Piano
For Students Ages 9-18
At SoundWaves, our piano program offers a rich musical experience for both advanced and intermediate students. Students can explore chamber music by joining a string chamber group that includes piano. Piano Trios & Duets provide a unique opportunity to perform with peers on two pianos, creating a captivating concert experience. Students also delve into body percussion to sharpen their rhythm skills, participate in performance classes for peer feedback, and engage in masterclasses, all tailored to their skill levels. Our program encourages artistic growth and exploration through a diverse range of musical experiences.
Camp Dates:
July 20-27, 2024 | 9am - 4pm
SoundWaves is an auditioned camp
A video audition is required to register for SoundWaves. The audition video should show a performance of the student from the last 6 months.
In April, students will be sent a request for your audition video. This is to ensure the video is recent and gives a clear indication of what the student is capable of. This request will provide specific instructions on how to submit the video, but below are the requirements and guidelines for your preparation.
Camp Info
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Masterclass - Is a daily semi-private lesson. Each student receives individual instruction by a teacher. This class is shared with other students who are at a similar playing level.
Note: Students may register for extra daily masterclasses for $250. Students taking an extra masterclass will not have a practice hour. Extra masterclasses are subject to availability. You will not be charged for the extra masterclass if we cannot fit it in your student’s schedule.
Performance Class - Students get a chance to play their solo pieces for an audience of their peers while getting one-on-one instruction from one of our piano faculty with whom they do not have a daily masterclass.
Piano Ensembles - Piano students at SoundWaves spend an hour each day collaborating with one another to perform 4-hand, 6-hand, and even 8-hand works with one another at the same time for their final concert on July 27, 2024. It is really something to see!
Technique - students refine and master specific aspects of technique through music, games, and exercises.
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Two Contrasting Pieces
Major & minor scale of your choice, two or four octaves, depending on your experience
Helpful Tips:
A recital or lesson is a great time to capture a performance piece, and you can even record your video on a good smartphone. If you are recording outside of a performance setting, place the recording setup about six feet from your instrument. Piano accompaniment, when appropriate, is recommended.
Landscape orientation is preferred.
Your audition may be submitted in up to three videos.
Please upload your videos to YouTube or Vimeo. Be sure anyone with the link to your video can watch it. Check that your video settings are “public” or “unlisted” but not “private.”
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At SoundWaves, we utilize a tiered date-based tuition structure. The tuition cost is determined by your registration date for the camp. Enroll early to take advantage of cost savings. Spots in the piano program are limited.
Jan. 15 - Feb. 15 $750
Feb. 16 - Mar. 16 $800
Mar. 17 - June 3 $900
June 4 and after* $1050
*Registration after June 3, 2024 is subject to administrative approval.
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We are pleased to offer housing to SoundWaves students on the Creighton University campus.
Students can check in Saturday, July 22 and must check out by Sunday morning, July 30, 2023. Students who take advantage of this lodging are automatically opted into the Lunch Plan at no extra cost. Breakfast and dinner will be provided in the dining hall on Creighton’s campus. This option covers all your housing, meals, and transportation needs during your time at SoundWaves.
Cost: $1050
Please note that students are responsible for their own transportation between the airport and Creighton’s campus.
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Cost: $130
Starting Sunday July 21, lunch will be catered to the Conservatory daily from various nearby restaurants. Students can opt in to these lunches for the week for $130 a person. Students purchasing the Room & Board plan are automatically opted into the Lunch Plan at no extra cost.
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Cost: $250
Students taking an extra masterclass will not have a practice hour. These can be additional masterclasses for the student’s primary instrument, or in a different instrument the student plays. Extra masterclasses are subject to availability.
You will not be charged for the extra masterclass if we cannot fit it in your student’s schedule.
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At the time of registration, a non-refundable $75 deposit is required.
At the time of registration, a non-refundable $75 deposit is required. That money goes toward tuition, but will not be refunded should the student withdraw from SoundWaves. When a student withdraws, a refund will be issued in a prorated amount based on how far out the withdrawal occurs. See below for more:
Before June 3: Full refund
June 4 to June 7 - 80% of total invoice refunded
June 8 to June 15 - 60% of total invoice refunded
June 16 to June 23 - 40% of total invoice refunded
June 24 to June 30 - 20% of total invoice refunded
If a student withdraws after July 1, 2023, no refund will be issued, and all tuition must still be paid.
To withdraw from SoundWaves, please email camps@omahacm.org
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The Omaha Conservatory is proud to be able to provide financial assistance to its current families in the form of Ambassador Funds. These funds are given out on a first-come-first-served basis and cannot be guaranteed until registration is completed, and the $75 deposit is paid. A member of our admissions team will reach out in the next few business days with your final invoice, including your Ambassador award. If you are a current OCoM student hoping to know the amount of Ambassador Funds you are eligible for before you register, please reach out to financialaid@omahacm.org.
