As Music Director and Conductor of the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra for 11 years, Carver garnered critical praise for her stylistic interpretations of music from the Classical era.  Active in both the symphonic and operatic arenas, she was proclaimed “a find….a first-rate conductor” by The New York Times.

Carver is also a distinguished pianist and harpsichordist whose performances as soloist and recitalist have met with equal glowing praise. “What made this one of the waning season’s special Mozart performances was the pianist’s ability, by means of perfectly gauged dynamics and subtly enhancing rubatos, to project the poignancy and resignation lurking behind the placid surface of the music.  She seemed to capture the very essence of this elusive, unearthly music of parting.” – Los Angeles Times

As Fulbright fellow to Austria, Carver concertized extensively throughout Europe.  She has performed as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Symphony Augusta, Capella Salzburgensis, Musica Angelica, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and frequently undertook the dual role of soloist and conductor in Mozart piano concerti with the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra.  Carver has been featured in solo and chamber music recitals at the Carmel Bach Festival, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, Prince George Music Festival, and under the aegis of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She serves as Artistic Director of the Centrum Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival and Co-Artistic Director of the Rencontres Franco-Américaines de Musique de Chambre.

As conductor, Carver’s symphonic credits include guest appearances with the National Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Richmond Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. 

She has conducted at major music festivals including Wolf Trap, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Eclectic Orange Festival and San Francisco Symphony’s ‘Great Performers’ Series.

With the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, she conducted two critically acclaimed recordings on the RCM label featuring Haydn Symphonies Nos. 43 and 48, and Mozart Symphonies Nos. 17, 29 and 34.  She also led the orchestra on two North American tours under the aegis of Columbia Artist Management, highlights of which were featured on CBS Sunday Morning.

In the operatic realm, she has conducted productions of Don Pasquale with New York City Opera, Don Giovanni with Minnesota Opera, The Magic Flute and The Abduction from the Seraglio with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and The Marriage of Figaro with Virginia Opera.  

Carver earned a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in piano performance (with secondary fields in conducting and harpsichord) at the USC Thornton School of Music, an Artist Diploma at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music.  Her teachers include renowned pianists Murray Perahia, Gary Graffman, Hans Leygraf, and John Perry. 

She serves on faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music where she is currently Vice Dean of the Division of Classical Performance and Composition and a professor of piano, harpsichord and instrumental conducting. During her tenure at USC, Carver has received the Ramo Music Faculty Award, the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring.