Dr. Ron Petti

Associate Professor, Accompanying and Harpsichord
Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas

D.M., Piano Performance/Chamber Music & Accompanying, FSU
M.M., Piano Performance, Bowling Green State University
B.M., Piano Performance, Heidelberg College

Background
Ron Petti joined the faculty of the School of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University in 1999. He earned the BM and MM degrees in Piano Performance from Heidelberg College and Bowling Green State University, and the DM in Piano Performance/Chamber Music and Accompanying from Florida State University. As the Director of Accompanying at SFA, Petti teaches the undergraduate course Accompanying Techniques, the graduate survey courses Vocal Literature with Piano and Chamber Music Literature with Piano, and applied lessons in piano accompanying and harpsichord. He is also the accompanist for many ongoing events in the School of Music including faculty and guest artist recitals, choral ensembles, opera productions, and student degree recitals. In addition to his duties, Petti also coaches graduate and undergraduate vocal majors at SFA. Prior to this appointment, he was the Staff Accompanist at SFA, and has served as Vocal Coach with the Florida State Opera, Coach/Accompanist for the Opera Program and Instructor of Piano in the Preparatory Department at Heidelberg College (OH), and Instructor of Piano at The Saint Francis School of Music in Tiffin (OH).

Dr. Petti is in frequent demand as a vocal coach and collaborative artist. Many of the singers with whom he has collaborated have furthered their careers at The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and abroad. Petti has performed in master classes for numerous artists including Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Nico Castel, Martin Katz, Lorenzo Malfatti, Martina Arroyo, Yehudi Menuhin, Jerome Rose, Thomas Hecht, Sandra Shapiro, and Steven Ansell. As a collaborative artist, he maintains a demanding concert schedule with SFA guest artists and faculty, including a series of yearly concerts with Dr. Christina Guenther, as a member of The Alazan Trio, and as harpsichordist with East Texas Baroque. As a soloist, he has presented master classes in piano, served as an adjudicator in piano competitions, and has concertized throughout the midwest and southern states. In recent years, he presented a recital of selected piano works by Franz Liszt including the Sonata in B Minor and Mephisto Waltz No. 1. He has been a member of the musical staff at Longview Opera, performed in the Chamber Music in the Pines Festival at SFA, and was an accompanist at the MTNA National Convention in Washington DC, and Minneapolis, MN. In 1998, he was the pianist in a Library of Congress recording honoring the songs of Broadway composer Vincent Youmans. Other recordings include a performance of chamber works by contemporary composers under the CRS recording label.

Listen to some audio excerpts of Dr. Petti's performances:

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz - audio clip 1 (:45)
Liszt: Mephisto Waltz - audio clip 2 (:47)
Liszt: Mephisto Waltz - audio clip 3 (:35)

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor - audio clip 1 (:43)
Liszt: Sonata in B Minor - audio clip 2 (1:21)
Lizt: Sonata in B Minor audio clip 3 (:52)

Prokofiev: Toccata - audio clip (:58)

School of Music
Stephen F. Austin State University
Box 13043, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3043
Phone: 936-468-4602 | Fax: 936-468-5810
Dr. Ron Anderson, Chair
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