Master Classes

MASTER CLASSES . LECTURE/RECITAL

UNDERWRITTEN BY A GIFT FROM THE GREAT FRAME UP

FRIDAY, MARCH 11

St. Luke’s Church, 50 Pope Avenue 9:30 am – 4:55 pm $10 admission for general public – Free admission for 88 Key Society and Piper members

On Friday, March 11, six competitors who did not advance to the finals will have the opportunity to perform in Master Classes with one of the competition judges. Each judge will select a competitor and give a 45-minute public lesson on selections from the competitor’s competition repertoire. The pairings of judges and competitors will be announced by the Jury Chairman following the announcement of the three finalists.

MASTER CLASSES

TIME 9:30 – 10:15 am 10:25 – 11:10 am 11:20 am – 12:05 pm

JUDGE Logan Skelton Robin McCabe Fabio Bidini

Lunch Break followed by Lecture/Recital 2:20 – 3:05 pm 3:15 – 4:00 pm 4:10 – 4:55 pm Cecile Licad Awadagin Pratt Olga Kern

1:10 pm -- 2:10 pm Lecture/Recital Jon Kimura Parker, 2022 Hilton Head International Piano Competition Jury Chair, will give a Lecture/Recital entitled “Fantasies Three Ways” Does the word ‘fantasy’ imply a lack of formal structure? A single motivic idea for a work? Or something more? These three works explore the concept of ‘fantasy’ in unique ways. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (sonata quasi una fantasia) Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy William Hirtz’s “Wizard of Oz” Fantasy

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

March 7 – 14, 2022

ROUND I Monday, March 7 & Tuesday, March 8 1:30 pm – 4:35 pm & 7:00 pm – 9:05 pm St. Luke’s Church — open seating

ROUND II Wednesday, March 9 & Thursday, March 10 1:30 pm – 5:05 pm & 7:00 pm – 9:25 pm St. Luke’s Church — open seating

MASTER CLASSES • LECTURE/RECITAL Friday, March 11 Master Classes 9:30 am – 12:05 pm Lunch Break 12: 05 pm – 1:05 pm Lecture/Recital 1:10 pm – 2:10 pm Master Classes 2:20 pm – 4:55 pm St. Luke’s Church — open seating

ROUND III—SEMIFINALS Saturday, March 12 1:00 pm – 4:45 pm & 7:30 pm – 9:15 pm First Presbyterian Church — reserved seating

ROUND IV Finals and Awards Ceremony Monday, March 14 - 7:00 pm • Doors open 6:00 pm 3 finalists play full concertos with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra First Presbyterian Church—reserved seating

Tickets may be purchased at all Competition venues, online at www.hhipc.org, or by calling the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Box Office at 843-842-2055

COMPETITION ETIQUETTE

• As a courtesy to competitors, please refrain from conversation and remain in your seat during a performance. • During Competition rounds, audience members may enter or leave only between each competitor’s performance and not between pieces. • Please do not applaud until each competitor has concluded the performance of the final selection of his or her program. • Children must be eight or older and accompanied by an adult to be admitted. • No smoking, eating, or drinking is permitted in the Competition Hall. • Only authorized use of cameras and recording equipment is permitted in the Competition Hall. • Please silence all electronic time pieces, cell phones, and other electronics while in the Competition Hall. • Please check hhipc.org for the safety protocols in effect throughout the competition.

