Offering students a variety of performing opportunities and study with renowned faculty, Keyboard Studies offers degree programs in piano, organ, harpsichord and accompanying. In state-of-the-art facilities, students practice and perform on instruments that include 200 pianos, 8 harpsichords, a fortepiano, a clavichord and 7 pipe organs. Keyboard majors have separate practice rooms, and performance spaces include 4 traditional halls plus other chamber spaces. These features contribute to an environment conducive to improving musical and performing skills, helping to prepare students for their professional careers.
Piano Study
Piano study at the College-Conservatory of Music emphasizes the development of pianistic, musical, performing and teaching skills. All degree programs are designed to integrate the great traditions of the past with the development of skills necessary for the demands of the music profession in the 21st century. The various degree programs are rigorous in their challenges, while retaining flexibility in order to address each student's relative strengths and weaknesses on an individual basis. Piano students at CCM can avail themselves of the enormous variety of programs offered by the Conservatory and the University to supplement the core music curriculum.
The philosophy of the CCM piano department is one of strong reliance on the mentoring process, by which the students' private teachers guide them both pianistically and musically, and advise them in all aspects of their overall education and development. Our goal is to prepare our students to excel in the demands of college life as well as to prepare them for the rigors of today's professional world.
The city of Cincinnati offers a rich cultural environment for our piano students. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is a world-class ensemble, and features top soloists throughout the season. In addition there are piano recital and chamber music series in several venues around Cincinnati, as well as ballet, opera and art museums. Visiting artists are often invited to give master classes at CCM; recent guests include Emanuel Ax, Barry Douglas, Gary Graffman and Claude Frank.
Organ Study
Organ study at the College-Conservatory of Music emphasizes the development of musical, performing and teaching skills. The degree programs are rigorous in their challenges, while retaining flexibility in order to address each student’s needs on an individual basis. In addition to the eight pipe organs in CCM, students have access to many of the finest instruments in the city.
The city of Cincinnati offers a rich cultural environment for all our students: the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Playhouse in the Park, as well as ballet, opera and art museums. Many local churches, the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and CCM’s Tangeman Sacred Music Center offer a variety of concerts, lectures, and master classes particularly attractice to our students throughout the year.
Harpsichord Study
Harpsichord study at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music exposes keyboardists to the full range of expressive, technical, and historical elements associated with stylistic early keyboard performance. Lessons with Dr. Vivian Montgomery, while emphasizing healthy and responsive technique, simultaneously reveal the colors of the instrument as well as the nuanced language of baroque rhetoric. Classes in basso continuo bring new perspective and skill to the art of accompanying, enhancing students’ improvisational and keyboard harmony capabilities while opening them up to a deeper awareness of early ensemble practices. Several fine harpsichords are available, along with a fortepiano and fretted clavichord. Visiting artists are often invited to coach, play with, and perform for early keyboard and Baroque Performance students at CCM.
