Who Is Marguerite?

Born in Columbus, Ohio. Marguerite began playing the piano at age four. She moved to Greenwich, Connecticut when she was seven and began lessons with teachers at school. Her love of music was so enthralling that she knew she wanted to be a pianist by age eight. By age nine Marguerite was discovered as a piano prodigy by Julliard Doctorate Randall Atcheson who became her lifelong mentor and inspiration. Marguerite composed and illustrated her first prelude when she was eleven. Frustrated with conventional schooling, by the time she was thirteen, she was put into an artist-work-study program where longer practice hours were part of the curriculum. In a chance meeting at the Fife and Drum Restaurant in upstate Connecticut, she had two impromptu lessons with Vladimir Horowitz who declared her a prodigy with great sensitivity and a potential virtuosity worth developing. At age fifteen Marguerite entered the pre-college piano conservatory program at Julliard. On the eve of her admission to Julliard, she experienced a life changing car accident -- she broke both hands and suffered a serious head injury and long term ligament damage. The orthopedic doctor told her she would never be a pianist again and that she should find another dream and seek other aspirations.

Marguerite's career focus changed to theory and composition at Miami Dade Community College and the University of Miami's Conservatory of music where she studied with Dr. Fischbein. There she was exposed to various musical styles, live performances and the world of opera. After falling in love with opera she learned of the Singers Forum in New York City and was invited to study there under John Harris (formerly of the Metropolitan Opera), and Andy "Thomas" Anselmo (of Pal Joey - Broadway fame). Still driven by writing her own music, she wrote more piano music -- and found that her hands were healing. Though instrumental writing was discouraged by her vocal coach, Marguerite practiced piano in between her vocal studies. At the same time, she pursued her degree in fine art at the Connecticut Institute of Art, and studied at Parsons and FIT.

When playing at a friend's house in Oyster Bay, New York, a curious neighbor came over and said, "Keep playing, you are very gifted, and must keep playing. I do not know this piano piece -- where did you find it?" Marguerite told him that she wrote it. He said, "Fantastic!... Keep playing -- you are very gifted." The neighbor introduced himself as Claudio Arrau.

One day all the elements of her talent fit together when a producer, Mark Muller, attended a wedding, heard her sing, and declared that he had to record her voice. But later when he heard her playing her own music at the Westport Inn in Westport, Connecticut, he decided that this original music should be recorded first. The result is her first CD entitled "Marguerite … Dreams & Visions … .Live from the Westport Inn".

Her musical inspirations include: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Aaron Copeland. Artists: Liberace, Elton John, Dennis De Long, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, and Mahala Jackson. Pianists: Vladimir Horowitz and Claudio Arrau.