Online Seminar Lecturers

Elizabeth Crecca

Dr. Elizabeth Crecca has been praised for her “distinctive voice” at the keyboard (The Chautauquan Daily). Her repertoire ranges from Baroque music on period instruments with groups such as the American Bach Soloists, to world premieres of new works like David Temperley’s Piano Sonata No. 4. She has won top prizes in competitions including Chautauqua and the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Division, and was nominated for the Eastman School of Music Lecture Recital Prize. Dr. Crecca has performed as soloist and collaborator at music festivals including the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Chautauqua Music Festival, Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, and American Bach Soloists Academy. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music in Piano Performance with a Baroque Emphasis from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Music Theory from the University of Michigan. She studied piano with Natalya Antonova, Yoshikazu Nagai, and Logan Skelton, as well as harpsichord and fortepiano with Corey Jamason and Lisa Crawford.

Dr. Crecca’s research has focused on performance practice and its practical applications, which inform her playing and pedagogy. Her lecture recital, “Performance Practice in the Piano Music of Béla Bartók: Exploring Compositional Source Material and Historical Recordings,” examines performing tendencies in rural Hungarian folksong and Bartók’s own playing, as well as implications for modern interpretation. She has been invited to present her research on performance practice at the University of Oklahoma, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the World Piano Conference. She will be presenting on teaching the piano works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and R. Nathaniel Dett at the 2022 Music Teachers National Association National Conference.

Dr. Crecca is on faculty at Bradley University, where she is Assistant Professor in Residence of Piano and Music History. Prior to teaching at Bradley, she held an assistantship in Applied Piano at the University of Rochester and Eastman School of Music, where she launched a masterclass series and was nominated for the Teaching Assistant Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Her students have performed in the University of Rochester Concerto Competition, Bradley University Concerto and Aria Competition, UR Performing Arts Conference, UR Applied Piano Masterclass Series, Bradley Guest Artist Masterclass, and soloed with the UR Chamber Orchestra and Bradley Symphonic Winds. She has appeared as a masterclass clinician at the University of Rochester, University of Oklahoma, and Hillsdale College.

Josh Wright

Billboard #1 artist Dr. Josh Wright has delighted audiences across the United States and in Europe. The Washington Post described him as a pianist possessing “rarer gifts – touch, intelligence and the ability to surprise.” He performed his debut recitals at Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall) and the Kennedy Center (Terrace Theater) in 2014. His self-titled album “Josh Wright” topped the Billboard Classical Traditional chart just three weeks after its release in April 2011. He also performed at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles as part of America’s Got Talent Season 9. Josh served on the piano faculty at the University of Utah from 2016-2021.

Josh earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan. He earned a Master of Music degree and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Utah. His principal teachers are Dr. Logan Skelton and Dr. Susan Duehlmeier. He has also studied privately with concert pianist Sergei Babayan. Josh is married to Dr. Lindsey Wright, who earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Utah.

Josh was a prize winner at the 2015 National Chopin Competition, and also won the Mazurka prize. He won third prize and the audience prize at the 2014 Washington International Piano Competition, first prize at the 2013 Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition, first prize at the 2013 Rosamond P. Haeberle Piano Award competition, the gold medal at the 2010 Seattle International Piano Competition, and first prize at the 2010 American Protége International Competition of Romantic Music. He was the second prize winner of the 2011 Music Teachers National Association National Competition. He was also a top prizewinner in the New York Piano Competition, the Louisiana International Piano Competition, and the Julia Crane International Piano Competition.

Josh has appeared numerous times with symphony orchestras including: the Utah Symphony, Temple Square Orchestra, Salt Lake Symphony, Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra, Great Falls Symphony Orchestra, Chopin Foundation Orchestra, Southwest Symphony, American West Symphony, SummerArts Orchestra, and the University of Utah Student Chamber Orchestra.

He has released seven albums, including Sleigh Ride for Two (2017) Meditation (2015), My Favorite Things (2013), Josh Wright (2011), Gaspard (2010), The Complete Chopin Etudes (2003), and Josh Wright Debut(2000).

In addition to performing, Josh is passionate about teaching. He has created numerous online video courses to help students of all ages and abilities improve their technique and musicality. He has appeared as a guest lecturer and masterclass presenter at several festivals and colleges, including the 2021 Online Global Piano Summit, 2021 Young Artist Piano Camp, Amalfi Coast Music Festival (Amalfi, Italy), University of Utah International Keyboard Institute (Salt Lake City, UT), Utah Valley University Piano Festival (Provo, UT), BYU-Idaho (Rexburg, ID), Snow College (Ephraim, UT), Castle Rock Music Camp (St. George, UT) and Shoreline Community College (Seattle, WA). He has broadened his studio through online lessons where he teaches lessons to students on four different continents via Zoom and Skype.

Josh is a listed Steinway Artist. He was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in October 2019. He was also the piano double on the popular WB TV Series Everwood.