Annual Conference Keynote Speakers
Opening (Aug 7): Michelle Cann
Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, GRAMMY award-winning pianist Michelle Cann is one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation. Recent engagements include appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her honors include the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award.
In 2024, she was named the inaugural Christel DeHaan Artistic Partner of the American Pianists Association, responsible for the artistic oversight of the American Pianists Awards.
Highlights of Cann’s 2024-25 season include appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. She performs solo and collaborative recitals on prominent series such as the 92nd Street Y, New York; Duke University; the Royal Conservatory of Music; and Shriver Hall Concert Series. She also performs a recital as the headline artist at the National Conference of the Music Teachers National Association.
Recognized as a leading interpreter of the piano music of Florence Price, Cann performed the New York City premiere of Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in 2016. Her recording of the concerto with the New York Youth Symphony won a GRAMMY Award in 2023 for Best Orchestral Performance. She won a GRAMMY Award in 2025 for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, recorded with soprano Karen Slack, which features 19 unpublished songs composed by Price. Her acclaimed debut solo album Revival, featuring music by Price and Margaret Bonds, was released in 2023.
Cann holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and an Artist’s Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. She joined the Curtis piano faculty in 2020 as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies. She is also on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.
Michelle Cann is represented by Curtis Artist Management at Curtis Institute of Music.
Closing (Aug 9): Dr. Tasha Golden
Dr. Tasha Golden, PhD is a leading expert in the role of the arts in wellbeing, innovation, and public health. She served as the first Director of Research for the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and is adjunct faculty at the University of Florida's Center for Arts in Medicine.
Named one of 2024's "Fierce 50" by Fierce Pharma for her innovative work integrating arts and healthcare, Golden has published extensively on intersections of creativity, behavior, and wellbeing. Dr. Golden is the lead author of "Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities," which provides a roadmap for integrating arts with healthcare systems. Her research illuminates how arts engagement—including live music—can address critical needs while creating new growth pathways for cultural organizations.
Dr. Golden’s work is uniquely informed by her early career as a singer-songwriter with the critically acclaimed band Ellery, whose music has been featured on ABC, SHOWTIME, FOX, and NETFLIX. This dual background in arts and science has allowed her to bridge creative practice with evidence-based approaches to health, innovation, and community impact.
Holding a PhD in public health, Dr. Golden is also the founder of Project Uncaged, a trauma-informed creative writing program for incarcerated girls, and developer of "How We Human," a mental health training designed specifically for creative professionals. She has spoken for SXSW, the US Conference of Mayors, POLITICO, and many fine organizations around the globe—helping audiences understand and leverage the transformative potential of creativity and arts.