Director of Music & Piano Professor at The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao

Thomas Rosenkranz is a visionary musician and educator. He studied under Robert Shannon at the Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.) where he was awarded the William Abate Prize in Piano upon graduation and at the Eastman School of Music (M.M. and D.M.A.), where he studied with Nelita True. After graduation, he continued his studies in Paris with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen. His accolades include being the recipient of the Classical Fellowship Award from the American Pianists Association, being named National Winner of the Music Teachers National Association, and serving as Cultural Ambassador for the United States Department of State.

As an educator, Thomas Rosenkranz has taught at various institutions including the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, where he held positions ranging from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, Full Professor, and Piano Department Head. Additionally, he has served as a Visiting Professor at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and was named an Honorary Visiting Professor at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in 2019.

Thomas Rosenkranz has conducted residencies and masterclasses at prestigious institutions, including the conservatories of Shanghai, Shenyang, Xinghai, Tianjin, and Xi’an in China, as well as New York University, Princeton University, Seoul National University, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. He has also served as the judge for numerous prestigious competitions, including the Oberlin International Festival and Competition, the Shanghai Open Competition, and the Yunnan Piano Art Festival and Composition.

As a pianist, Thomas Rosenkranz has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras, including the Indianapolis Symphony and was featured in a seven-city tour of China with the Oberlin Orchestra, performing at esteemed venues such as Beijing’s National Concert Hall and Shanghai’s Grand Theatre. Notable festivals where he has performed include the Lincoln Center Arts Festival, the Amalfi Coast Festival in Italy, the soundSCAPE Festival in Switzerland, and the Carthage International Festival in Tunisia. He was the co-founder and artistic director of the Maccagno Piano Days Festival and Competition.

Thomas Rosenkranz has commissioned and premiered compositions by notable composers, and has collaborated closely with established composers such as John Adams, George Crumb, Paul Lansky, John Harbison, Michael Jarrell, Steve Reich, and Frederic Rzewski. His extensive discography includes several contemporary music recordings: Toward the Curve on Oberlin Records; Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich performed with Ensemble Signal on Harmonia Mundi France; and After the End and African Math on New Focus Records. All of them have received wide acclaim.