Music Department Faculty

Thomas Otten
Associate Professor

Office: 2011 Kenan Music Building
Email: totten@email.unc.edu
Phone: 919-843-4629

Thomas Otten (Associate Professor), a California native born of German-American parents, has been hailed by the New York Times as “an extremely original player who puts a formidable technique at the service of his ideas.” He has performed in Australia, Europe, the Caribbean, and throughout the US, appearing in recital and as orchestral soloist in such venues as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the National Press Club, the German Embassy, and the Chautauqua and Brevard Summer Festivals; he has also performed at Severance Hall with the Miami String Quartet. His performances have been broadcast on both coasts, including WQXR New York, WGMS Washington, and KUSC Los Angeles.

 

Dr. Otten has been the recipient of numerous national and international prizes, including first prize in the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, the Palm Beach Invitational International Piano Competition, the International Masters Piano Competition, and the USIA Artistic Ambassador Competition. From 1991 to 1998, Dr. Otten was a member of the California Arts Council's prestigious Touring Artist Roster, performing recitals and giving residencies throughout the state. This led to his expertise in the area of self-management/marketing, and the exploration of highly diverse repertoire, including jazz and ragtime.

A student of master teachers John Perry and Nelita True, Dr. Otten holds performance degrees from the University of Southern California (DMA, MM) and the University of Maryland, College Park (BM, summa cum laude). He twice received USC's Podolsky Prize, awarded annually to the outstanding keyboard performer. Dr. Otten has studied collaborative performance with the legendary Gwendolyn Koldofsky and Martin Katz.  Furthermore, he is an accomplished baritone and has sung art song recitals on both coasts and the Midwest.  He recently was on the faculty of the renowned summer lieder coaching program at the American Institute for Musical Study in Graz, Austria.

Dr. Otten chaired the piano division at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for five years, where he is currently on the faculty. From 1997-2002, he headed the piano area at Kent State University in Ohio, where he was also co-founder of the Kent Piano Seminar. He has also been Artist-in-Residence at California State University, Sacramento and faculty at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. His students have been prizewinners in competitions throughout the U.S. and abroad, and they have received scholarships and assistantships at the country’s finest conservatories and universities.

Dr. Otten is in demand as a performer and clinician, giving recitals, master classes, and workshops throughout the U.S. He has performed at the national conventions of the Conductors’ Guild, the National Federation of Music Clubs, the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, and the American Liszt Society. Dr. Otten’s debut CD, Tristan und Isolde:  Piano Transcriptions of Franz Liszt, was released by MSR Classics in 2005.

For information regarding the classical piano area at unc, please visit: https://music.unc.edu/undergrad/Areas/piano