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COMPETITOR SELECTION JURY

UNSUNG HEROES

When the application period for the 2022 Competition closed on September 30, 2021, there were 165 submissions. So how are the 20 pianists who come to Hilton Head in March selected? This daunting responsibility rests with the Competitor Selection Jury (CSJ). The three professors of piano who comprised the Selection jury are no less accomplished than the members of the Competition Jury who c ome to adjudicate, and they work just as hard. Competitor selection is a two-part process First, the jurors spend six weeks in their studios and homes reviewing the applicants’ audition videos. None has an affiliation with any of the applicants—this is forbidden by competition rules. All evaluations are done blind—jurors know the applicants only by number. Information such as where and with whom an applicant is studying could inadvertently introduce bias. Applicants submit at least three video files reflecting works of contrasting styles and periods totaling 20 - 30 minutes, and the judges listen to all. At the end of the remote evaluations, the applicant pool will have been reduced somewhat because all three judges have independently rated some applicants as not yet ready to compete at the HHIPC. At this or any other point in the process, judges cannot see their peers' ratings, nor do they communicate.

THE UNHERALDED WORK THE CSJ DOES BEHIND THE SCENES LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR A SUCCESSFUL COMPETITION.

In November, CSJ members travel to Hilton Head to complete the task. They settle into a quiet, comfortable room with state-of-the-art equipment at Custom Audio Video’s showroom in Bluffton. They listen again, sometimes more than once, to the multiple pieces of repertoire applicants have chosen to showcase their talents. At the end of three intense 10-hour days, the jury selects the 20 competitors who will be invited to play in the HHIPC plus several alternates. They utilize a numerical scoring system all agree to, a system that allows for discrimination among applicants of similar talents. The process is as fair as it could be, and executed professionally without any discussion. The rigorous, transparent way HHIPC selects competitors is one of the HHIPC’s acknowledged strengths in the world of international piano competitions. It is instrumental in helping us attract top-drawer competitors and judges. The HHIPC is extremely grateful to this year’s Competitor Selection Jury – Angela Cheng, Marina Lomazov, and Boris Slutsky - professionals with “great ears” whose work ensures the success of the Competition.

LIVE STREAMING

A few short months ago, most of us needed an education about livestreaming. Not anymore! Enthusiastically or not, we have entered the digital word of streamed music. Now people everywhere in the world can experience the drama and excitement at the core of the HHIPC, something only live audiences could enjoy a few years ago. Streaming provides competitors an opportunity to perform on the international stage for an international audience – a critically important part of advancing their careers, and a principal motivation for applying to our competition. This year’s competitors hail from seven countries and three continents—North America, Europe and Asia. By live streaming both the solo rounds and the finals, supporters back home can participate in the excitement of watching prize-winning performances in real time.

DURING THE PAST TWO COMPETITIONS, PEOPLE IN MORE THAN 60 COUNTRIES TUNED IN TO THE HHIPC VIA STREAMING. CLEARLY, THE AUDIENCE FOR THE HHIPC IS GLOBAL.

Our local audiences and host families also benefit from livestreaming, being able to enjoy more of the competition than they may be able to attend in person. At the times that you cannot attend this week, we encourage you to livestream. It’s fun, it’s easy it’s modern, and your grandchildren will be impressed! Access the live stream on our website www.hhipc.org.

AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

First offered in 2003, the Ambassador Program will again be part of the 2022 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Competitors visit area preschools, elementary, middle and high schools to perform for groups of enraptured students. They play selections from their competition repertoire as well as favorite native works. There is plenty of time to interact with the students, providing information about the pieces and composers, and to engage in conversation about their musical studies and life in their home countries. Not only do these sessions assist schools in satisfying some state curricular requirements, but they can also be quite entertaining since children often ask unexpected and humorous questions! The Ambassador Program is not only an opportunity for competitors to perform and share the experience of mastering their craft in a relaxed setting with young people, it gives them a taste of the educational possibilities they are likely to be involved with in the future. As for the students, it is the first time many will hear classical music, or attend a LIVE musical performance of any kind. The Hilton Head International Piano Competition hopes these visits awaken musical excitement in the students of Beaufort County, and encourage our young people to strive and excel at whatever endeavors they wish to accomplish. Recently, the HHIPC added senior-living communities to this popular program. Should in-person visits not be possible this year, we will Zoom from SoundWaves.

These educational visits are made possible through a generous grant from Gulfstream Aerospace.

