Fredericka King

Fredericka King, pianist, has been praised for her lyricism, expressiveness, beautiful tone and outstanding technique. Critics and audiences have lauded her recitals, performed in the United States, Europe, and South America. The New York Times complimented her debut performance at Carnegie Recital Hall for its "straightforward style and verve”.

Ms. King has performed in the United States, Europe and South America. Recitals have been presented at historic Jordan Hall, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, the Gardner Museum, and in concert as soloist with several New England orchestras. She was the featured artist on television and public radio stations such as WGBH in Boston, WVPR in Vermont, and WGMS in the Washington, D.C. area.

As soloist and collaborative artist, Fredericka has performed at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the National Gallery of Art, and the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She appeared in numerous programs as soloist and accompanist with the National Spiritual Ensemble, touring throughout the United States, and was a founding member La Femme, La Femme, a group dedicated to the performance of chamber and solo works by women composers.

Ms. King’s recitals feature works of Classical composers and highlight the works of women, American, and African-American composers, as on her cd A Born Pianist. Additional recordings include one of solo and vocal works by American women titled Hooray for the Ladies! with the group American Classics and a cd of chamber music by the African-English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with the Coleridge Ensemble. She also designed, recorded, and produced the 3cd set Piano Classics for Young Listeners.

Most recently Fredericka performed at the Interharmony Festival in Acqui Terme, Italy, the Eagle Hill Institute in Steuben, Maine and the Piano Texas International Festival and Academy. During spring of 2022 she presented a solo recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

In September and October 2023, Fredericka curated a series of music programs for the ongoing Chickering Salon Series. A variety of genres were featured including a Latin-Caribbean band, a vocal and piano recital, a jazz trio, and a hip hop program. Ms. King performed a recital of varied classical works and a special lecture program about piano building in American, the famous Chickering & Sons piano company, and piano music by American composers, from Stephen Foster to George Walker.

Her academic background includes degrees in piano performance from Boston Conservatory and New England Conservatory, and doctoral studies at Boston University. She was awarded a Teaching Diploma by the Royal College of Music in London, England and studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

Fredericka King is Senior Music Historian-in-Residence at Emerson College and a member of the piano faculty at New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School. She teaches an adult group piano class and the History of Western Music course in the Conservatory’s Continuing Education Department.

Ongoing projects include research and writing on the history of America’s premier piano makers, particularly the Chickering & Sons piano company in Boston, and developing textbooks for introducing classical music history and American music history.