Background, professional training and performance history
Alexander J. Schwarzkopf was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Alexander began his piano studies at the age of 4. He has performed in the United States, Germany, Italy and the former Yugoslavia and at such festivals as the College Music Society National Convention, DTKV Festival for Music at the Landesmusikakadamie in Heek- Nienborg, Germany, MTNA National Convention, and Val Tidone International Music Festival in Italy. Alexander has been featured as a composer and pianist at the Mad Hatter's Composer Pianists Series in Boston, "Soundbytes" New Music Series and the Oregon Bach Festival Composer's Symposium in Eugene, Oregon, and the DTKV Festival for Music at the Landesmusikakadamie in Heek- Nienborg, Germany, where he also served as teaching assistant to Falko Steinbach. In 2003, Alexander was a finalist at the Val Tidone "Silvio Bengalli International" Piano Competition in Pianello, Italy.
Alexander has performed extensively as collaborator on piano and accordion. He has played accordion since first joining his father on stage as accordionist in the RKS Trio at age 8. The RKS Trio performed traditional German music at Oktoberfests and other folk music and bluegrass at a wide variety of public and private functions throughout Colorado’s Front Range. Alexander has performed with numerous chamber ensembles, chamber orchestras and jazz groups where he often doubled on accordion and has collaborated with choreographers to create original works for piano and dance.
Currently, Alexander Schwarzkopf is a doctoral student in the studio of Dean Kramer at the University of Oregon. Alexander has held Graduate Teaching Fellowships in Piano Pedagogy and Collaborative Piano and is a member of the Oregon Chapter of the American Liszt Society.
Artist statement and teaching philosophy
“The study of music is not just an ambitious effort to increase your potential on any given instrument. It is a noble step toward a heightened awareness of the intrinsic coordination between mind and body. It is also a study of the connections between your muscles, nerves and memory. A better understanding of these relationships will improve both your physical and mental acuity.
I encourage you to approach the subject from multiple angles in order to broaden your view of the body of written music and writings on music. In order to achieve greater depth in understanding music, it is important to learn about the period in which the music was composed and the cultural and social context of its performance. Focus on theory is also necessary. A thorough study of harmony, key relationships and form will increase your level of reading and comprehension. I enjoy combining these topics in each lesson so that you see how each one relates to the other.
In my opinion, the most interesting part of music study is the discovery of your own process. The search for an efficient practice technique is imperative to finding greater ease in learning and playing. As your fluency and dexterity improves, you will also be more easily able to enjoy making music! Helping you attain a solid musical foundation and a flexible approach to learning is my core objective.”
Instruments & classes taught
Alex Schwarzkopf teaches piano and accordion.