CHAZ FAUTCH  - pianist
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Twenty-seven year old pianist Chaz Fautch completed his Master of Music degree in Piano Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts where he studied under Venezuelan concert pianist, Judit Jaimes.  Since the age of fourteen, he has performed for public and private concerts, giving his first public recital at eighteen.  In addition to performing, he has been in demand as a pedagogue after establishing a private teaching studio when he was fifteen.

Born in Burnsville, Minnesota, Mr. Fautch holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s University (Collegeville, MN), where he graduated with Distinction and a degree in Piano Performance in 2005.  During his career at St. John’s, he studied with distinguished concert pianist Robert Koopmann.

During his lifetime, Mr. Fautch has extensively researched professional performance practices.  In 2003, he received a $2,000 grant from St. John’s University, which funded his thesis research of Beethoven’s Sonata in F Minor, Opus 57, “Appassionata.”  As part of this research, he studied under Beethoven expert and concert pianist Jacob Lateiner at the Juilliard School.  Following the successful reception of his Beethoven research, he was awarded an additional $2,000 grant from St. John’s University in 2004 to fund research on Chopin’s Ballade in F Minor, Opus 52.  After the completion of his Beethoven and Chopin theses, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research requested Mr. Fautch to perform the works and present his research at both the 2004 and 2005 sessions.

Chaz Fautch has received scholarships from various institutions and organizations.  He was awarded a full assistantship from Peck School of the Arts, scholarships from the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, St. John’s University, Burnsville Area Music Teachers Association, and a recipient of the Earl M. Danforth Music Scholarship.  He has competed in the Minnesota Orchestra’s Young People’s Concerto Competition and placed second in the statewide Minnesota Music Teacher’s Association’s Collegiate Young Artist Competition.

During the summer of 2005, he performed for the Rome International Music Festival while also serving as the rehearsal pianist for the festival’s production of Cosi fan tutte, by Mozart.

In addition to solo performance, Mr. Fautch has extensive experience in accompanying and chamber music performance. He served as the accompanist for the University Choir and Men’s Choir under the direction of Dr. Christopher Peterson at Peck School of the Arts,  the Concert Chorale under Dr. Sharon Hansen, and Women's Choir under Professor Gloria Hansen.  In 2003-2004, he accompanied concerts throughout Minnesota for director Irene Sullivan’s “Canticle Singers.”  He has given public chamber music performances with the Orpheus Trio, Dmitri Quintet, and the Schumann Quintet.  As a chamber musician, Mr. Fautch has studied with such musicians as Bernard Zinck -a graduate of The Juilliard School and Paris Conservatory, and Sachiya Isomura -cellist for the Minnesota Orchestra.

Chaz Fautch has performed with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University Chamber Orchestra.  He has appeared as a guest performer for the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Music Teacher’s Association, St. John’s University Thursday Recitals, and numerous public and private events throughout the United States and Italy.

In 2006, Mr. Fautch worked with international baritone and recording artist, Kurt Ollmann  on Schubert’s Die Winterreise. During  2007, he toured throughout the United States performing his Master’s Recital, which featured works by Chopin, Ginastera, and Schubert.

Currently, Chaz Fautch holds posts on the faculty of Son-Sheim Music School and K&S Conservatory of Music, where he founded and now directs the Passport to the Arts concert series -scheduled to begin in Spring of 2009. He is also a member of the Music Teachers National Association and Minnesota Music Teachers Association and serves on the board for the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra.