Sean Schulze is on the piano faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music where he serves as both Associate Dean for Academic Partnerships and as a faculty member in the Conservatory, teaching Piano Literature, Piano Pedagogy and applied piano to students in the Joint Music Program that CIM shares with Case Western Reserve University. In addition, Schulze is on the faculty of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where he serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano Literature.

 

After receiving his early training in South Africa where he studied with two of that country’s most renowned pedagogues, Moira Birks and Isabella Stengel, he was invited to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Arizona on full scholarship where he studied with Nicholas Zumbro (a student of the famed Rosina Lhévinne). He undertook further studies with Brazilian pianist Caio Pagano and has performed in masterclasses for many of today’s leading pianists and pedagogues including Yoheved Kaplinsky, Bela Siki, Nelita True, John Owings, Martin Canin, Tamás Ungár, and Joseph Banowetz.

 

He has appeared as a concerto soloist with many orchestras – the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, The Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, The University of Arizona Symphony Orchestra, the Suburban Symphony Orchestra and the Eastern Arizona Symphony Orchestra – and has performed as a solo and chamber musician throughout Ohio and the US, collaborating frequently with violinist Stephen Sims and pianist Shuai Wang. A sought-after teacher, adjudicator and clinician, Sean Schulze’s students have performed as concerto soloists on more than 30 occasions with various orchestras and his students continue to win prizes regularly in competitions throughout the United States.

 

In 2015 Schulze was invited to serve on the International Jury of the Cleveland International Piano Competition’s Young Artist Competition. From 2013-2019 Schulze served on the artist faculty of the Young Artist World Piano Festival held annually in Minneapolis and in 2014 he was honored with the annual Excellence in Teaching Award at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Annual Commencement Exercises.

 

A passionate advocate of the classical tradition, Schulze believes that classical music enriches our world and he is deeply committed to sharing the wonder and joy of the great piano repertoire with a new generation of young pianists and musicians.