VALIANATOS & HSIAO PIANO DUO
Konstantinos Valianatos and Ching-Wen Hsiao, pianists
KONSTANTINOS VALIANATOS, piano
Konstantinos Valianatos has attracted attention as an exciting musician of great talent in the United States, Asia, and Europe. The recipient of numerous awards, he has won eleven first prizes, six of them at International Competitions, including the International Seiler Piano Competition, the International Ibiza Piano Competition, the Senigallia International Piano Competition, the San Gemini International Piano Competition, and the Aspen Music Festival Competition. He is the recipient of the Gina Bachauer, Yamaha, Onassis, I.K.Y., George and Marie Vergottis Foundation, and Starr Foundation scholarships. In 2004, Dr. Valianatos’s artistic integrity and work ethos were officially acknowledged when the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stefanopoulos presented him with the highest accolade from the Athens Academy, the most prestigious academic institution in Greece.
Dr. Valianatos already enjoys an international performing career, having appeared in three continents: America, Europe, and Asia. He has featured as a soloist in concerto performances with the Athens State Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, the “Sinfonieta” Orchestra of Athens, the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, and the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra. He has been heard both in solo recitals and as a chamber musician in numerous prestigious venues, including the White House, the Salle Cortot in Paris, Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing (NCPA), Tianjin Grand Theater, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shanghai Symphony’s Chamber Hall, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Thessaloniki Megaron, and the Athens Megaron, and has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artist’s Showcase.
He was a founding member of the award-winning “Olympus Piano Trio”, a group dedicated to celebrating chamber music and the Hellenic spirit. The “Olympus Piano Trio” performed extensively in the US and Europe. Their CD with works by Mendelssohn, Ravel, and Hatzis was released by LP Classics in the Fall of 2016. Together with his wife, pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao, the Valianatos-Hsiao piano duo has appeared in the United States and China, tackling some of the most challenging works in the repertoire, such as their recent performances of Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue (in Beethoven’s own arrangement), Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, and Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.
Dr. Valianatos has participated in numerous music festivals as an educator and performer, including Aspen International Music Festival, Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, Texas State University Piano Festival (Rising Star Series), Banff Music Festival, and the Piano Academy in Poros, Greece. He has been on the faculty at C’est Bon Chamber Music Academy in California since 2020.
From 2012-2016, Dr. Valianatos worked with the “Archdiocesan Metropolitan Youth Choir,” maintaining his ties with the Greek-American community of New York. Together with the choir, they appeared in such prestigious venues as Alice Tully Hall and Zankel Hall. In 2013 and 2015, they performed at the White House, in the presence of President Barack Obama, in celebration of the Greek Independence Day.
A great supporter of contemporary music, Dr. Valianatos has given premieres of numerous works. Together with tenor Martin Bakari and cellist Adrian Daurov, he recorded Grigory Smirnov’s hour-long song cycle “Dowson Songs,” along with the composer’s Chaconne for cello and piano. Their CD was released by Naxos in the Fall of 2016. As part of the FOCUS! Festival, Dr. Valianatos and pianist Alvin Zhu performed Tania León’s two-piano piece, Satiné. More recently, preeminent Greek Canadian composer Christos Hatzis wrote his multi-movement solo piano work Face to Face for Dr. Valianatos, who gave the world premiere of the work in New York. As part of the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble (TJE), Dr. Valianatos recently appeared at Xinghai Conservatory’s concert hall in Guangzhou, performing an eclectic program consisting exclusively of works by Chinese composers, as part of Chou Wen-Chung’s centennial celebrations. In addition, together with violinist Julia Glenn, they recorded an album of works by Chinese composers, which will soon be released.
Dr. Valianatos has attended numerous master classes with renowned pianists, including Murray Perahia, Paul Badura-Skoda, Ivo Pogorelich, Inon Barnatan, Robert Levin, Alfred Brendel, Alain Lefèvre, Jean-Claude Pennetier, France Clidat, Cyprien Katsaris, Martino Tirimo, Choong-Mo Kang Duo Ganev, Raquel Boldorini, Aaron Shorr, Oxana Yablonskaya, Bernard Ringeissen and Luigi Mostacci. His chamber music coaches include Julian Martin, Seymour Lipkin, Matti Raekallio, Joseph Kalichstein, Jerome Lowenthal, Rita Sloan, Nicholas Mann, Bonnie Hampton, Darrett Adkins, and Lara Lev.
A native of Athens, Greece, Dr. Valianatos began his piano studies at the age of seven at the National Conservatory of Greece. At age fourteen, he was awarded the “Diploma of Soloist” with highest distinction (class of Agathe Leimoni). He continued his studies in Paris at the École Normale de Musique “Alfred Cortot” with Germaine Mounier (“Diplôme supérieur d'exécution”) and at Schola Cantorum with Agathe Leimoni, (“Diplôme de Concertiste). Dr. Valianatos holds B.M. (class of Jerome Lowenthal and Veda Kaplinsky), M.M. degrees, and D.M.A. degrees (class of Julian Martin and Veda Kaplinsky) from the Juilliard School. He is currently on the piano faculty at the Tianjin Juilliard School, where he teaches in both the Pre-College and Graduate programs. Previously, he taught at West Virginia University’s School of Music, Carnegie Mellon’s Preparatory School, and Tianjin Juilliard’s Music Development Program.
CHING-WEN HSIAO, piano
American pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao has performed extensively as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She collaborated with Kurt Masur, James Conlon, James DePreist, and violinist Cho-Liang Lin. Dr. Hsiao performed at venues including Carnegie’s Issac Stern and Weill Recital Halls, David Geffen Hall, Steinway Hall, Ravinia Steans Institute, Rubinstein-Saal at Munich Steinway Haus, and Taiwan Concert Hall.
Dr. Hsiao made her concerto debut at the age of 16 with the Cebu Youth Symphony in the Philippines with four performances of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and appeared as soloist with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, Arts Viva Orchestra, DuPage Youth Symphony, West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, Yi-Qi Orchestra, and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra. Her performances were broadcasted live on WNIB and WQXR. She is a founding member of the Lyon Piano Trio and the Valianatos-Hsiao Piano Duo.
Dr. Hsiao is currently on the piano faculty at The Tianjin Juilliard School; prior to that, she served as assistant professor of piano and piano area coordinator at West Virginia University and was assistant professor of piano at Southeastern University. She was on the piano faculty at New York Juilliard’s Pre-College Division and Carnegie Mellon University’s Preparatory Division. She was executive director of the Geneva Conservatory of Music in New York City.
Dr. Hsiao has given masterclasses in several universities, such as the Texas Christian University, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Missouri State University, Penn State University, Duquesne University, and Mahidol University in Thailand. She taught at multiple music festivals, such as the Aspen Music Festival, U.S.-China Piano Festival, and Viana do Castelo International Music Festival in Portugal. Dr. Hsiao was regional director of the Elite International Music Competition and director of West Virginia International Piano Competition and Festival.
Dr. Hsiao graduated from The Juilliard School with a B.M., M.M., D.M.A. in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Jerome Lowenthal. She is a recipient of Juilliard’s “Outstanding Pianist Award.” Her other principal teachers include Emilio del Rosario, Gordon Chin, and Juanelva Rose. She was the first prize winner at the Taiwan Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Steinway's Solo Piano and Concerto Competitions. Dr. Hsiao also received an “Outstanding Scholarship” Award from Southeastern University, a Big 12 Faculty Fellowship from West Virginia University, and the “Rising Star Award” in Taiwan. Dr. Hsiao is a Steinway Artist.
Konstantinos Valianatos has attracted attention as an exciting musician of great talent in the United States, Asia, and Europe. The recipient of numerous awards, he has won eleven first prizes, six of them at International Competitions, including the International Seiler Piano Competition, the International Ibiza Piano Competition, the Senigallia International Piano Competition, the San Gemini International Piano Competition, and the Aspen Music Festival Competition. He is the recipient of the Gina Bachauer, Yamaha, Onassis, I.K.Y., George and Marie Vergottis Foundation, and Starr Foundation scholarships. In 2004, Dr. Valianatos’s artistic integrity and work ethos were officially acknowledged when the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stefanopoulos presented him with the highest accolade from the Athens Academy, the most prestigious academic institution in Greece.
Dr. Valianatos already enjoys an international performing career, having appeared in three continents: America, Europe, and Asia. He has featured as a soloist in concerto performances with the Athens State Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, the “Sinfonieta” Orchestra of Athens, the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, and the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra. He has been heard both in solo recitals and as a chamber musician in numerous prestigious venues, including the White House, the Salle Cortot in Paris, Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing (NCPA), Tianjin Grand Theater, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shanghai Symphony’s Chamber Hall, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Thessaloniki Megaron, and the Athens Megaron, and has been featured on WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artist’s Showcase.
He was a founding member of the award-winning “Olympus Piano Trio”, a group dedicated to celebrating chamber music and the Hellenic spirit. The “Olympus Piano Trio” performed extensively in the US and Europe. Their CD with works by Mendelssohn, Ravel, and Hatzis was released by LP Classics in the Fall of 2016. Together with his wife, pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao, the Valianatos-Hsiao piano duo has appeared in the United States and China, tackling some of the most challenging works in the repertoire, such as their recent performances of Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue (in Beethoven’s own arrangement), Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, and Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.
Dr. Valianatos has participated in numerous music festivals as an educator and performer, including Aspen International Music Festival, Festival Mozaic in San Luis Obispo, Texas State University Piano Festival (Rising Star Series), Banff Music Festival, and the Piano Academy in Poros, Greece. He has been on the faculty at C’est Bon Chamber Music Academy in California since 2020.
From 2012-2016, Dr. Valianatos worked with the “Archdiocesan Metropolitan Youth Choir,” maintaining his ties with the Greek-American community of New York. Together with the choir, they appeared in such prestigious venues as Alice Tully Hall and Zankel Hall. In 2013 and 2015, they performed at the White House, in the presence of President Barack Obama, in celebration of the Greek Independence Day.
A great supporter of contemporary music, Dr. Valianatos has given premieres of numerous works. Together with tenor Martin Bakari and cellist Adrian Daurov, he recorded Grigory Smirnov’s hour-long song cycle “Dowson Songs,” along with the composer’s Chaconne for cello and piano. Their CD was released by Naxos in the Fall of 2016. As part of the FOCUS! Festival, Dr. Valianatos and pianist Alvin Zhu performed Tania León’s two-piano piece, Satiné. More recently, preeminent Greek Canadian composer Christos Hatzis wrote his multi-movement solo piano work Face to Face for Dr. Valianatos, who gave the world premiere of the work in New York. As part of the Tianjin Juilliard Ensemble (TJE), Dr. Valianatos recently appeared at Xinghai Conservatory’s concert hall in Guangzhou, performing an eclectic program consisting exclusively of works by Chinese composers, as part of Chou Wen-Chung’s centennial celebrations. In addition, together with violinist Julia Glenn, they recorded an album of works by Chinese composers, which will soon be released.
Dr. Valianatos has attended numerous master classes with renowned pianists, including Murray Perahia, Paul Badura-Skoda, Ivo Pogorelich, Inon Barnatan, Robert Levin, Alfred Brendel, Alain Lefèvre, Jean-Claude Pennetier, France Clidat, Cyprien Katsaris, Martino Tirimo, Choong-Mo Kang Duo Ganev, Raquel Boldorini, Aaron Shorr, Oxana Yablonskaya, Bernard Ringeissen and Luigi Mostacci. His chamber music coaches include Julian Martin, Seymour Lipkin, Matti Raekallio, Joseph Kalichstein, Jerome Lowenthal, Rita Sloan, Nicholas Mann, Bonnie Hampton, Darrett Adkins, and Lara Lev.
A native of Athens, Greece, Dr. Valianatos began his piano studies at the age of seven at the National Conservatory of Greece. At age fourteen, he was awarded the “Diploma of Soloist” with highest distinction (class of Agathe Leimoni). He continued his studies in Paris at the École Normale de Musique “Alfred Cortot” with Germaine Mounier (“Diplôme supérieur d'exécution”) and at Schola Cantorum with Agathe Leimoni, (“Diplôme de Concertiste). Dr. Valianatos holds B.M. (class of Jerome Lowenthal and Veda Kaplinsky), M.M. degrees, and D.M.A. degrees (class of Julian Martin and Veda Kaplinsky) from the Juilliard School. He is currently on the piano faculty at the Tianjin Juilliard School, where he teaches in both the Pre-College and Graduate programs. Previously, he taught at West Virginia University’s School of Music, Carnegie Mellon’s Preparatory School, and Tianjin Juilliard’s Music Development Program.
