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OBU—Oklahoma Baptist University

OBU Division of Music to Host Dr. Clara Christian Masterclass and Recital Sept. 15

September 11, 2023

Dr. Clara C. Christian will host a masterclass and perform a recital on Sep. 15, 2023, in Raley Chapel’s Yarborough Auditorium on the OBU campus in Shawnee. Hosted by the OBU Division of Music, the masterclass will be at 3 p.m. and the recital will be at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Christian will perform Sonata No. 10 in C Major, K. 330 by Mozart, Le Tombeau de Couperin by Ravel and Sonata No. 4 in F# Major, Op. 30 by Sciabin.

Christian is currently the associate professor of music and director of the piano program at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. Christian’s role includes teaching applied piano, music history, piano pedagogy, piano literature, chamber music and class piano. Prior to her current position, she was on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Northwestern University's Music Academy in Evanston, Illinois.

Christian has performed in North America, Russia and France. She has performed at the Chicago Cultural Center, the "Jaani Kirik" Recital Series in St. Petersburg and the Fourth Presbyterian "Fridays at Noon" Concert Series in Chicago. Christian served as rehearsal accompanist for the Chicago Master Singers and as pianist for the "Fuse Trio,” a musical ensemble that has performed in America and internationally.

Christian received her DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University, where she studied with Alan Chow and Marcia Bosits. She earned her M.M. degree with Ellen Mack from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and a B.M. in Piano Performance from Wheaton College, where she studied with Daniel Horn. Christian received the Chicago Area Musician’s club of women prestigious Elaine and Jerome Nerenberg Piano Scholarship which is their top prize in piano. She was also a finalist in Northwestern University's Thaivu Isaak Piano competition, received Peabody’s Career Development Grant, and a 2022 finalist in the Professional Solo Division for the American Prize in Piano Performance.

As an active member of the Music Teacher's National Association, Christian judges music competitions in the Missouri-Arkansas region. She also serves as the adviser for the College of the Ozarks Collegiate MTNA chapter and coordinates the annual the Fall Piano Festival on campus.