MAH: Everything I do musically comes from my belief that the piano repertoire is a great deal larger than most people realize. From what is heard in piano recitals these days, it's easy to come to the conclusion that pianists don't have much of a choice as far as what to play, but the truth is that they have an immense amount of works at their disposal, if they only took the trouble to investigate them. There is a great deal out there that is wonderful, and unfortunately it's not being heard, or at least not as often as it should. I realized this very early – mostly due to a natural and very intense curiosity -- and a large part of my activities consists in unveiling this music to listeners, through my recitals and especially my recordings.

I owe my musical career to my father, who was a very good amateur pianist. Had he not played the piano himself, there is a good chance I would not have discovered my musical aptitudes.

Marc-André, how would you describe yourself to our not-necessarily-super-classical-music-savvy audience? How did you get interested in playing the piano?