About Noah DeGarmo

With decades of classical training and performance experience, Noah brings emotional depth and authenticity to every performance. His journey as a musician is not defined by accolades but by his commitment to returning to what truly moves him: the transformative power of music. Whether performing solo or with orchestras, Noah’s artistry is grounded in a genuine desire to forge lasting connections with his audience.

A Lifelong Musician

Noah’s musical journey began at the age of two and a half, when he began studying the violin. At age 7, after persistently asking his mother to let him “play the plano” he discovered his true passion, the piano. He later broadened his musical horizons by studying the oboe, performing with the New England Conservatory’s Youth Orchestras and continuing with orchestras in undergraduate and graduate studies. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Cornell University, Noah went on to Columbia University for medical school and completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Northwestern University. Throughout his academic and professional pursuits, music has remained a constant and deeply rooted passion, an enduring thread that continues to shape his identity as a classical pianist.

Noah’s piano artistry has been shaped by distinguished teachers such as Naoko Hague, Beryl Garfinkle, Iris Graffman Wenglin, Alan Chow, Matthew Kline, and since 2021, renowned concert pianist Alessandro Mazzamuto. He has also participated in masterclasses with celebrated pianists Tong-Il Han, Leon Fleisher, Igor Resnianski and Fabio Bidini.

International Performances and Competitions

With a foundation in decades of classical training, Noah brings emotional depth and expressive integrity to every performance. He has appeared as a soloist in major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Ithaca, and Newport and internationally in Japan, Germany, and Italy.

In 2024, he made his debut at the Basically Beethoven Festival at Moody Performance Hall in Dallas. Noah has competed in prestigious competitions such as the International Cliburn Amateur Piano Competition, where he was awarded the Jury’s Discretionary Award for "poetry in sound” in 2022. Later that year, he performed Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody with the World Doctors Orchestra, featuring a newly commissioned cadenza by Giuseppe Senfett. At the PianoLink MiAmMor Festival in Milan (2024), his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (third movement) earned him the Orchestra Prize. Most recently, he received First Prize for his interpretation of Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 “Sonata-Fantasie” in the Harmonia International Amateur Piano Competition, as well as First Prize in the Charleston International Piano Competition. He is looking forward to his debut recital with Les Amateurs Virtuoses in Kamakura, Japan, in October 2025.

A Unique Perspective on Performance Health
Noah brings a unique perspective to performance wellness, informed by both his medical background and personal experience with tendonitis, which began in his teens. His ongoing journey toward sustainable musicianship has included studies in Pilates with Sue Harker, the Alexander Technique, and insights from Noa Kagayama’s Bulletproof Musician podcast. His experiences have made him a passionate advocate for injury prevention and long-term wellness among performing artists.

Chamber Music and Collaborative Work
Noah is the co-founder of the Boulanger Piano Quintet, a Dallas-based chamber ensemble composed of physicians and medical researchers. The group’s mission blends a shared love of music with the camaraderie of their professional lives. In addition to chamber music, Noah has performed concertos with orchestras in Boston, Ithaca, Chicago, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Milan, earning a reputation as an expressive and thoughtful artist with a distinctive voice on the concert stage.

Whether performing in grand concert halls, intimate settings, or alongside fellow physicians, Dr. Noah DeGarmo continues to explore music as a journey of emotional expression, connection and healing, bringing listeners into a space where music transcends boundaries and speaks to the heart.