CHING-WEN HSIAO, piano
American pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao has performed extensively as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She collaborated with Kurt Masur, James Conlon, James DePreist, and violinist Cho-Liang Lin. Dr. Hsiao performed at venues including Carnegie’s Issac Stern and Weill Recital Halls, David Geffen Hall, Steinway Hall, Ravinia Steans Institute, Rubinstein-Saal at Munich Steinway Haus, and Taiwan Concert Hall.
Dr. Hsiao made her concerto debut at the age of 16 with the Cebu Youth Symphony in the Philippines with four performances of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and appeared as soloist with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, Arts Viva Orchestra, DuPage Youth Symphony, West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, Yi-Qi Orchestra, and Evergreen Symphony Orchestra. Her performances were broadcasted live on WNIB and WQXR. She is a founding member of the Lyon Piano Trio and the Valianatos-Hsiao Piano Duo.
Dr. Hsiao is currently on the piano faculty at The Tianjin Juilliard School; prior to that, she served as assistant professor of piano and piano area coordinator at West Virginia University and was assistant professor of piano at Southeastern University. She was on the piano faculty at New York Juilliard’s Pre-College Division and Carnegie Mellon University’s Preparatory Division. She was executive director of the Geneva Conservatory of Music in New York City.
Dr. Hsiao has given masterclasses in several universities, such as the Texas Christian University, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Missouri State University, Penn State University, Duquesne University, and Mahidol University in Thailand. She taught at multiple music festivals, such as the Aspen Music Festival, U.S.-China Piano Festival, and Viana do Castelo International Music Festival in Portugal. Dr. Hsiao was regional director of the Elite International Music Competition and director of West Virginia International Piano Competition and Festival.
Dr. Hsiao graduated from The Juilliard School with a B.M., M.M., D.M.A. in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Jerome Lowenthal. She is a recipient of Juilliard’s “Outstanding Pianist Award.” Her other principal teachers include Emilio del Rosario, Gordon Chin, and Juanelva Rose. She was the first prize winner at the Taiwan Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Steinway's Solo Piano and Concerto Competitions. Dr. Hsiao also received an “Outstanding Scholarship” Award from Southeastern University, a Big 12 Faculty Fellowship from West Virginia University, and the “Rising Star Award” in Taiwan. Dr. Hsiao is a Steinway Artist.
FISHER PIANO DUO
Christopher & Katherine Fisher, pianists
The FISHER PIANO DUO has been delighting audiences throughout the United States with innovative and engaging programming of piano duet and duo literature since 2004. As dedicated educators and proponents of collaborative music making, the duo frequently serves as featured artists and clinicians at university, community music school, and civic events. Passionate educators and scholars, the Fishers are co-authors of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press).
KATHERINE FISHER is co-author of the Piano Safari method (www.pianosafari.com) which is used piano students and teachers around the globe. She serves on the faculty of the Athens Community Music School at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Her responsibilities include teaching private piano lessons as well as coordinating the Piano Preparatory Program (group lessons) for children who are beginners at the instrument. Katherine is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, having most recently served as recording secretary for the OhioMTA. She presently serves in the capacity of Vice- President for Membership for the Southeast District of OhioMTA.
A native of Ohio, Katherine earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma (Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy) and the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance). Her former teachers include Jeongwon Ham, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Karin R. Edwards, and Nancy Bachus.
Katherine Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
CHRISTOPHER FISHER is Professor of Piano at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he co-chairs the Keyboard Division and directs the nationally recognized undergraduate and graduate piano performance and pedagogy programs. He is the Artistic Director of the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar and is a Faculty Fellow for the 1804 Scholars Program. Dr. Fisher served as Director of the Ohio University School of Music from 2020-2022 and Assistant Director from 2019-2020. Recognized for his teaching, Dr. Fisher was the 2010 recipient of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award and the Ohio University School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award.
Dr. Fisher is the author of Teaching Piano in Groups (Oxford University Press, 2010), the only comprehensive group piano pedagogy textbook of its kind. A Chinese translation of Teaching Piano in Groups is also available. Dr. Fisher is the co-author of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press, 2016) and co-author of Functional Skills for Pianists (Oxford University Press, 2022). He is also co-editing the Oxford Handbook for Piano Pedagogy (Oxford University Press) with Dr. Sally Cathcart. He has published in leading keyboard journals including Keyboard Companion, American Music Teacher, Clavier, and Clavier Companion. He is a contributing composer for the innovative piano method, Piano Safari (www.pianosafari.com), which is used by piano teachers and students around the globe. His educational compositions are published by Alfred Music and Piano Safari.
