Piano, Associate Chair of Piano Department – VA Campus
Education
Christopher (Topher) received his B.M. in Piano Performance from Ithaca College in New York. He received his M.M. in Piano Performance from Kent State University in Ohio and then completed his D.A. in Piano Performance and Music Theory at Ball State University in Indiana.
Performance and Teaching Experience
As a soloist and collaborator, Topher has performed at many concert halls and universities in the United States. As a promotor of new music, he has recently performed over a dozen world-premiers at a variety of International and National festivals such as the International Trombone Symposium, the International Horn Symposium, the Electroacoustic Barn Dance National Festival, the 45th National Seminar of Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, and many other events. Recent solo and collaborative recitals have taken him through Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Vermont. His performances have been heard in Indiana Public Radio, West Virginia Public Radio, and other various local broadcasts.
Topher has been teaching piano lessons since 1997 and has taught all ages and levels. Prior to teaching at Levine, he was awarded a full teaching assistantship while completing his D.A. degree at Ball State University. Topher has served on faculty at Anderson University, Taylor University, and most recently was Assistant Professor of Music at Alderson Broaddus University. He also teaches during the summers at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, MI.
At Levine
Christopher join Levine’s Piano program in Fall 2017 and became the Associate Chair of Piano for the Virginia Campus in 2019. Topher strives to teach according to the strengths of his students with the ultimate goal of helping to bring out their musical and creative personalities.