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Baruch Meir, President & Artistic Director
Pianist Baruch Meir has performed extensively in Austria, China, England, France, Israel, Portugal, Serbia and throughout the United States. A Bösendorfer International Concert Artist since 2003, Meir has recently presented two solo recitals at the Bösendorfer Saal in Vienna, as well as at the Bauman Auditorium in Portland (Bösendorfer Concert Series), Dixon Hall in New Orleans, Wise Auditorium in Jerusalem, Bates Hall in Austin, Murphy Hall in Los Angeles, and at the Toujours Mozart Festival in Salzburg. In 2008 he was invited by the Ministry of Education in Serbia and performed five recitals for the National Concert Season in that country (additional concerts there are scheduled for 2009). Currently an Artist/Teacher Associate Professor of Piano at Arizona State University, Meir maintains a busy teaching schedule in addition to his international concert career. In demand as master class clinician, Meir recently toured Korea's most prestigious music schools and universities including Seoul National University, Yonsei, Kookmin, Hanyang, Sunhwa, Kyoungbook and Seoul Arts High School, as well as at the Shanghai Conservatory in China and the middle-school affiliated to the conservatory (2005 & 2007), the Music Academy in Vienna (Austria), the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem (Israel), the Manhattan School of Music in NY and various conservatories and universities in the US.
A native of Israel, Meir is a summa cum laude graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music of Tel Aviv University, where he earned both bachelor and master degrees in piano performance. He holds the Artist Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from ASU. His teachers include Valter Aufheuser, Michael Bugoslavsky, Rachel Gordon, Robert Hamilton, Pnina Salzman and Irina Zaritskaya. Meir's distinctions include the American-Israel Cultural Foundation Awards, the British Council fellowship, 1st place at the Klatzkin Competition for contemporary piano music and the ASU concerto competition, and additional awards in piano competitions worldwide.
Dr. Meir is the Founder, President & Artistic Director of the Bösendorfer & Schimmel USASU International Piano Competitions where he also serves as chairman of the jury. (http://herbergerecollege.asu.edu/pianocompetition). Additionally, he served as adjudicator for various piano competitions in the US (Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, California, New York) and Israel, and in October 2008 he will serve as member of the international jury at Maria Clara Cullel Teixido international piano competition in Costa Rica.
At Arizona State University, professor Meir maintains a class of 18 outstanding pianists from all over the world. His students were awarded more than 40 prizes and awards in various competitions within the past five years, including 1st Prize at the Schimmel USASU International Piano Competition for Young Pianists, 1st Prize at the Young Concert Artist International Competition, 1st Prize at Washington International Piano Artists Competition, the Schimmel Young Artist concerto and solo competitions, Rocky Mountain International Piano Competition, MTNA Arizona, ASU concerto competition and the grand prize at the Phoenix Symphony Guild competition. Additionally, his students regularly participate in summer music festivals in the U.S. and Europe including Aspen, Adamant, Brevard, Schlern, TCU/Cliburn Institute, IIYM, Prague, New- Paltz, Wasserman, Mannes and Tel-Hai. In July 2009, Meir will join the piano faculty at Musicfest Perugia in Italy (http://www.musicfestperugia.com).
…Baruch Meir is an exceptional artist….he did a beautiful performance of my piano work entitled A LITTLE SUITE FOR CHRISTMASS which was distinguished by a deep musical insights and consummate technical skill. It was certainly one of the very finest performances this work of mine has ever received.
George Crumb, composer
(1968 Pulitzer Prize in Music; 2001 Grammy award; 2004 Musical America “composer of the year”)
Christopher E. Mehrens, Secretary
Christopher E. Mehrens is currently the Head of the Music Library at Arizona State University. He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music from the University of Washington, Seattle, a Master Library Science degree with Specialization in Music Librarianship from Indiana University, and the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Music History and Musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2006 he was the recipient of the Walter Gerboth Award and was also recognized as a promising scholar by Indiana State University. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he studied piano with Ida Zelikovsky Green, Jean Boardman (at the Cornish College of the Arts), and Norman E. Weeks. At Arizona State University, Dr. Mehrens is responsible for managing all aspects of Music Library operations and contributes to the Management of the Arizona State University Libraries.
