Piano

Powerful expression. Cascading harmonies. Interpretive elegance.

Master your technique and captivate audiences with the grandeur, elegance and majesty of the piano.

The piano program at the College of Charleston provides you with conservatory-level training in a liberal arts environment. You will study with distinguished artist-faculty members, and have weekly private lessons and studio classes in which you'll explore solo repertoire and concertos, and have the opportunity to play chamber music.

The piano program is built on the vision of helping young artists realize their full potential. Students are challenged to explore music on every level - technical, intellectual, emotional - and to learn and grow with one another in a supportive environment that fosters excellence.

 

Center Stage: Opportunities, Courses & Inspiration

From campus to career, explore the opportunities, courses and achievements possible with the piano.
  • Performance Opportunities

    • International Piano Series: An annual College of Charleston event, the International Piano Series is Charleston's longest running, year-round program with a pure focus on piano.

      Students have the opportunity to hear these artists each year, but also to play for them in master classes and talk with them in discussion sessions.

      Guest artists in recent seasons have included Sergei Babayan, Angela Cheng, Ran Dank, Leon Fleisher, Marina Lomazov, Anne-Marie McDermott, Robert McDonald, Roberto Plano, Paul Sánchez, Volodymyr Vynnytsky, Yuja Weng, and Di Wu, among others.

    • Piccolo Spoleto Festival: Perform in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and other career-launching performance opportunities in the Charelston community.

    • Competitions & Festivals: Compete for top honors as you pursue additional performance opportunities and competitions.
    • Epicenter of arts and culture: The City of Charleston hosts many festivals through out the year including the internationally acclaimed Spoleto Festival.

  • Courses Offered

    The College of Charleston offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music specializing in performance.

    Students taking performance classes receive instruction tailored to their individual needs based on their aims and performance level.

    Courses of study are available for both majors and non-majors, with a concentration in piano performance available to music majors or double majors.

    • Applied Piano
    • Repertory Class: Piano
    • Ensemble
    • Performance
    Piano Courses in the Catalog
  • Renowned Faculty

    Tom HicksHailed as an artist of "magnificent pianism" with an ‘engaging personality," Guernsey-born pianist Tom Hicks has been praised for his "brilliantly evocative" (International Piano) and "gorgeously creative playing" (Fanfare). Hicks has an expansive repertoire and has appeared as recitalist in venues such as The Wigmore Hall in London, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and in many other venues throughout Europe and the United States. He has appeared as concerto soloist on more than 60 occasions, including complete cycles of the Rachmaninoff and Brahms Piano Concerti.


    Volodymyr VynnytskyInternationally renowned pianist and Director of Chamber Music Volodymyr Vynnytsky has been described by critics as "simply superb" and a "Mystically powerful pianist. Vynnytsky has performed with leading orchestras and appeared in solo recitals in many prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Steinway Hall, the Phillips Gallery in Washington D.C., the Great (Bolshoi) Hall at the Moscow Conservatory, and many more.


    Volodymyr VynnytskyLorna Barker is a concert pianist, collaborative pianist, adjudicator and teacher in the Charleston area. Barker has performed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra for over 20 years, the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, the North Charleston Pops Orchestra, in the Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto festivals, and was the pianist for the Broadway touring company of the hit musicals Wicked and The Book of Mormon. She has taught private piano instruction for 40 years.

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Misha Pekar on Piano

A double major in Music (Piano Performance) and Arts Management '22, Misha Pekar can be seen at venues throughout Charleston performing classical, jazz, and popular music.

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