Piano Studio

Music enriches the soul and enlightens the spirit.

hands playing piano

UAF Piano Program

While the program focuses on solo performance, it also emphasizes chamber music, collaborative piano, and teaching. The well-rounded curriculum prepares our graduates to make their way in today’s highly competitive music world.

Piano students have regular opportunities to play in weekly studio master classes and perform on weekly “Music at One” student recitals as they prepare for their degree recitals and juries.  Along with individual lessons, as well as chamber music coaching, by their major studio teacher, students also receive coaching from other teachers in the music department.

Moreover, many internationally acclaimed pianists visit the UAF Department of Music as part of the Fairbanks Symphony Concert Season, and Fairbanks Concert Association.  These artists give recitals, lectures, and master classes, which are all available to our students. Recent guests have included Vladimir Feltsman, James Tocco, Natasha Paremski, Alexander Kobrin, Jerome Rose, and many others.

Performance opportunities

Every piano student studies solo and chamber music literature, collaborates with instrumentalists and/or singers, and performs in the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, and UAF Wind Ensemble.  There are numerous performing opportunities on campus and beyond. Many piano students compete in the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra’s annual concerto competition, which offers the winners the opportunity to perform with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra on a subscription concert.  

Our former students are presented in concerts and with orchestras in New York, Germany, China and Greece.  Past students include Jamina Gerl ’11 MM who performs as a concert pianist in US and Europe, and Mallory Bernstein ’11 MM who is a teacher and an opera accompanist in Colorado.

Resources

UAF Department of Music maintains grand pianos in all concert halls, studios, and practice rooms. Students benefit from extensive libraries containing music collections, CD’s and DVD recordings. UAF has the Charles Davis Concert Hall which is the only true concert hall in the state of 91Ƶ, and has incredible acoustics for performances and recordings.  Every four years, UAF is the host of the prestigious 91Ƶ International Piano–e–Competition which brings world class pianists to the campus who compete to win more than $70,000 in prize moneys.

 

Eduard Zilberkant

Eduard Zilberkant

Professor

Music

Fine Arts 119

Eduard Zilberkant has been hailed as an inspirational teacher around the world. He has given masterclasses at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City, the Rubinstein Academy in Dusseldorf, Germany; the Puccini Conservatory in Italy; the Gumi International Music Festival in South Korea, and the Ionian Conservatory in Greece. His students have won national and international piano competitions and appear as soloists worldwide.

 

For ensembles details, please visit the Ensembles page