In demand as a workshop clinician, Dr. Fisher has presented lectures nationally and internationally, including the National Conferences of the Music Teachers National Association (Washington, D.C., 2001; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007; Atlanta, Georgia, 2009; San Antonio, Texas, 2016; Orlando, Florida, 2018, Atlanta, Georgia, 2024), the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (Lombard, Illinois, 2013; 2017; 2019), the Music & Drama Education Expo (London, England, 2018), Centro para la Pedagogia de los Instruments de Cuerda (CEPIC) (Madrid, Spain, 2023), the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (Norman, Oklahoma, 2006; Austin, Texas, 2010), the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference (Canberra, Australia, 2008), Encontro Internacional de Pianistas de Piracicaba (Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2016), The Curious Piano Teachers Live Conferences (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2018 and Oxford, England, 2018) and the American Music Therapy Association (Orlando, Florida, 2005). He has served as a guest lecturer at leading universities and conservatories across the U.S. and abroad including recent engagements at The Juilliard School in New York (USA), the Tianjin Juilliard School (China), the Manhattan School of Music, the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Oxford (UK), and Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK).
As a performing artist, Dr. Fisher frequently plays both solo and collaborative recitals, including duet and duo piano performances with wife, pianist Katherine Fisher. The Fisher Piano Duo was awarded first prize in the Adult Duo Division of the Graves Piano and Organ Company/OhioMTA Piano Competition in 2007. As a recording artist, Dr. Fisher can be heard on the MSR Classics label (Samplings: New Music for Bassoon and Piano; MS1547).
Dr. Fisher is an active member of Music Teachers National Association and has served as Vice-President for Conferences and Vice-President for Membership for the Ohio Music Teachers Association; he presently serves as Collegiate Chapter Chair. He is the faculty advisor for the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, recipient of the 2021, 2019, and 2015 MTNA Collegiate Chapter Award. Dr. Fisher maintains a studio of pre-college students who have been successful at state and regional piano competitions and festivals. He frequently serves as an adjudicator and master class clinician at piano festivals and competitions throughout the United States and abroad, including the MTNA Stecher & Horowitz Two Piano Competition, the OHIO International Piano Duet & Duo Competition, and the United States Virtuoso Artists International Piano Competition.
A native of Missouri, Dr. Fisher holds degrees from Wichita State University (Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy) and Northwest Missouri State University (Bachelor of Arts). He was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma where he was the recipient of the prestigious Alumni Graduate Fellowship. His piano and piano pedagogy teachers include Edward Gates, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Julie Bees, Sylvia Coats, Richard Bobo, and Betty Preston.
Dr. Fisher resides in Albany, Ohio with his wife Katherine and their children Isaiah and Anna.
Christopher Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
www.chrisfisherpiano.com
Visit http://www.chrisfisherpiano.com/fisher-piano-duo.html for more information.
KATHERINE FISHER is co-author of the Piano Safari method (www.pianosafari.com) which is used piano students and teachers around the globe. She serves on the faculty of the Athens Community Music School at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Her responsibilities include teaching private piano lessons as well as coordinating the Piano Preparatory Program (group lessons) for children who are beginners at the instrument. Katherine is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, having most recently served as recording secretary for the OhioMTA. She presently serves in the capacity of Vice- President for Membership for the Southeast District of OhioMTA.
A native of Ohio, Katherine earned degrees from the University of Oklahoma (Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy) and the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance). Her former teachers include Jeongwon Ham, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Karin R. Edwards, and Nancy Bachus.
Katherine Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
CHRISTOPHER FISHER is Professor of Piano at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he co-chairs the Keyboard Division and directs the nationally recognized undergraduate and graduate piano performance and pedagogy programs. He is the Artistic Director of the Ohio University Piano Pedagogy Seminar and is a Faculty Fellow for the 1804 Scholars Program. Dr. Fisher served as Director of the Ohio University School of Music from 2020-2022 and Assistant Director from 2019-2020. Recognized for his teaching, Dr. Fisher was the 2010 recipient of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award and the Ohio University School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award.
