Summer Programs
Piano Festival
A young student works with a faculty member in a summer piano master class.
Photo credit: Adan Caldera Quintero
PIANO FESTIVAL
Sunday, July 13 - Friday, July 25, 2025
APPLICATIONS - rolling admission beginning February 15. This program is now filled.
This two-week Festival is designed for advanced pianists between the ages of 12-18.
Please note that students under 15 years of age must be accompanied by a parent and live off-campus.
The Festival features private lessons, master classes, technique sessions, an optional competition, concerts in Oberlin Conservatory’s Warner Concert Hall, and lots of summer fun including a trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park.
This year's Festival concludes with a trip to Severance Hall to enjoy listenig to the Cooper Piano Competition Concerto finalists perform with the Cleveland Orchestra!
Ernest Barretta
Recognized, at a young age, as a pianist “in command of his instrument and the music at every intricate turn ... his technical expertise, stage presence and sensitivity to the music are truly inspiring in so youthful a pianist” (McKeesport Daily News), American pianist Ernest Barretta (week 1 & 2) continues to enjoy success as both soloist and chamber musician. He has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad, as soloist with the St. Petersburg Symphony in St. Petersburg, Russia, the National Gallery Orchestra of Washington, D.C. and the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. Sought after for both his performances of, and thoughts about, music, he has appeared in interviews and live performances at XM Radio studios, on WBJC in Baltimore and WFLN in Philadelphia. He has recorded contemporary, chamber and solo repertoire on multiple labels, and his solo recording of works by Bach, Beethoven, and Musorgsky on the MRC label has earned critical acclaim. As a collaborative artist, Barretta has performed and recorded with many internationally recognized musicians, and is a member of the Allegheny Ensemble and the Musa Amici trio. He twice appeared as soloist at the Seoul Summer Music Festival and Academy in South Korea, where he also served as a member of the piano faculty; he has also performed and given masterclasses at numerous music festivals in China and Tawain. In addition, he has served as a juror at international piano competitions in New York, China, and Taiwan.
Dr. Barretta additionally devotes a great deal of his time to teaching; the rewarding task of working with emerging talent is an important part of his life as a musician. He is currently on the piano faculty of the Juilliard School of Music, pre-college division, having served previously on the piano faculties of The Peabody Conservatory and Towson University. He also enjoys working as conductor and composer, and is Music Director of the several ensembles that make up the music program at St. Joseph, Fullerton, in Baltimore, MD.
Early studies of both piano and organ in the Pittsburgh, PA area led to top prizes in several local competitions, including those of the Pittsburgh Concert Society and the Pittsburgh Musician’s Club. He earned his BM in Piano Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory, studying with Sanford Margolis, MM from the University of the Arts and DMA from the Peabody Conservatory – studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky at both schools. He received several honors and distinctions along the way, such as the Rudolph Serkin Prize (Oberlin), the Strine Award (U of Arts) and the Zierler Award (Peabody). Currently, Dr. Barretta resides in the Baltimore area with his wife, Cynthia, and their daughter.
Angela Cheng
Consistently praised for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty and superb musicianship, Canadian pianist Angela Cheng (week 1) is one of her country’s national treasures. She has appeared as soloist with more than 100 orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Buffalo Philharmonic, and the symphonies of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, St. Louis, Houston, San Diego, Indianapolis, Syracuse, Utah and Colorado. An avid recitalist, Ms. Cheng has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, including New York City (Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the 92nd Street Y), Wigmore Hall in London, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg and the Sydney Opera House, as well as in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Montreal, Toronto, Taiwan, Italy and Australia. In 2012 she made her Carnegie Hall debut as soloist with the Edmonton Symphony.
Ms. Cheng has collaborated with numerous chamber ensembles including the Takács, Colorado, and Vogler quartets. Festival appearances have included Verbier, Edinburgh, Miyazaki, St. Petersburg/Stars of the White Nights, Enescu/Romania, Banff, Bravo! Vail, Chautauqua, Colorado, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla’s SummerFest, Ravinia, Vancouver, the Festival International de Lanaudière in Quebec, Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Cartegena International Music Festival in Colombia and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany.
