Shelton Siegel

Shelton Siegel started playing the piano at 4 years old, and now holds a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in piano performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, having studied with Dr. Paul Barnes. His repertoire spans from the Baroque to modern day, he is as comfortable playing Bach as he is Rzewski, and he has a deep interest in both classical and popular music history.

During his time at UNL, he participated in the MTNA solo competition three times as well as the undergraduate concerto competition twice. He is proud of his performances of such demanding repertoire and is confident that he can guide students to a successful performance at a recital, audition or competition. Shelton encourages his students to push themselves through helping them find music that they love and overcome the challenges required to perform it.

He has studied at Summer Piano Academy Vienna, Austria, culminating in a performance of Chopin’s Scherzo no. 3 in the Kaisersaal, as well as the Summer Piano Institue in Xanthi Greece, performing Brahsm op. 118 nos. 1 and 2 at the Grand Maison Manos Hatjidakis Residence. He has gained valuable insights from playing Messiaen’s Le Loriot in a masterclass under Christina & Michelle Noughton, and Bach’s Toccata in e minor BWV 914 in a masterclass under Cliburn laureate Joyce Yang. He is experienced with chamber music, musical direction in a musical theater setting, and choral music.

Shelton also possesses a thorough knowledge of pop, rock, and jazz music history, collecting vinyl records in all three genres and more! No matter what musical interest a student may take on, Shelton can guide them on their musical journey and provide them with an education based on a philosophy which understands that not every student has the same musical preferences or goals.

Though he is new to teaching, he is passionate about private teaching at every level and confident that his wide array of musical interests and experiences can inspire his students to set and achieve their own goals, no matter what those may be! Steadiness, rhythmic accuracy, tone production, dynamics, ear-training, music theory and music history are topics that students of all ages will encounter during their lessons with Shelton.