“A stylish force at the keyboard!" 

             - Miami Sun Sentinel         

Lara has performed to critical acclaim on  the world’s most prestigious concert stages, from San Francisco to Paris. Her dynamic onstage energy, astonishing virtuosity and remarkable rapport with audiences create unforgettable concert experiences worldwide. Lara’s solo recordings have also met with tremendous critical and popular commendation – her debut CD, Invitation to the Dance, was called “a magical little recording” by National Public Radio.

“A most delightful artist, with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship.”  

-National Public Radio

“Here is technique so good you're not even aware of it - and yet she never flaunts it, never gets in the way of the music. You're only aware that you want to move…”  

-Fanfare Magazine 

“A magnificent, gutsy performance.”

-Sacramento Bee

“Downes expertly tamed the piano, which seemed an unbridled horse in this wild piece.The euphoria of the public was evident.” 

-La Nacion, San Jose, Costa Rica

"A stylish force at the keyboard!" 

-Miami Sun Sentinel

“Pianist Lara Downes gave the striking impression of Clara Schumann's alter ego... Downes' performance of the A minor Piano Concerto was graceful and sparkling... a very impressive player.” 

-Hartford Courant

“Downes brought the audience to its feet as she brought the work to a close." 

-Huntsville Times

“Pianist Lara Downes left a large audience awed by her techni­cal brilliance and sensitive delving into the music… Downes searched through Schumann's G Minor Sonata, finding a richness of small sounds and buried voices... The subsequent standing ova­tion was one of the most deserved I have witnessed.” 

-Jamestown Post-Journal

"One of the most honest, moving and splendid piano recitals heard on the coast in the past ten years... long singing melodies, devotedly voiced and sensitively phrased, proclaimed a pianist who cares greatly for sound... Breathtaking virtuosity was apparent in Ravel's La Valse, along with wonderful sonorities, rhythmic fluency, and an encompassing feeling for the architecture of this extremely demanding work... Downes kept this listener on the edge of his seat as she crafted these subdued dramat­ics into exquisite gems.” 

-Coast Observer