ABOUT
Calgary native, Lana Henchell, graduated with a Doctoral degree in piano performance from McGill University under the tutelage of Richard Raymond. The University of Calgary awarded Lana undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance under the guidance of Marilyn Engle. She has been the recipient of several awards and grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Max Stern Foundation and the Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival (Rose Bowl, 1994).
At the age of 13, Lana made her orchestral début with the Calgary Civic Symphony, and has since performed concerti with several orchestras including the University of Calgary Orchestra, the Calgary Civic Symphony, the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, the McGill Symphony and the Orquestra Classica do Centro (Portugal).
She has received top prizes in competitions such as the International Stepping Stone of the Canadian Music Competitions, the Stravinsky Awards International Piano Competition and the Shean Piano Competition. Having won first prize win at the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Piano Competition (for contemporary Canadian music), Lana embarked on a six-week concert tour across Canada.
Some performance highlights include concerts at the Alberta Scene Festival (Ottawa; featured on CBC Radio Two), L’Académie Musicale Internationale (France) and the World Coimbra Piano Meeting (Portugal). In 2018, Lana won the Piano Duo Special Prize “Francis Poulenc” at the 2018 Coimbra World Piano Competition with pianist, Carmen Morin.
In addition to performing, Lana teaches privately and at the University of Calgary. She is an avid adjudicator—offering masterclasses and clinics around the province. In recent years, she has served as a juror for the Honens ProAm Piano Competition and the Canadian Music Competitions, held across Canada.
Currently, Lana directs a performance and touring program—Soundboard Music Tour—which aims to promote classical music, offer educational enrichment to aspiring musicians and create awareness of the arts in Alberta.