“A really incredible pianist – a ‘phenomenon’, was the very young, only 19 year old, pianist, Ann Schein, from America.”

“Ann Schein presented herself as a sensitive artist with a crystal clear and rapid technique.”

“The pianist has fluency, a well balanced strength and a beautiful pianissimo, as a matter of course. In addition, there was a flowing warmth of genuine, natural feeling.”

“She belongs to those rare artists who combine a command of the keyboard with a highly intelligent, searching musicianship.”

“Ann Schein is an accomplished and thoughtful artist whose strong, instinctive musicianship is aided by a sharp intelligence… In music from Mozart to Prokofiev, she showed a true sense of style.”

“Ann Schein, a 19 year old American pianist, made her first appearance in England and provided some of the best playing at Wigmore Hall for a very long time. Already, she is a consummate artist, possessing a brilliant technique, rare musical intelligence, and that elusive quality, which, for want of a better word, can be described as ‘charm’. She invested a group of Chopin with a profound sense of poetry, coaxing the most beautiful sounds from her instrument.”

London, Wigmore Hall, 1959

“Her technique is beyond the everyday great… with marvelous nuances, she swept the audience off its feet.”

“The U.S. pianist, Ann Schein, gives the impression of having played hundreds of times in concerts… a seasoned pianist for whom the concert grand is ready to open up in all its richness.”

“Ann Schein brought the audience to its feet yesterday… She has a pearly and pure technique, a playful musicality, a glorious touch, and her bearing and interpretation are truly aristocratic. She has proved beyond all doubt that she deserves a front place in the pianistic ranks.”

Kurhaus, Scheveningen, Chopin Concerto No. 2 in f minor
The Hague Residentie Orchestra, William van Otterloo, conductor

“Ann Schein gave a piano recital marked by a centered attention on the art of piano playing and an intelligent interest in the music itself.”

“‘ A Fascinating Virtuoso’… Ann Schein possesses an extraordinary talent for her instrument and unlimited virtuosity, so that the most difficult technical problems become almost incredibly simple… her marvelous agility achieves an inspired relief through her gift of creating magic with the sounds of a piano in all its shades.”

“She brought her audience to ecstatic enthusiasm through her sovereign mastery of style and spotless technical form and a stormy temperament. Ann Schein will return and will fill the concert halls.”

“The concert of Ann Schein was a wonderful and surprising event. She has not only great technical skill, but her playing is so alluring that it can only be an artist who can maintain fresh interpretations in music performed repeatedly. We must admit that Ann Schein is an American pianist in a special class.”

“The American pianist, Ann Schein… swept in tulle like a real Degas dancer onto the stage of the Lille Salen… To the great surprise of the critics, this girl showed that she can play the piano like a master. The tones came forth as by magic with a sensitivity that was amazing. Ann Schein will go a long way.”

“The concert of the nineteen year old Ann Schein was a rare and beautiful event in the musical life of this town… Here everything is united…brilliant gifts and energy that will be written in the annals… When Ann Schein had finished her last composition, Chopin’s b minor Sonata, the audience could be heard in a unanimous chorus, ‘This truly is Chopin!’ Thank you for coming, young artist!”

“A very young American pianist, Ann Schein, gave us a musical evening last night that must be described as sensational… with a sense of dynamics and expression and a youthful freshness which already places her among the big pianists of the day.”

“There is no doubt… that Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 played by a young girl from the United States, will remain longest in the memories of those attending the concert. I guess one must believe that Ann Schein is only 18 years old, although she is a fully mature artist (with) an artistic temperament and musical talent that only a few are endowed with. There is no doubt that the composer would have been pleased with the young interpreter of his music.”

“Ann Schein played the Chopin f minor Concerto extremely beautifully with strong insight and highly refined musical feeling… The ovation was great after her ingenious performance.”