‘It’s unreal … a dream come true’: Edmonton concert pianist performed at Carnegie Hall

Emilio De Mercato playing at Carnegie Hall on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Dan Wright Photography)

An Edmonton concert pianist still finds it somewhat hard to believe that he had the chance to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall music venue in New York.

Emilio De Mercato was born into music in Italy, his mother is a pianist and passed her love of the piano on to her son.

• ‘A dream come true’: Edmonton pianist to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York

De Mercato has performed in many venues, including a number across Alberta since he moved to Edmonton in 2012, but none quite like Carnegie Hall.

“This is a legendary place … so for someone like me, who devoted his life to learning the piano, becoming and pursuing a career as a concert pianist, it was definitely a milestone,” he said

“To be on the stage of one of the most important venues in the world … it can be scary, it can be intimidating.”

He performed several pieces on May 9 in the Weill Recital Hall, including Après une lecture du Dante and Pictures at an Exhibition.

“I sat at the piano, I started playing, then I was immediately immersed in the music, and there was a great sense of relief and joy because I kind of forgot where I was, I felt at home,” De Mercato said. “The audience was responsive, warm and loud, so they made me feel great.

“It’s unreal … I’m still, sometimes, in a sort of dream, realizing I did it. This was definitely a dream come true.”

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Like many musicians, De Mercato is often critical of his performances, but said he was “pretty happy” with this show.

“When you’re working at recording, you want to get the perfect product, but the beauty of a live performance is giving life to music at the moment, with the emotions that you feel at the moment, every time is different,” he said.

“It’s a compromise, a balance between control of technique, playing the right notes, and at the same time feeling free to convey and deliver emotions and connect with the audience.”

De Mercato said his favourite moment of the show was the encore after seeing the crowd, which included friends and family who travelled from Italy and Canada to see his performance, give him a standing ovation.

“That was incredible, to receive this honour at Carnegie Hall, it was totally unexpected, and then to perform an encore … I truly enjoyed it.”

De Mercato said the concert may be the highlight of his career, but he doesn’t plan to stop performing any time soon.

“It’s about being satisfied and happy with what you achieved and then trying your best to continue to grow … so we’ll see what happens next,” he added.

“I like to think that I can continue to perform anywhere, hopefully at the beautiful stages in Europe and America. I still have many dreams.”