Stephen Saviola

Lecturer

Stephen Saviola (Lecturer of music theory) is equal parts pianist and music theorist, and currently teaches courses in tonal theory and musicianship at UNC. He received his DMA in piano performance with a post-master’s certificate in music theory in December of 2021 from UNC Greensboro. His research interests include virtuoso pianism of the mid-nineteenth century, with special focus on Charles-Valentin Alkan, the subject of his dissertation. He continues to perform regularly as a collaborative pianist with community chorus and theater groups in the greater Greensboro area, as a church musician, and as an active soloist in North Carolina.

Since graduating, he has established his professional career as an educator of both piano and music theory. He manages a private piano studio in Greensboro and has taught music theory and musicianship courses at UNCG and now UNC Chapel Hill. He is on the faculty at St. Mary’s Music Academy in High Point, NC, where he recently participated in a benefit concert for Ukrainian refugees. His students there regularly receive high ratings from state level performance festivals and adjudications. As a music theory teacher, he values connecting the conventions of the common practice era to a diverse range of musical styles including jazz, church music, popular music, and film and video game music.