Amaryllis Iglesias Glass, Piano Soloist
2024-2025 Season
DR. AMARYLLIS IGLESIAS GLASS, born in Newark, NJ to Cuban parents, began piano at the age of 3 with daily lessons from her grandmother Rosalia Fernandez. Her musical career starting just as her Mother Amaryllis Iglesias’ did; who is also an accomplished pianist.
At the age of 7, Amaryllis began her first instruction outside of the family, studying with Claudina Mendez of Coral Gables and two years later, made her orchestral debut in Miami performing Haydn's Concerto in D Major with the Carmen Nappo Youth Symphony. At the age of 9, Amaryllis appeared as a guest artist in the Festival of Cuban Music in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
During the years that followed, she went on to study with Peggy Neighbors Erwin and had the honor of demonstrating Mrs. Erwin's technique philosophy at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. In 1982, Amaryllis won the Schumann Competition in the Johanna Hodges International Piano Competition in Palm Desert, California and also had several engagements with the Florida International Symphony Orchestra, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.
Under the guidance of world-renowned pianist, Santiago Rodriguez, Amaryllis transferred from Florida International University to the University of Maryland where as a recipient of the Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship, she received a Bachelor of Music degree and then went on to earn a Master of Music at the Juilliard School in New York, studying with Martin Canin. Amaryllis continued her studies with Mr. Canin at the State University of New York in Stony Brook, as a recipient of the Burgardt Turner Fellowship. She acquired her Doctorate of Musical Arts in 1992. Summer Festival participation included Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and Bowdoin Music Festival in Maine.
In 1994 Amaryllis started her teaching career in New Canaan, Connecticut where in addition to a hugely successful private studio, she taught at the prestigious Silvermine School of Music and worked as an accompanist at Western Connecticut State University. Since 2004, Amaryllis has performed weekly during the Summer as the staff pianist for The Tabernacle at the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association in Martha's Vineyard, MA.
Amaryllis is married to award winning composer/music director Paul S. Glass and mother to 4 children; Alec, Olivia, Patrick and Peter. Since moving to California, the musical family tradition has continued with her youngest son Peter performing as a piano soloist throughout his middle school and high school years, including 5 times with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic. Her oldest son Alec is a cellist who received his Masters of Music degree from CSUN, has an active teaching studio in Thousand Oaks, as well as coaches strings at schools throughout Conejo Valley and performs regularly with several regional orchestras. Alec performed as a soloist with the Moorpark Symphony in 2022.