Piano Festival

Fifth annual Piano Festival will be February 25-28, 2024. Please watch this space for more details.

In the meantime, information on the 2020 Piano Festival is posted for reference only.

March 29-31, 2020

Walla Walla University is pleased to announce our third annual Walla Walla University Piano Festival! This event is proudly sponsored by Walla Walla University Department of Music. This year's guest artist is Pianist Christopher Harding, Chair of Piano and Associate Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He maintains a flourishing international performance career, generating acclaim and impressing audiences and critics alike with his substantive interpretations and piano mastery. He has given frequent solo, concerto, and chamber music performances in venues including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei, and has made festival appearances in Canada, Israel, Romania, and China. His chamber music and duo collaborations have included internationally renowned artists, in addition to frequent projects with his distinguished faculty colleagues at the University of Michigan. He has recorded solo and chamber music CDs and has edited and published critical editions and recordings of works by Claude Debussy and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Professor Harding has presented master classes and lecture recitals at universities across the United States, Canada, Israel, Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, and South Korea. He has also served extended tours as a Fulbright senior specialist. In addition to teaching at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Harding also serves on the faculty of the Indiana University Summer Piano Academy and is a frequent guest artist and teacher at the MasterWorks Festival in Indiana. He has taken 25 first prizes in national and international competitions and in 1999 was awarded the special Mozart Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition, given for the best performance of a composition by Mozart.

Participating in the festival

Participation in the festival is by invitation, and talented young pianists will be encouraged to submit a prescreening video for review by a selection committee. Selected participants will be invited to perform in a recital, tour the Walla Walla campus, and meet with Dr. Jinhyang Park, one of our own music professors who has a passion for piano. Students will also be given the opportunity to meet with academic and financial advisors to ask questions while learning more about the studies offered here at Walla Walla University. 

A highlight of the festival will be public master classes with Mr. Harding, featuring several young artists, including current Walla Walla University piano majors. Following the master classes, an award will be presented to an outstanding pianist selected by Mr. Harding and Dr. Park.  In addition, Mr. Harding will give a lecture about Debussy. The festival will conclude with a recital featuring Mr. Harding, who will be joined by our very own Dr. Park.

Important Dates

January 31, 2020: Applications and prescreening video recordings due

February 5, 2020: Applicants notified of invitation

February 11, 2020: Invitee deadline for confirming participation

March 29-31, 2020: Piano Festival at Walla Walla University

Piano Festival Schedule

Sunday, March 29

• 3:00-6:00 p.m.: Rehearsal for the recital at the Melvin K. West Fine Arts Center Auditorium

Monday, March 30

• Morning: Campus tour, residence hall tour, advisor meetings for music, student finance, and academics 
• 12:30-2:00 p.m.: Recital (all participants will be performing in the Melvin K. West Fine Arts Center Auditorium) 
• 3:00-5:00 p.m.: Master class 1 with Mr. Harding for current piano major students 
• 7:00-9:00 p.m.: Master class 2 with Mr. Harding: Debussy

Tuesday, March 31

• Morning: Individual meetings with Jinhyang Park for prospective student music majors
• 11:00-12:00 p.m.: Guest lecture by Mr. Harding: “Debussy— for Children?"
• 2:00-4:00 p.m.: Master class 3 with Mr. Harding
• 4:15-4:30 p.m.: Award announcement
• 7:00-8:30 p.m.: Guest and faculty recital: Christopher Harding and Jinhyang Park.