Ms. Cheng has been invited to give masterclasses throughout North America and in Asia, including the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, Taichung University in Taiwan, Indiana University, University of Michigan and the University of Texas. She has also served on the jury of many competitions, including the Seoul International Piano Competition, Cleveland International Piano Competition, Esther Honens International Piano Competition, Montreal International Piano Competition, William Kapell International Piano Competition, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, New Orleans International Piano Competition, Young Concert Artists Competition, and the American Pianists Association Competition. In 2022, she served on the Selection Jury of the Sixteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and was a webcast co-host for the live competition.
Ms. Cheng’s many honors include a Gold Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition, the distinction of being the first Canadian to win the prestigious Montreal International Piano Competition, additional first prizes at the William Kapell International Piano Competition and D’Angelo Young Artist Competition, the Medal of Excellence from the Salzburg Mozarteum for her outstanding interpretations of Mozart, and a Career Development Grant from the Canada Council. In 2010, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and cited for her life as a “concert pianist and ambassador for classical music.”
A native of Hong Kong, Ms. Cheng studied extensively with Menahem Pressler at Indiana University and with Sascha Gorodnitzki at the Juilliard School. She is currently on the artist faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she is the Robert W. Wheeler Professor of Piano, and the recipient of the 2011-12 Excellence in Teaching Award.
Alvin Chow
Alvin Chow (week 1) has appeared throughout North America and Asia as orchestral soloist and recitalist. In addition, he has performed extensively in duo-piano recitals with his wife, Angela Cheng, and his twin brother, Alan. A native of Miami, Florida, he graduated summa cum laude and Co-Valedictorian (with his brother) at the University of Maryland, where he was a student of Nelita True. Mr. Chow received the Victor Herbert Prize in Piano upon graduation from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Sascha Gorodnitzki, and held the Joseph Battista Memorial Scholarship at Indiana University as a student of Menahem Pressler.
Mr. Chow has won top prizes in numerous competitions such as the National Symphony Young Soloists Competition, Civic Orchestra of Chicago Young Soloists Competition, William Kapell International Piano Competition, and the New York Piano Teachers Congress International Piano Competition. He has been presented as recitalist in such cities as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Vienna, Montreal, Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles, and has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Pan-Asia Symphony in Hong Kong, Shanghai Philharmonic, and Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg, among others. He has also been Convention Artist for the state MTNA conferences in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Tennessee. With Angela Cheng, he performed as Conference Artist for the 2019 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and in 2023 they presented the Advanced Piano Master Class at the National Conference of MTNA. In 2011, a CD of music for four and six hands, recorded with Angela Cheng and Alan Chow, was released by Arioso Classics. It features music by Brahms, Dvorák, Ravel, Milhaud, Corigliano, and Copland.
Mr. Chow has presented numerous master classes and lectures at music institutions throughout the United States and abroad, including the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Taichung University in Taiwan, Colburn School in Los Angeles, Eastman School of Music, University of Michigan, and Indiana University. He has taught and performed at numerous summer festivals, including the Shanghai Piano Festival, Banff Piano Master Classes, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, North Coast Piano Festival, Southeastern Piano Festival, New Orleans International Piano Festival, Adamant Music School, Lake Como Summer Piano School in Italy, and the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria.
Mr. Chow has been a member of numerous competition juries, most recently serving as Chair of the Jury at the 2023 Hilton Head International Junior Piano Competition and on the Screening Jury of the 2023 Van Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition. Others include the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Iowa International Piano Competition, the Jacksonville International Piano Competition, MTNA Student Competitions, the International Piano e-Competition, and the Cooper International Piano Competition at Oberlin.
