Program Overview

Piano

Piano majors at Oberlin study with faculty who are nationally known performers and soloists, ensemble players and guest lecturers. Private study, coursework, master classes, and recitals round out the undergraduate experience. Students also have access to any of Oberlin's 240-plus Steinway pianos, situated in practice rooms and in our performance venues.

Program Facts

  • Program Type: Major, Artist Diploma
    • Bachelor of Music (BM)
    • Artist Diploma (ADip)
  • Division: Keyboard Studies

Piano Department Chair

Alvin Chow,
Professor of Piano

Piano student Yihui Liu playing with the Oberlin Orchestra
Piano student Yihui Liu, a winner of Oberlin's Senior Concerto Competition, performs with the Oberlin Orchestra in Finney Chapel.
Photo credit: Walter Novak

Student Performances

Oberlin’s 500-plus concerts every year offer conservatory students a wealth of opportunities to participate in competitions and recitals, and to perform as soloists or accompanists. Use your talents to support one of the many performance ensembles, such as the Oberlin Orchestra and Oberlin College Choir, or a student group such as the Musical Theater Association.

See Performance Ensembles

Piano Faculty

Conservatory faculty maintain active performance schedules while remaining accessible and committed to their students. Individual instruction is paramount to helping students develop their mechanical, technical, stylistic, psychological, and musical skills.

Explore Faculty within Piano

Upcoming Piano Events

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Piano News

Peter Takács Begins Three Concert Series of Beethoven’s Complete Violin Sonatas

December 9, 2022

Oberlin piano professor and avowed Beethoven devotee Peter Takács will be bringing the composer’s 10 violin sonatas to Kulas Recital Hall over the course of three concerts this academic year. The first edition, on Sunday, December 11, features three violinists on Oberlin’s faculty—Sibbi Bernhardsson and Verona Quartet violinists Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro—and guest artist Daniel Stepner.
man with glasses wearing a dark suite sits at the piano

The Cleveland Orchestra Releases Album of Compositions by George Walker ’41

November 3, 2022

On November 4, the orchestra releases a new album dedicated to the music of George Walker, Oberlin Conservatory class of 1941, and a trailblazing composer. Recorded between October 2020 and March 2022, the album spans 50 years of the composer’s impressive career. Its release falls shortly after the 100th anniversary of his birth.
George Walker and the album cover
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