Piano Studies | ECU School of Music

Piano Program at the ECU School of Music offers exceptional opportunities in piano study and prepares pianists for multi-faceted and creative careers in music and for further studies at the graduate and/or doctoral levels. Our faculty, bringing diverse experiences and perspectives, is deeply committed to the development of each student and fostering creativity and deep engagement with and through music.

Performance Opportunities

ECU School of Music provides countless performance opportunities for pianists to develop solo and ensemble skills. Pianists may perform in numerous small chamber ensembles ranging from early music ensemble, chamber music groups, to new music; opportunities with large ensembles include those with or in orchestra, bands, choirs, and Opera Theater. Annual concerto competition as well as departmental and in-house recitals provide ample opportunities to perform both solo and collaborative repertoire.

Masterclasses/Guest Artist Residencies

Regular master classes and residencies by distinguished guest artists further enrich our offerings. Recent guests include Robert McDonald (Curtis Institute/Juilliard School), Peter Frankl (Yale School of Music), Boris Slutsky (Yale School of Music/Peabody Institute), Boris Berman (Yale School of Music), Ran Dank (Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music), and Marina Lomazov (Eastman School). Additionally, East Carolina Piano Festival and Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, two festivals in residence at ECU, have brought to our campus such artists as Leon Fleisher (Peabody Conservatory), Jerome Lowenthal (Juilliard School), Meng-Chieh Liu (Curtis Institute, New England Conservatory), Michelle Cann (Curtis Institute), Andrew Tyson (concert artist), Alexander Kobrin (Eastman School of Music), Michelle Cann (Curtis Institute), and Benjamin Hochman (Bard Conservatory).

Our graduates have received scholarships/assistantships to pursue further study at finest universities and conservatories in the country and have gone onto successful careers as performers, educators, arts administrators, and music therapists.

Our Faculty

Keiko Sekino

Piano, Chamber music

Pianist Keiko Sekino enjoys an active career as a solo recitalist and chamber musician in the United States and abroad, having performed at such venues as Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, Bennett-Gordon Hall at Ravinia Park, and Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Santander, Spain. She has participated in festivals including Ravinia, Norfolk, and Yellow Barn in the United States and Kuhmo, Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander, La Gesse, and Pontino in Europe.

Keiko Sekino completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and holds additional degrees from Yale University in economics and music. Among her teachers are Peter Frankl and Robert McDonald. She has also worked closely with Elisso Virsaladze and Claude Frank. She serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Chair of Keyboard Studies at the East Carolina University School of Music.

In 2021, Keiko Sekino was inducted to the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame which recognizes North America’s “most committed and passionate piano educators.”

Kwan Yi

Piano, Chamber music

Pianist Kwan Yi has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Center, Mann Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Metropolitan and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums, Großer Sendesaal des Hessischen Rundfunks, Auditorium du Louvre, Suntory Hall, and Seoul Arts Center.

A recipient of many honors and prizes, Yi’s awards include Mieczyslaw Munz Prize, National Federation of Music Clubs Award, and prizes in the Sendai International Piano Competition.

Yi is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School and the Peabody Institute where he worked with Leon Fleisher and Robert McDonald. He currently serves as associate professor of piano at the ECU School of Music.

For more information about the Piano Program, contact:
Dr. Keiko Sekino
sekinok@ecu.edu