Mr. Chow was the first Fulbright Visiting Artist in Piano at the University of Arkansas, and also taught at the University of Colorado. Mr. Chow has been a member of the artist faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music since 1999, where he currently serves as Chair of the Piano Department. Mr. Chow was named the Ruth Strickland Gardner Professor of Music from 2011-14, and also received Oberlin’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016.
Carl Cranmer
Carl Cranmer (week 1 & 2) made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of nine. Since then he has given solo recitals in Europe, Asia, and North America, and he has performed in concert with the Royal Philharmonic of England, the Gulbenkian Orquesta of Portugal, and the Juilliard Orchestra, among others. In addition to his study in the United States, he also studied at the Sommerakademie at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria where he was under the tutelage of Karlheinz Kammerling, Jacob Lateiner, and Hans Graf.
Cranmer has performed in important national and international venues including Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie-Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Hall in New York; in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and in the Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater in Philadelphia. His performances have been televised in Madrid, Tokyo, Missouri, and Philadelphia, and his performances have been aired on NPR and radio stations in New York, Chicago, Montréal, Boston, and Atlanta. In addition to performances in Austria, France, England and Japan, he has had the opportunity to give two solo concert tours of Spain. In 2002, he was invited to perform a solo recital sponsored by the American and Spanish Embassies in Panama City, Panama.
Cranmer also performs a wide variety of chamber music. He has performed in recital with Naumburg Competition winner Axel Strauss in Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Seattle. In 2004, their performance in Steinway Hall in New York City was broadcast by NHK on public television stations in Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Cranmer has also collaborated with the Grammy-winning Takács Quartet, baritone Randall Scarlata, tenor Robert White, and violinist Akiko Suwanai. He has performed in the summers at Tanglewood, Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival.
Cranmer can be heard in recordings of Samuel Barber’s Concerto for Piano with the Russian Philharmonia led by maestro Ovidiu Marinescu; "Soirée," a collection of solo works by Poulenc, Chopin, Fauré, Granados, Liszt, and Barber; and in collaboration with violinist Sylvia Ahramjian in music of Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, and others, titled "Crossroads."
Cranmer is on the faculty of West Chester University and is a member of the Music Teachers National Association. He gives numerous master classes in the Philadelphia area and maintains a private piano studio.
Ethan Dong
Pianist and Educator Ethan Yi Dong (week 2) was discovered and brought to America by legendary conductor Herbert Zipper during his 1989 tour in China. Dong's exceptional talent was recognized early on when he emerged as the first-place winner in the Pearl River Cup National Piano Competition professional category while studying at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Throughout his illustrious career, he has collaborated with esteemed members of the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Los Angeles Philharmonic while also serving as a soloist with distinguished orchestras such as the Pacific Symphony under the baton of Carl St. Clair, the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra, Pacific Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and the Crossroads Chamber Orchestra.
Dong's achievements include a triumphant debut solo recital at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, where he performed after securing first prizes in both the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition and the East-West International Piano Competition. His performances have taken him to esteemed venues, including Jordan Hall in Boston, Harvard University, the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Hollywood Ford Amphitheatre, and even the Forbidden City for an exceptional performance for the President of China during the Asia Olympics. Dong has been featured on prominent radio and TV stations such as New York's WQXR, KUSC, China International Radio Broadcast Station, CBS, and LA Channel 18.
His music education began under the guidance of his mother, Professor Li Fei-Lan, at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Additionally, Dong's father, a cellist from the Opera Philharmonic, played a significant role in shaping his musical development. Dong entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in the fifth grade, studying with esteemed professors Ying Shi-Zhen and Pan Yi-Ming and receiving guidance from Tatiana Kravechenko, Li Qi-Fang, and Ling Yuan. Further studies in the United States saw him training with Mary Ann Cummins at the Crossroads School, Russell Sherman at New England Conservatory, and Claude Frank at Yale University. His mentors throughout his journey include Zhou Guang-ren, André Watts, and William Grant Naboré.
