Biography
Anne Acker is very happy to say she is a full time Historic Keyboard Specialist. Obsessed with pianos from an early age, yet dissatisfied with trying to find something in the baroque, classical, and romantic era music that the modern piano was not supplying, she trained as a concert pianist, but then went on to gather degrees in mathematics and computer science. She was a National Science Foundation and Bell Laboratories Fellow at Stanford University for her doctoral research.
The piano, and soon the harpsichord, kept calling, and it was a happy day when she gave up such work as designing operating systems for supercomputers and doing theoretical work on the implications of null values in databases, and decided to concentrate on her passion. This meant working from home while she raised her children, and making music, preferably in ensembles, searching out instruments, plus teaching all ages about keyboard instruments, and gradually building and repairing harpsichords and pianos from all periods of history. Her children learned to share the playroom with harpsichords and antique pianos under repair and construction, though they laid down the law about letting the overflow of instruments creep into their bedrooms. They also became excellent harpsichord carriers, string loop holders, page turners, aesthetic critics, and in general, wonderfully supportive of their mom.
Over the years she has played modern or early piano or harpsichord with many instrumentalists and singers, played in chamber music ensembles including the Galliano Trio in Miami and as accompanist for several professional choirs, among them the Wisconsin Children’s Choir, the Miami Children’s Choir, and the Savannah Children’s Choir. Currently she plays for and directs her church choir at St. Francis of the Islands, east of Savannah. In addition, she has served as harpsichordist for the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C. and as continuo harpsichordist and chamber organist for the Miami Bach Society Orchestra. Since moving to Savannah part-time in 2003 and to the present day, she has played concertos and ensemble music with the Savannah Sinfonietta, the Savannah Philharmonic, and the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. In 2007, she gave a lecture recital at the Savannah Music Festival, “Georgia on My Mind”, on Keyboard Music of Georgian Georgia. She has also been a featured artist for a League of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra program, and a frequent guest speaker.
Anne’s recording of 19th century songs, Voices That Are Gone with tenor Richard Turner, is sold in historic houses and at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Anne founded Savannah Baroque in 2016, and remains the managing and artistic director, as well as player of anything with keys. She additionally played for many years with the medieval music group, The Goliards, performing on sinfonye (medieval hurdy gurdy), percussion, harpsichord, and portativ organ.
A particular hard working honor was to be selected as one of four, then two of the four, Senior Editor positions for the Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, 2nd ed., working under Laurence Libin. Anne also contributed over 7000 words.
Other activities and performances can be found on the Events, Performances, and News pages of this website.
She professionally builds, restores and decorates harpsichords, clavichords, and fortepianos, and is the east coast U.S. representative for The Paris Workshop kits out of Paris, France. In addition, she is a world-recognized expert on the restoration, history and values of 19th century pianos. Anne has been gradually creating her own selective collection of historic keyboard instruments and in 2018 assumed sole ownership of PianoGrands which specializes in 19th century pianos.
She is also engaged in research into the micro level behavior of harpsichord and antique piano actions, as well as research into the properties of 18th and 19th century instrument building fabrics, leather, and wire.
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