Pianist Kevin Robert Orr
The Dana School of Music at Youngstown State
University, Youngstown, Ohio, and was later a pupil of
Paul Schenly at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Earning
graduate degrees in Piano Performance, Dr. Orr also holds
an undergraduate degree in Music Education.
In addition to frequent solo and collaborative
performances, Dr. Orr has been a featured soloist with the
Dana Symphony and Chamber Orchestras and Symphonic
Wind Ensemble, the University of Florida Wind Symphony,
and also with the New Music String Ensemble in an Ohio
premier of Canadian John Weinsweig's Divertimento No.
10 in 1996. Other premieres include compositions by
Robert Rollin and Dana Wilson. Recently, Dr. Orr has
performed at a number of international piano festivals and
musical events in the United States, Italy, and in the
Czech Republic. Among the awards garnered for his
performance endeavors include the William Kurzban
Prize in Piano from the Cleveland Institute, and the
Aurora Ragaini-Martin Piano Award from the Dana
School. Additionally, Dr. Orr is a past winner of the Dana
Concerto Competition and the Youngstown Music
Teachers Association Competition, an event he has since
adjudicated.
Although maintaining principal focus in classical piano
performance and teaching, Dr. Orr is considerably
accomplished in other musical styles, improvisation, and
music technology. At present, Dr. Orr is exploring creative
approaches for incorporating these areas into the
keyboard curriculum at the University of Florida. His
principal activities within the School of Music include
teaching studio piano, piano pedagogy, and coordinating
the Piano Skills area, as well as directing of the Florida
Young Pianists Festival, a five-day event for pianists
grades 7-12 held in early June of each year at the School
of Music.
Prior to his appointment at the University of Florida, Dr. Orr
taught on the music faculty of the Dana School of Music
at Youngstown State University, in both keyboard studies
and music theory.
Boaz Sharon
Head of the Piano Area. He is an international
recording artist for the Nonesuch, Hyperion and
Unicorn labels and has been featured on the
Steinway Hour and on National Public Radio. He
won first prize at the Jaen International Piano
Competition in Spain and also won the MTNA
National Collegiate Award. Professor Sharon has
conducted masterclasses at leading universities
and concert halls in Israel, England, South
America, and the United States. Professor Sharon
is also President of the Israeli Liszt Society. Each year
Sharon is Artistic Director for the Prague International
Piano Masterclass in the Czech Republic.
Kevin Sharpe
of the Florida Arts Trio. Professor Sharpe has received
many awards for his performances, including the Oberlin
Conservatory Rudolph Serkin prize, and awards for
concerto performances at both the Oberlin Conservatory
and the Indiana University School of Music. He has also
been a prizewinner in numerous piano competitions,
including the 1991 Johann Sebastian Bach International
Piano Competition. He made his New York debut in Weill
Hall at Carnegie Hall to rave reviews. Professor Sharpe
also teaches studio piano.