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FABIO MENCHETTI
A native of Lucca, Italy, Dr. Fabio Menchetti serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Washington State University, while maintaining an active international performance career.
He concertizes in many Italian cities – Florence (Uffizi Library), Bologna (San Giacomo Festival), Lucca (Teatro del Giglio), La Spezia (Società dei Concerti), Parma (Casa della Musica), Torino (Unione Musicale) – as well as in Poland, France (Wurth Museum in Erstein) and also in Germany, where he gave a solo recital for the 2010 Liszt bicentenary celebrations in Bayreuth. He regularly performs in the US, giving recitals in several states such as Ohio (Cincinnati, Wooster) New York (National Opera Center, Houghton College, East Aurora, Eastman School of Music), New Hampshire (Dartmouth College), Florida and Kentucky (Thomas More University).
He appeared as a soloist with Lucca String Orchestra, Boccherini Music School Orchestra, Puccini Conservatory Orchestra, Colmar National Music School Symphonic Orchestra, Houghton College Philharmonia, and CCM Wind Symphony.
Dr. Menchetti is equally passionate about standard and lesser-known repertoire. His interest in rediscovering rarely performed works has brought his attention to Italian piano music of late 19th and early 20th century (Busoni and Casella), as well as late Romantic works whose fortune was affected by social stigma and traditional harmonic language (Chaminade).
As an advocate for contemporary music, Dr. Menchetti enjoys bringing new music to life. He performed several works by Sarah Hutchings, including the world premiere of her song cycle In Seasons of Life’s Pursuit at Eastman School of Music. He also closely collaborates with English composer Peter Seabourne, recording the fourth volume of his monumental collection of solo piano pieces (Libro di Canti Italiano – Steps vol. 4), a CD published by Sheva Collection. For the same label, he also recorded a CD with violinist Ruggero Marchesi, Novecento Italiano, featuring music for violin and piano by Italian composers written between the two world wars.
With a special passion for Classical and Romantic repertoire, Dr. Menchetti, after performing all Beethoven and Brahms’s sonatas for cello and piano, is embarking on a new project, the performance of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.
Dr. Menchetti has been teaching piano in many diverse settings: from private music academies to Italian junior high schools and to American colleges. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, he taught at Houghton College, and, under the direction of pedagogue Dr. Michelle Conda, at College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. He won the CCM Excellence in Teaching Award for the best doctoral Teaching Assistant and, after completing his doctorate, Dr. Menchetti returned to CCM as a visiting instructor of piano and piano pedagogy.
As an active member of MTNA and College of Music Society, he participates in numerous conferences, giving presentations at the New York State School Music Association – Annual Conference in Rochester, at the 9th Annual North Kentucky Piano Pedagogy Conference, at the Ohio MTA Southwest District Meeting, and at Ball State University for the 9th Piano Pedagogy Symposium.
Dr. Menchetti received his Bachelors of Music from Boccherini Conservatory in Lucca, and his Masters of Music and Masters of Music Education from Puccini Conservatory in La Spezia. After moving to the United States, he received his Masters of Arts from Houghton College, and his Doctorate of Musical Arts from College-Conservatory Music, University of Cincinnati.
His primary teachers include Pier Narciso Masi, Enrico Stellini, Pietro De Maria, Andrea Lucchesini, William John Newbrough, and Michael Chertock.