Overview

For the keyboard area at Colorado State University, excellence in the pursuit of musical expression, technical mastery, and artistry in performance is our primary goal. As a pianist, organist, or harpsichordist, you will be guided in your study by a team of artist-teachers, performers, and internationally recognized scholars. Students cherish the high level of individual attention and focus they receive in private lessons, weekly masterclasses, departmental recitals, keyboard literature classes, liturgical music studies, or classes in chamber music, arranging, and conducting. Keyboard students also enjoy numerous performance opportunities, including collaborative experiences.  

At the heart of the program is an intense love of the instrument, its touch, its vast repertoire, and its seemingly inexhaustible capacity for expression. 

In the keyboard area, emphasis is placed upon the growth of the individual student, with excellence in applied instruction reinforced by practical experience in the public performance of solo, chamber, and concerto repertoire. Weekly private lessons and performance classes on Steinway grand pianos culminate in solo public recitals in the junior and senior years.  

Collaborative experience is gained throughout the four years of undergraduate study through class instruction, laboratory experience in the vocal and instrumental studios, and placement on select band, orchestra, choral, and jazz repertoire. The annual Concerto Competition is an additional opportunity to appear as a soloist with a large ensemble.