2022 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Confirmed at publication

Red Cedar Elementary • Sea Pines Montessori • Boys & Girls Club - Hilton Head & Bluffton St. Gregory the Great School • Hilton Head Elementary School for the Creative Arts TidePointe • The Cypress • The Seabrook

ANGELA CHENG, CANADA

Consistently praised for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty, and superb musicianship, Canadian pianist Angela Cheng is one of her country’s national treasures. During the 2019/2020 season, Ms. Cheng served as an Artistic Partner of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra where she performed three concertos throughout the season. Other highlights of the season included return engagements with the symphonies of Vancouver, Victoria, and Nova Scotia. In the U.S., Ms. Cheng performed with the symphonies of Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Richmond and Canton, as well as the IRIS Chamber Orchestra.

Angela Cheng has given concerts in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the 92nd Street Y in New York. She has also performed in the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg and the Sydney Opera House. She has appeared at the Verbier, Edinburgh, Miyazaki, St. Petersburg/Stars of the White Nights, and Enescu/Romania Festivals.

An avid recitalist, Angela Cheng appears regularly on recital series throughout the United States and Canada and has collaborated with numerous chamber ensembles including the Takács, Colorado, and Vogler quartets. Festival appearances have included Banff, Bravo! Vail, Chautauqua, Colorado, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla’s SummerFest, Ravinia, Vancouver, the Festival International de Lanaudière in Quebec, Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Cartegena International Music Festival in Colombia and the Schleswig-Holstein festival in Germany.

Acclaimed for his exquisite tonal beauty and superb artistry, Boris Slutsky emerged on the international music scene when he captured First Prize and two others at the 1981 William Kapell International (University of Maryland) Piano Competition. Other accomplishments include first prizes at the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition and San Antonio International Keyboard Competition, and major prizes at the International Bach Competition in Memory of Glenn Gould, Busoni, Rina Sala Gallo, and Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competitions. Since his orchestral debut at Carnegie Hall in 1980, Slutsky has appeared on nearly every continent as soloist and recitalist. He has performed with the London Philharmonic, Stuttgart State Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Neuss am Rhein, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmoni, RAI Orchestra (Milan), KBS Symphony Orchestra (Korea), and major orchestras in Spain, Russia, Columbia, Brazil and South Africa. His North American engagements include concerts with the Baltimore, Florida, Utah, and Toronto Symphonies. Slutsky has been heard on recital series throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the Far East, making appearances at the Kennedy Center, the Kaufmann Concert Hall, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Performing Arts Center in Seoul, and Teatro Colon in Bogota, among others.

BORIS SLUTSKY, UNITED STATES

An avid chamber musician, Slutsky’s more than two decades of chamber music collaborations include the critically acclaimed recording of Schumann’s Sonatas for Violin and Piano with Ilya Kaler (Naxos). Slutsky has presented master classes throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and served as a jury member for many international piano competitions. Slutsky received his early training at Moscow’s Gnessin School for Gifted Children as a student of Anna Kantor. His other teachers included Nadia Reisenberg, Nina Svetlanova, John Browning, Joseph Seiger, and his longtime mentor Alexander Eydleman. Slutsky joined the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in 1993. In the fall of 2019 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Piano at the Yale School of Music.

MARINA LOMAZOV, UKRAINE / UNITED STATES

Praised by critics as “a diva of the piano”, “a mesmerizing risk-taker”, “dazzling, “and “simply spectacular,” Ukrainian-American pianist Marina Lomazov has established herself as one of the most passionate and charismatic performers on the concert scene today. Following prizes at these international competitions—Cleveland, William Kapell, Gina Bachauer and Hilton Head—Ms. Lomazov has given performances throughout North America, South America, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Japan and in nearly all of the fifty states in the U.S. She has given major debuts in New York (Weill-Carnegie Hall) Boston (Symphony Hall), Chicago (Dame Myra Hess Concert Series), Los Angeles (Museum of Art), Shanghai (Oriental Art Center) and Kiev (Kiev International Music Festival). She has performed as soloist with the Boston Pops, Rochester Philharmonic, Eastman Philharmonia, Chernigov Philharmonic (Ukraine), KUG Orchester Graz (Austria), Bollington Festival Orchestra (England), Piccolo Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Brevard Festival Orchestra, South Carolina Philharmonic, Ohio and Missouri Chamber Orchestras and numerous others.