While pursuing his graduate studies at the Yale School of Music, Dong began teaching secondary piano lessons for Yale College. He later relocated to Orange County, California, where he continues to inspire and educate students. Many of his students have achieved remarkable success, performing at renowned venues like Carnegie Hall and receiving top prizes in prestigious competitions, including the Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competition, Bosendorfer & Schimmel International Piano Competition, Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, and MTAC State Piano Competition, among others. Dong has been invited to conduct master classes at esteemed institutions such as Boston University, the Colburn School, Cal State Fullerton, and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Since 2015, he has served on the Oberlin Conservatory's summer piano festival faculty.
Dong's students have gained admission to esteemed conservatories and universities with full scholarships, including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory & College, Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, Cornell University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. Notably, the White House Commission has named one of his students the U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Recently, two of his students have been named Young Steinway Artists.
In addition to his musical endeavors, Dong has significantly contributed to various institutions and organizations. He founded Opus119 in 2004 and currently holds the position of Affiliated Scholar at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He serves on the Lake Como International Piano Academy board, which supports professional students who have achieved top prizes and acclaim in international competitions worldwide. Dong's efforts resulted in establishing the Oberlin-Como Piano Academy Fellowship program at Oberlin Conservatory in 2015, and in 2022, he collaborated with the United Nations (UNITRA) to form a joint UN/Oberlin partnership. He has previously held roles such as President of the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) Orange County North Branch and Director of the Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute (EMMI), the music division of Crossroads School for Arts and Science. Presently, he serves as the President of the Opus Music Foundation, where he applies his artistry and management skills to further the growth and development of young artists.
Mr. Dong is also a Microsoft Certified Internet Professional and System Engineer in his spare time. He dedicates his expertise to overseeing the development and deployment of music-related software, furthering his commitment to advancing next-generation music education.
Robert Shannon
Robert Shannon (week 1 ) has presented solo recitals, ensemble concerts, and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. His repertoire ranges from Bach to Adams. He has been especially noted for his penetrating interpretations of recent American music.
He has commissioned and premiered works by John Harbison, Charles Wuorinen, Carla Bley, and Steven Dembski, among others. Shannon’s recordings of sonatas by Charles Ives on Bridge Records have received rave reviews worldwide. His recordings of Ives’ complete works for violin and piano, and works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Crumb are also available on Bridge Records.
Shannon has performed at the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Festival Tibor Varga in Switzerland, the Sacramento Festival of American Music, and as guest artist with the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players. In recent seasons, he has appeared in London, Paris, Glasgow, Rome, Stuttgart, New York, San Francisco, Colombia (South America), and Taiwan.
He is professor of piano at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, director of the Division of Keyboard Studies, and director and founder of the Cooper International Competition for Piano. He joined the Oberlin faculty in 1976.
Haewon Song
Pianist Haewon Song (week 1) is a member of the acclaimed Oberlin Trio. An internationally recognized artist and pedagogue, Song has performed and taught at top venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her frequent appearances include concerto performances with the KBS Orchestra in Seoul, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the
Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and Oberlin Conservatory ensembles.
Song has appeared at numerous international festivals, among them Mexico’s Cervantino Festival, the All-American Music Festival in Stuttgart, Grand Teton Music Festival, Aria Festival, Canada’s Institute of Musical Arts, Festival de Nice in France, the Oberlin Summer Piano Festival, and the Tonghai Music Festival in Taiwan. In 2005, Song toured Korea as a member of the Oberlin Piano Quartet, which included celebrated performances in Daejun and at the Kumho Concert Hall in Seoul.
A native of South Korea, Song attended the Toho School in Tokyo, Peabody Preparatory School, and the Juilliard School, where her major teachers were Julian Martin, Martin Canin, and Shuku Iwasaki. She has taught at Tunghai University in Taiwan and Kyung Won University in Seoul, and has been a member of the Oberlin piano department since 1991. Throughout her tenure at Oberlin, her students have won major prizes in both national and international competitions, including MTNA Nationals, Wideman, Kingsville, Oberlin International Piano, Walgreen, World, and Corpus Christi, and they regularly appear with significant orchestras across the United States and Asia.