Amy O’Dell plays classical piano, avant-garde toy piano, and chamber rock keytar. Her adventurous, imaginative, and quirky performances are marked by a passionate, focused energy which has brought to life new works by composers from the U.S. and Europe. Amy featured a number of these compositions on her 2016 toy piano album, Find Your Inner Child. All proceeds from the album go to the non-profit Play It Forward Scholarship. She performed those selections along with other works at the Florida International Toy Piano Festival in 2015 and returned as Featured Guest Artist in 2016.

A staple in the Atlanta music scene, Amy has performed with Bent Frequency and NeoPhonia, among other groups. She co-founded and performs with Smol Ensemble (two toy pianists and two percussionists) and Alya Ensemble (duo with cellist Jean Gay), and serves on the organizing committee for Atlanta’s SoundNOW Festival. She was formerly pianist for Chamber Cartel and keyboardist/keytarist for the Clibber Jones Ensemble, appearing on multiple recordings by these groups.

For over 20 years, Amy has been in demand as a classical collaborative pianist, performing throughout the U.S., Europe, and China with such groups as Atlanta Pops Orchestra, the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Choir, the Johns Creek Symphony, the Ludwig Symphony, and the Hollywood Concert Orchestra.

For over ten years, Amy taught Music Appreciation, Group Piano, and Applied Piano at Gordon College. She is a member of the Decatur Music Teachers Association and the Georgia Music Educators Association. She maintains a large and selective private studio in Snellville where she strives to create a relaxed, energized, focused, safe, and professional atmosphere with her students. 

Amy earned her Bachelor’s (cum laude) and Master’s (summa cum laude) degrees in Piano Performance from Georgia State University where she studied with Dr. Geoffrey Haydon. She received the “Thomas M. Brumby” scholarship three years in a row and won the school’s Concerto competition performing Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A minor.”  She also won competitions including those held by the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) and Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA) competition. During her Master’s degree, Amy received GSU’s Stegner Scholarship, the most prestigious piano scholarship given at the GSU School of Music. She used this award to participate in Aspen’s Music Festival and School in the summer of 2007.

Before college, Amy studied piano with with Linda Wood and B. J. Sutherland. In high school, she performed with the American Music Abroad Chorus on a six-week tour of Europe, and won the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) recital competition.

When not performing or teaching, you will most likely find Amy doting on her four cats, cycling, hiking, knitting, or poking around the soil in her garden.

Short bio (please contact me before using):

Amy O’Dell plays piano, toy piano, and keytar with various groups in the Atlanta music scene. She currently performs with Smol Ensemble and Alya Ensemble, and co-organizes Atlanta’s SoundNOW Festival. Her passionate and focused performances have brought to life new works by composers from the U.S. and Europe, a number of which are featured on her 2015 solo album, Find Your Inner Child.

Amy has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and China, and loves teaching students of all ages in her home studio. Amy earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from Georgia State University.

Photo by Tim Redman