She has served as a jury member for the Cleveland International Piano Competition, Eastman International Piano Competition, Minnesota International e-Piano Competition, National Federation Biennial Young Artist Auditions and is chair of the panel for the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts, the organization that nominates Presidential Scholars in the arts. Ms. Lomazov is a Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music. For 17 years she served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Music, where she held the Ira McKissick Koger Professor of Fine Arts Music chair, and where she is currently a Visiting Guest Artist. Together with her husband and piano duo partner, Joseph Rackers, she co-founded and serves as Co-Artistic Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival in Columbia, South Carolina. Marina Lomazov is a Steinway Artist.

JON KIMURA PARKER, CANADA

CHAIR

Pianist Jon Kimura Parker is known for his charisma, infectious enthusiasm, and dynamic performances. A veteran of the international concert stage, he has performed regularly in the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, London’s South Bank, the Sydney Opera House, and the Beijing Concert Hall. He was recently named Creative Partner for the Minnesota Orchestra’s Summer at Orchestra Hall, serves as the Artistic Director for the prestigious Honens International Piano Competition (Alberta, Canada), the Artistic Advisor for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (Washington state), and is on the faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Highlights of recent seasons include performances of the Barber, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, and complete Beethoven concertos with the Toronto Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, and others. He also appeared in programs for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Ravinia Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, and Toronto Summer Music. In addition, he performs widely throughout North America and Europe with the Montrose Trio (together with violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith), and will be undertaking an extensive tour of Australia with violinist Cho-Liang Lin. A collaborator in a wide variety of styles, Jon Kimura Parker has performed with Doc Severinsen, Audra McDonald, Bobby McFerrin, Pablo Ziegler, and Sanjaya Malakar. As a founding member of Off the Score, he has also performed with Stewart Copeland – the legendary drummer of The Police – for the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s 20th Anniversary Season, featuring his own arrangements of music by Prokofiev, Ravel and Stravinsky. Parker’s discography of a dozen albums features music ranging from Mozart and Chopin to Barber and Stravinsky. His most recent recording “Fantasy,” built around Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, was described by Musical Toronto as giving “a big, clear picture window of a rich soul and great artistic depth.” His YouTube channel features a series of Concerto Chat videos, which explore the piano concerto repertoire. Jon Kimura Parker studied with Edward Parker and Keiko Parker, Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the University of British Columbia, Marek Jablonski at the Banff Centre, and Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School. After winning the Gold Medal at the 1984 Leeds International Piano Competition, Parker has gone on to become an Officer of The Order of Canada and to receive Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Parker is known to his friends as “Jackie.” He is married to violinist/violist Aloysia and lives in Houston with daughter Sophie. This is his second trip to Hilton Head, having played Gershwin’s Concerto in F with the HHSO at the finale of HHIPC’s first festival, BravoPiano!, in 2018.