Stella Saperstein, Treasurer
Stella Saperstein is a graduate of both The Lvov State College of Music and The St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad ) Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory and holds degrees in Concert Piano Performance and College Level Pedagogy. Ms. Saperstein immigrated to the United States in 1979. She is co-author of the book " The Harmonious Child" - a guidebook for parents to musical instruments, teachers and lessons, published by Tenspeed Press in 2004.
Ms. Saperstein has served as a judge for numerous piano competitions. She is the Outreach Coordinator for USasu Bosendorfer-Schimmel International Piano Competition as well as a member of it's screening jury.
She has taught piano for more than 40 years and maintains a successful private piano studio in Phoenix, Arizona
YAC Advisory Board
Prof. Robert Hamilton,
ASU School of Music
A
summa cum laude graduate of Indiana University, pianist Robert
Hamilton has won top prizes at various international competitions
and has been the recipient of major performance grants, including the
Rockefeller Fund. A favorite of audiences on four continents, Mr. Hamilton
divides his time between the teaching of gifted students at Arizona State
University and also serves as Artistic Director for the annual London
Music Festival in England. Featured in the book "The Most Wanted
Piano Teachers in the USA", Mr. Hamilton is a Steinway artist.
Dr. Rayna Barroll-Aschaffenburg
Piano Performance, ASU School of Music
Rayna Barroll-Aschaffenburg, retired Associate Professor of Piano,
is an alumna of Radcliffe College and the University of Texas, where she
received a degree in musicology. Dr. Barroll-Aschaffenburg pursued graduate
work in performance at Rutgers University and completed her doctorate
at the University of Maryland. Her teachers have included Robert and Gaby
Casadesus, Dalies Frantz, Stewart Gordon, and most recently, the fortepianist
Malcolm Bilson. Dr. Barroll-Aschaffenburg has been an active lecturer
and recitalist throughout the United States on both modern piano and fortepiano.
Her specialties include the keyboard styles of Karol Szymanowski and C.P.E.
Bach, and early classical performance practices.
Prof. Walter Cosand
Piano Performance, ASU School of Music
Professor of Piano and current Keyboard Area Coordinator of Music at Arizona
State University, Walter Cosand is a native of Alabama. Active
as a performer and composer from an early age, Mr. Cosand presented his
first recital at age twelve and conducted his own composition at 13. A
graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Cecile Genhart
and Barry Snyder, Mr. Cosand is a grand prize winner of the International
Piano Recording Competition. His performances have been praised in many
publications including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle,
and the Arizona Republic. Mr. Cosand can be heard on ACA Digital,
ARF, Canyon, JIGU, Koch, and Summit Records.
Top
Dr. Caio Pagano, Regent Prof.
Piano Performance, ASU School of Music
An acclaimed Steinway artist, Dr. Caio Pagano completed his piano studies
with Conrad Hansen in Hamburg and Karl Engen in Hanover, Germany. In addition
to frequent performances throughout the Americas and Europe, Dr. Pagano
maintains a full teaching schedule and adjudicates for numerous competitions.
In 1998 Dr. Pagano was named Regents Professor. Dr Pagano can be heard
on the Summit label and has recently completed a recording of Franck's
Symphonic Variations with the Slovakia Radio Symphony.
Dr. Jan Thompson
Piano Performance, ASU School of Music
A pianist-teacher of diverse interests and talents, Dr. Jan Thompson holds
the first Doctor of Musical Arts degree in performance and Chamber Music
from Northwestern University. Recognized nationally as a clinician and
lecturer in piano pedagogy, Dr. Thompson is also a frequent soloist and
chamber musician. Her presentations include both performances and lectures
at the national conventions of the Music Teachers National Association
and the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy. In addition to numerous
articles for various musical journals, including the American Music
Teacher and Clavier magazines, she is a consulting book reviewer
for Piano Quarterly and McGraw-Hill. Dr. Thompson is the founding director
of the ASU Piano Prep Program and Coordinator of Piano Pedagogy curriculum
at Arizona State University School of Music. Other affiliations include
the Adamant Music School in Adamant, Vermont.
Modified: September 16, 2008
