people smiling and posing together outdoors on a wooden fence with a scenic mountain landscape in the background, under partly cloudy sky.

    Founder & Artistic Director, AlpenKammerMusik

    Tanya Bannister is a founding partner and Co‑Artistic Director of AlpenKammerMusik, a chamber music festival she helped launch in 2005. The inaugural festival took place in the summer of 2006, and since then it has become a cherished annual summer gathering in the Austrian Alps. Each summer, participants take part in 14 days of immersive rehearsals, coaching, and performances alongside outstanding faculty from institutions like Eastman, Guildhall, Reina Sofía, Concert Artists Guild, Tanglewood, and Juilliard. Set in the picturesque village of Liesing im Lesachtal, Austria, the festival unfolds in an intimate, inspiring environment supported by a deeply engaged local community with a strong, generational folk‑music heritage manifested in active bands, choirs, and traditional music practices.

    With globally recognized faculty from institutions like Eastman, Guildhall, Reina Sofia, Concert Artists Guild, Tanglewood, and Juilliard, participants have the unique opportunity to perform alongside their coaches in at least one of their ensembles.

  • A woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a red and black dress, sitting on a rooftop with a city skyline in the background during sunset.

    Co-Founder, Roadmaps Festival

    Roadmaps Festival was an artistic, humanitarian, and cultural initiative founded by five women committed to illuminating current global crises through the arts. Each year, the festival brought together artists, humanitarians, and intellectuals to explore pressing issues via film, music, performance, and discussion. Its mission was to premiere new works that stirred collective consciousness and inspired meaningful action. Among the many significant conversations, topics included responding to conflict through innovations in education and safeguarding the glories of Syrian culture.

Tanya White Shirt Rooftop.jpg

“Bannister played with intelligence, poetry and proportion.”

The Washington Post

Upcoming Events

  • Tanya Performance - Mozart Concert & Beach Quintet

    10.19 3pm

    Start with J.S. Bach and Mozart, undoubtedly among music’s most well-known prodigies. Then fast-forward to Amy Beach, born 1867, who became the first successful American female composer with her first symphony premiered by the Boston Symphony in 1896.

    Musical Program to include

    J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations (six, arranged for piano and string quartet)

    W.A. Mozart Piano Concerto No. 14 K. 449 (chamber version) for viola and cello

    Amy Beach Piano Quintet

  • CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Artist Awards Ceremony & Showcase

    5.11 6:00-8:00PM

    Celebrate the inaugural winners of the CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize! Enjoy spectacular debut performances followed by a delightful reception.

  • Alpenkammermusik Festival faculty and Artistic Director

    June 21st-July 5th 2026. Chamber Music Festival in the Alps

Hear & See My Music

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