FABIO BIDINI, ITALY

Fabio Bidini is widely recognized as one of today’s most important pianists and pedagogues. His appearances have included performances with The London Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonia Orchestra of London at Royal Festival Hall, San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, Dallas Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra Prague, and Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Bidini has performed at many prestigious festivals throughout Europe. He is in great demand as a chamber music partner enjoying collaboration with numerous ensembles and artists. He is the pianist of the highly acclaimed ensemble Trio Solisti. Mr. Bidini began his piano studies at the age of five. He graduated magna cum laude from the Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and studied composition at the Florence Conservatory. He has been awarded first prize in eleven of Italy’s national piano competitions and has been the recipient of the top prizes awarded in eight international competitions – Terni, Köln, Busoni, Pretoria, Marsala, London and the Van Cliburn. He made his North American debut in 1993 with the Atlanta Symphony. In 2015 the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles founded the Carol Colburn Grigor Piano Chair for Fabio Bidini and he currently serves as faculty there. He has been Professor of Piano at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, one of Europe’s premier music conservatories He also serves as an artist-in-residence at the “Hochschule für Musik und Tanz” in Köln. Mr. Bidini is a Steinway Artist.

Russian-American pianist Olga Kern has established herself as one of the leading pianists of her generation. Born in Moscow to a family of musicians, she jumpstarted her US career with her historic Gold Medal win at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2001), the first woman to do so in more than 30 years. First prize winner of the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition at 17, Ms. Kern is a laureate of many international competitions. In 2016 she served as Jury Chairman of both the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the first Olga Kern International Piano Competition, where she also holds the title of Artistic Director. Ms. Kern frequently gives master classes and since September 2017, has served on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Kern was appointed the Connie & Marc Jacobson Director of Chamber Music at the Virginia Arts Festival in 2019. She was honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in New York City in 2017. Recent and upcoming highlights include performances with more than 20 orchestras, both domestic and international. In 2017-2018, Ms. Kern served as Artist in Residence with the San Antonio Symphony and accompanied the Chinese National Youth Orchestra on tour to China. She has toured extensively in the United States with many international orchestras including the Royal National Scottish Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, National Philharmonic of Russia, Warsaw Philharmonic and others. She maintains an active recital schedule and has served on the jury of many international competitions. Ms. Kern's extensive discography includes her Grammy nominated recording of Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations and Transcriptions plus nine additional recordings. She has been featured in several documentaries including the award-winning film about the 2001 Cliburn Competition, Playing on the Edge. She can be followed on Facebook (@olgakern and @olgakerncompetition), Instagram (kernolga) and Twitter(@kernolga1). Ms. Kern is a Steinway Artist.

OLGA KERN, RUSSIA / UNITED STATES

CECILE LICAD, PHILIPPINES

Cecile Licad is considered the foremost Philippine pianist of our time. She began her piano studies at the age of three making her debut as soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Manila at age seven. At twelve she was admitted to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia studying with three renowned teachers: Rudolf Serkin, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, and Seymour Lipkin. Her international career was launched in 1981 after receiving the prestigious Leventritt award gold medal. Since then, Miss Licad has been among the most traveled pianists in the world and has been soloist with most of the world’s important orchestras including Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, and London symphonies, the NY Philharmonic, as well as the National Symphony and the major orchestras of Germany, Japan and Russia. Among the conductors she has worked with are Ozawa, Previn, Abaddo, Dutoit, Marriner, Ormandy and Solti. Her appearances as a chamber artist include collaborations with some of the most celebrated instrumentalists of our time including the violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, cellist Alban Gerhardt, and pianist Peter Serkin, among many others. She has been soloist with the Guarneri, Takács and other leading string quartets. Her Chopin CD was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque, and her recording of the music of Gottschalk (Naxos) has been a consistent best seller. Ms. Licad has a deep interest in the neglected piano music of American composers from the revolutionary era to the present, and her recent four CD’s of American piano music (Danacord label) have garnered extraordinary reviews throughout the world. Her next recording is the complete piano and orchestra works of Gershwin. Ms. Licad is a Steinway Artist.