Dr. Fisher is the author of Teaching Piano in Groups (Oxford University Press, 2010), the only comprehensive group piano pedagogy textbook of its kind. A Chinese translation of Teaching Piano in Groups is also available. Dr. Fisher is the co-author of the revised and expanded edition of Piano Duet Repertoire (Indiana University Press, 2016) and co-author of Functional Skills for Pianists (Oxford University Press, 2022). He is also co-editing the Oxford Handbook for Piano Pedagogy (Oxford University Press) with Dr. Sally Cathcart. He has published in leading keyboard journals including Keyboard Companion, American Music Teacher, Clavier, and Clavier Companion. He is a contributing composer for the innovative piano method, Piano Safari (www.pianosafari.com), which is used by piano teachers and students around the globe. His educational compositions are published by Alfred Music and Piano Safari.
In demand as a workshop clinician, Dr. Fisher has presented lectures nationally and internationally, including the National Conferences of the Music Teachers National Association (Washington, D.C., 2001; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007; Atlanta, Georgia, 2009; San Antonio, Texas, 2016; Orlando, Florida, 2018, Atlanta, Georgia, 2024), the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (Lombard, Illinois, 2013; 2017; 2019), the Music & Drama Education Expo (London, England, 2018), Centro para la Pedagogia de los Instruments de Cuerda (CEPIC) (Madrid, Spain, 2023), the National Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (Norman, Oklahoma, 2006; Austin, Texas, 2010), the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference (Canberra, Australia, 2008), Encontro Internacional de Pianistas de Piracicaba (Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2016), The Curious Piano Teachers Live Conferences (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2018 and Oxford, England, 2018) and the American Music Therapy Association (Orlando, Florida, 2005). He has served as a guest lecturer at leading universities and conservatories across the U.S. and abroad including recent engagements at The Juilliard School in New York (USA), the Tianjin Juilliard School (China), the Manhattan School of Music, the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Oxford (UK), and Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK).
As a performing artist, Dr. Fisher frequently plays both solo and collaborative recitals, including duet and duo piano performances with wife, pianist Katherine Fisher. The Fisher Piano Duo was awarded first prize in the Adult Duo Division of the Graves Piano and Organ Company/OhioMTA Piano Competition in 2007. As a recording artist, Dr. Fisher can be heard on the MSR Classics label (Samplings: New Music for Bassoon and Piano; MS1547).
Dr. Fisher is an active member of Music Teachers National Association and has served as Vice-President for Conferences and Vice-President for Membership for the Ohio Music Teachers Association; he presently serves as Collegiate Chapter Chair. He is the faculty advisor for the Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA, recipient of the 2021, 2019, and 2015 MTNA Collegiate Chapter Award. Dr. Fisher maintains a studio of pre-college students who have been successful at state and regional piano competitions and festivals. He frequently serves as an adjudicator and master class clinician at piano festivals and competitions throughout the United States and abroad, including the MTNA Stecher & Horowitz Two Piano Competition, the OHIO International Piano Duet & Duo Competition, and the United States Virtuoso Artists International Piano Competition.
A native of Missouri, Dr. Fisher holds degrees from Wichita State University (Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy) and Northwest Missouri State University (Bachelor of Arts). He was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma where he was the recipient of the prestigious Alumni Graduate Fellowship. His piano and piano pedagogy teachers include Edward Gates, Jane Magrath, Barbara Fast, Julie Bees, Sylvia Coats, Richard Bobo, and Betty Preston.
Dr. Fisher resides in Albany, Ohio with his wife Katherine and their children Isaiah and Anna.
Christopher Fisher is a Yamaha Artist.
www.chrisfisherpiano.com
Visit http://www.chrisfisherpiano.com/fisher-piano-duo.html for more information.
Emely Phelps, pianist
Praised by the Boston Globe for her “fleet, energetic, and bright-toned” playing, pianist EMELY PHELPS enjoys a flexible and multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. A finalist for the 2019 Pro Musicis International Award, Emely has given nearly 40 performances over the past two years, including recitals in Ohio, Washington, Iowa, and North Carolina. Highlights of her 2021-2022 concert season included performances of Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto with the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and Ohio University Symphony Orchestra, solo performances at Denison University and Bucknell University, and duo recitals with pianist Oksana Ezhokina, violinist Christine Harada Li, and flutist Hannah Porter Occeña.