Students seeking financial aid who do not currently participate in programming at Omaha Conservatory of Music are encouraged to work with their private instructors, schools, families, and community organizations to find funding opportunities.
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Electives are a key component to the SoundWaves experience, as they allow students to make friends outside their program and explore other facets of their musical interests. During registration, students will order their elective choice from 1st to 3rd. While our team does its best, we can not guarantee all elective requests will be met.
Rock Lab - an all-major elective in which students learn how to jam and rock to classics in the rock genre. If you sing, play guitar, drums, or bass as a second instrument, this is a great place to use those skills! Students are also welcome to bring their traditionally “non-Rock” instruments (violin, cello, clarinet, etc) to this class! This class will perform during the Variety Show on the evening of July 25th, 2023.
Music Production - Omaha’s own Marcey Yates will teach students how to use music technology to compose, create, and record their own music.
Audition Mastery - Designed to empower aspiring career musicians, this dynamic class could be your key to unlocking audition success. Participants will delve into the art of preparation, stage presence, and self-confidence, gaining insights on how to shine in any audition scenario. This elective is for students who are preparing for a career in music and plan to audition for colleges, young artist programs, and professional opportunities in the near future.
SoundWaves Piano Guest Faculty
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Paul Barnes
Praised by the New York Times for his “Lisztian thunder and deft fluidity," and the San Francisco Chronicle as “ferociously virtuosic,” pianist Paul Barnes has electrified audiences with his intensely expressive playing and cutting-edge programming. He has been featured seven times on APM’s Performance Today and on the cover of Clavier Magazine with his recordings streamed worldwide.
Celebrating his twenty-five-year collaboration with Philip Glass, Barnes commissioned and gave the world premiere of Glass's Piano Quintet "Annunciation." The work is Glass's first piano quintet and first work based on Greek Orthodox chant. Barnes recording of the quintet with string quartet superstars Brooklyn Rider was released in October of 2019 to critical acclaim. ResMusica in Paris wrote: "Paul Barnes, whose pianistic lines are always clear, is a marvel of dialogue with Brooklyn Rider."
Barnes is Marguerite Scribante Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music. He was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Lied Center Piano Academy which welcomes several high-school pianists to Lincoln each summer for an intensive week of piano, composition, improvisation and collaboration. He will also be teaching this summer in Greece at the Piano Plus Summer Institute. In great demand as a pedagogue and clinician, Barnes has served as convention artist at several state MTNA conventions, most recently at Virginia and was recently named "Teacher of the Year" by the Nebraska Music Teachers Association.
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Elizabeth Borowsky
Elizabeth Borowsky, piano, enjoys a vibrant musical career as soloist and collaborative pianist, composer, educator, speaker, and recording artist. She has been a featured performer at distinguished venues including Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center, and has performed in over thirty countries. Borowsky has also earned a reputation as a dedicated instructor, presenting masterclasses in the USA, Lithuania, Germany, Cuba, Japan, Poland, and Germany.
As composer, Ms. Borowsky’s works have been performed by the Tianjin Philharmonic (China), Šiauliai Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania), King David String Ensemble (Israel), and the Cumanayagua Concert Orchestra (Cuba). In 2020, she was named the New Hampshire Commissioned Composer by the Music Teachers National Association. Her collection, 100 Solos for Piano Prodigies, has received critical acclaim as outstanding and relevant musical compositions that address essential technical and artistic skills for young pianists. She has been a member of the piano faculty of the International Music Institute and Festival USA since 2003 and was appointed Executive Director in 2010. She is founder and director of Piano Prodigies LLC, a holistic approach to private piano instruction that uniquely balances the technical, artistic, and personal development of each student.
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Yulia Kalashnikova
Yulia Kalashnikova is a native of Kazan, Russia. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Accompanying, Chamber Music, Performance, and Pedagogy from Kazan State Conservatory in Kazan, Russia, where she studied with Alfia Burnasheva and Yuzefina Sokolskaya.
Before coming to Omaha, Kalashnikova was a staff accompanist at Kazan State Conservatory, as well as piano faculty at Palantai College of Music. As an accompanist, she performed extensively with Bel Canto Youth Choir, touring to China, England, and throughout the U.S., including a performance at Lincoln Center in New York, New York. Currently, she is on the music faculty of Creighton University.
Kalashnikova is also an active performer in Omaha’s music scene, performing in the Organ Vesper Series and Omaha Chamber Music Society concerts, as well as with fellow faculty members, Omaha Symphony members, and college students. Most recently she performed with the late violin virtuoso Eugene Fodor at the Holland Center for the Performing Arts.
Your Key to Musical Mastery
Join the piano track at SoundWaves and immerse yourself in a world of chamber music, unique concert experiences, rhythm-enhancing body percussion, and expert-led performance classes. Elevate your piano skills with individualized instruction in masterclasses, and explore the art of technique through music and games. Don't miss this chance to unlock your musical potential – enroll now to embark on a transformative piano journey!
