OHIO School of Music faculty member named Yamaha Artist
Photographer: Daniel OwenDr. Christopher Fisher and Katherine Fisher have been named Yamaha Artists.
Ohio University School of Music piano professor Dr. Christopher Fisher and his wife and fellow music educator, Katherine Fisher, have been named Yamaha Artists, a superior honor that provides professional services exclusively to performing artists, concert venues, performing arts organizations and educational institutions that represent a commitment to the music industry.
Established in 1987 in New York City, Yamaha Artists Services provides access to one-of-a-kind music services and their renowned Yamaha Piano Salon in New York, a state-of-the-art, acoustically- and technically-advanced space that allows artists to work and perform in an innovative way.
“Katherine and I are both humbled and honored to be included on this roster of world-class, distinguished pianists and educators who are committed to the highest artistic, creative and pedagogical endeavors,” Dr. Fisher said. “We hope to host a piano event at the Yamaha Piano Salon in New York in the near future in which OHIO piano faculty and select students would perform and engage with alumni and friends on the East Coast. We are thrilled to be associated with this extraordinary instrument and company, and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”
This versatile space hosts instrument selections for artists, concert venues and educational institutions such as rehearsals, recitals, auditions, masterclasses, lectures and film screenings. The salon has been at the forefront of showcasing new ways of delivering live performance or pedagogical experience by linking two or more pianos together, anywhere in the world, in perfect synchronization with video streaming. It also features a wide-screen projection system with custom stereo sound, remote control cameras, a system for video capture and live broadcast and a recording and mixing console for professional audio recording and post production. The Piano Salon also features Yamaha's Active Field Control system, which uses sound processing technology to optimize room acoustics to suit the desired size of a performance, and can recreate authentic acoustic simulations of other performing arts venues.
“Being named a Yamaha Artist is THE gold standard in the world of piano performance and pedagogy,” said Dr. Matthew Shaftel, Dean of the College of Fine Arts. “We are so proud to have faculty artists of this caliber right here in Athens. It is this shared commitment to musical artistry and student success that makes OHIO’s College of Fine Art so distinctive.”
Dr. Fisher chairs the Keyboard Division in the School of Music and directs the graduate piano performance and pedagogy degree programs. He also serves as director of studies for OHIO’s Honors Tutorial College Music Program. Recognized for his teaching, Dr. Fisher was the 2010 recipient of the Ohio Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year Award and the Ohio University School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award. He is the author of “Teaching Piano in Groups,” the only comprehensive group piano pedagogy textbook of its kind, and is a contributing composer for the innovative piano method, Piano Safari, which is used by piano teachers and students all over the world.
Katherine Fisher serves on the faculty of the Athens Community Music School and has served as a lecturer in the School of Music. She is the co-author of the internationally acclaimed piano method Piano Safari and a member of the Fisher Piano Duo.
The duo was nominated for this honor based on their record of teaching and performing and were then vetted by Yamaha Artist Services, who reached out with an offer to join the exclusive roster