Emely made her solo orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the National Symphony Orchestra, and has since been a featured concerto soloist with orchestras such as the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic. She has presented solo recitals throughout North America and Europe with a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach to Carter, and is a particularly passionate advocate for new music, having given world premieres of more than a dozen compositions and worked closely with Jörg Widmann, Shulamit Ran, Lei Liang, Robert McClure, and Richard Wernick in performances of their works.
As a founding member of Trio Cleonice, Emely spent eight years with the ensemble, performing across the United States, touring Europe - including a recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam - and winning second prize at the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China. The group also served as the Graduate Piano Trio-in-Residence at New England Conservatory for three years, and from 2014-2016 curated a monthly chamber music series, Trio Cleonice and Friends, in Brookline, Massachusetts, with the aim of making chamber music an accessible and integral part of the community.
An in-demand collaborator, Emely performs regularly at the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival and with Electric Earth Concerts, and has attended numerous other chamber music festivals, including five summers at Yellow Barn and three summers at Kneisel Hall. She has performed as a guest artist with the Borromeo String Quartet, and appears on flutist Hannah Porter Occeña’s recently released CD, Confluence. Emely is in the process of recording a second album with Hannah, as well as a CD for the Delos label with violinist Dawn Wohn, featuring violin and piano works by Amy Beach, Vivian Fung, and Irene Britton Smith.
Emely is currently Artist-Teacher of Piano at Ohio University, where she co-chairs the keyboard division, teaches applied piano, chamber music, and keyboard repertoire, and also directs the graduate collaborative piano degree program. Prior to her appointment at OU, she was the head piano TA at Stony Brook University, teaching for and managing their undergraduate piano program. Emely has given master classes at numerous universities, and will be a featured presenter at Ohio University’s Piano Pedagogy Seminar in June 2022, speaking about implicit grammar and instinctive musicality.
A native of Frederick, Maryland, Emely began her piano studies with Carole Kriewaldt and Marjorie Lee before receiving her B.M. and M.M. from the Juilliard School as a student of Julian Martin. She also studied with Vivian Weilerstein during Trio Cleonice’s tenure at NEC, earning a Graduate Diploma in chamber music, and most recently was awarded a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University under the guidance of Christina Dahl.
Emely made her solo orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the National Symphony Orchestra, and has since been a featured concerto soloist with orchestras such as the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic. She has presented solo recitals throughout North America and Europe with a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach to Carter, and is a particularly passionate advocate for new music, having given world premieres of more than a dozen compositions and worked closely with Jörg Widmann, Shulamit Ran, Lei Liang, Robert McClure, and Richard Wernick in performances of their works.
As a founding member of Trio Cleonice, Emely spent eight years with the ensemble, performing across the United States, touring Europe - including a recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam - and winning second prize at the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China. The group also served as the Graduate Piano Trio-in-Residence at New England Conservatory for three years, and from 2014-2016 curated a monthly chamber music series, Trio Cleonice and Friends, in Brookline, Massachusetts, with the aim of making chamber music an accessible and integral part of the community.
An in-demand collaborator, Emely performs regularly at the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival and with Electric Earth Concerts, and has attended numerous other chamber music festivals, including five summers at Yellow Barn and three summers at Kneisel Hall. She has performed as a guest artist with the Borromeo String Quartet, and appears on flutist Hannah Porter Occeña’s recently released CD, Confluence. Emely is in the process of recording a second album with Hannah, as well as a CD for the Delos label with violinist Dawn Wohn, featuring violin and piano works by Amy Beach, Vivian Fung, and Irene Britton Smith.
Emely is currently Artist-Teacher of Piano at Ohio University, where she co-chairs the keyboard division, teaches applied piano, chamber music, and keyboard repertoire, and also directs the graduate collaborative piano degree program. Prior to her appointment at OU, she was the head piano TA at Stony Brook University, teaching for and managing their undergraduate piano program. Emely has given master classes at numerous universities, and will be a featured presenter at Ohio University’s Piano Pedagogy Seminar in June 2022, speaking about implicit grammar and instinctive musicality.
A native of Frederick, Maryland, Emely began her piano studies with Carole Kriewaldt and Marjorie Lee before receiving her B.M. and M.M. from the Juilliard School as a student of Julian Martin. She also studied with Vivian Weilerstein during Trio Cleonice’s tenure at NEC, earning a Graduate Diploma in chamber music, and most recently was awarded a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University under the guidance of Christina Dahl.