ROBIN MCCABE, UNITED STATES

Pianist Robin McCabe has established herself as one of America’s most communicative and persuasive artists. She has delighted audiences across the United States, Europe, Canada, South America and in seven concert tours of the Far East. McCabe, earned her bachelor of music degree summa cum laude at the University of Washington School of Music, where she studied with Béla Siki, and her master’s and doctorate degrees at The Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with Rudolf Firkusny. She joined the Juilliard faculty in 1978, returning to the University of Washington in 1987 to accept a position on the piano faculty. In 1994 McCabe was appointed Director of the School of Music, a position she held until 2009. McCabe is a dedicated arts ambassador and advocate for arts audience development. With colleague Craig Sheppard, she launched the highly successful Seattle Piano Institute, an intense summer “immersion experience” for gifted and aspiring classical pianists. McCabe is the winner of numerous prizes and awards, including the International Concert Artists Guild Competition and a Rockefeller Foundation grant. She is the subject of a book titled Pianist’s Progress. Seattle magazine selected McCabe as one of 17 current and past UW professors who have had an impact on life in the Pacific Northwest. In 2005, to celebrate its 100th year as an institution, The Juilliard School selected McCabe as one of 100 alumni from 20,000 currently living to be profiled in its centenary publication recognizing distinction and accomplishments in the international world of music, dance, and theater. Today McCabe is a sought-after teacher at the University of Washington, with students from around the world seeking admission to her studio. She appears often as a jurist for international piano competitions. In 2021 she was appointed Artistic Advisor to the Beijing Royal School, one of China’s top private academies, with a complete K-12 program and a distinctive international curriculum.

AWADAGIN PRATT, UNITED STATES

Born in Pittsburgh, Awadagin Pratt began studying piano at the age of six and violin at nine. He entered the University of Illinois at 16 where he studied piano, violin, and conducting. Enrolling at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, he became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three performance areas – piano, violin and conducting. Mr. Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition (1992) and was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994. He has played numerous recitals throughout the U.S. including performances at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. His many orchestral performances include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, National, Detroit and New Jersey symphonies among others. Summer festival engagements include appearances at Ravinia, Blossom, Wolftrap, Caramoor, Aspen and the Hollywood Bowl. Internationally, Mr. Pratt has toured Japan four times and performed in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, Colombia and South Africa. An experienced conductor, he has conducted programs with several orchestras in the U.S. and Japan. He is a frequent participant on international competition juries, such as the Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Israel, the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and Minnesota e-Competition. In 2009, Mr. Pratt was one of four artists selected to perform at a classical music event at the White House including student workshops hosted by First Lady, Michelle Obama, and performing in concert for guests including President Obama. He has performed two other times at the White House, both at the invitation of President and Mrs. Clinton.

Mr. Pratt is currently a Professor of Piano at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He also served as the Artistic Director of the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati and is currently the Artistic Director of the Art of the Piano Festival at CCM.

Logan Skelton is a much sought-after pianist, teacher and composer whose work has received international critical acclaim. As a performer, Skelton has concertized widely in the United States, Europe and Asia and has been featured on many national public radio and television stations, as well as on radio in China and national television in Romania. He has recorded numerous discs for Centaur, Albany, Crystal, Blue Griffin, Supertrain and Naxos Records, the latter two with fellow composer-pianist William Bolcom. He has served as juror for many piano competitions and regularly appears in international festival settings. He is a popular presenter for music teacher organizations including MTNA national conventions and EPTA World Piano Conferences. As a pianist, Skelton has a particular love for the music of Béla Bartók, a composer whose works he has explored with great fascination for many years. As a composer/arranger he has creatively reimagined various piano works of Liszt and Mozart, and contributed substantially to the Gershwin complete editions of Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, and American in Paris. Skelton has a special affinity for art song, having composed nearly two hundred songs, including numerous song cycles. A devoted teacher, Skelton has been honored by the University of Michigan, including the Harold Haugh Award for excellence in studio teaching, and the Arthur F. Thurnau named professorship, among the highest honors given to faculty members at the university. Skelton’s own piano students have won awards in many national and international competitions. His former students hold positions of prominence in music schools and conservatories throughout the world. He has served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Missouri State University, and the University of Michigan.

LOGAN SKELTON, UNITED STATES