Keating wins statewide piano competition, advances to regionals

Lawrence University senior Benjamin Keating is the winner of the Wisconsin Division of the National Music Teachers Association's Young Artist Piano Performance Competition.

A student in the piano studio of Catherine Kautsky, the George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music, Keating now advances to the regional level of the national competition. The Young Artist Competition includes students of both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

"The competition is really stiff," Keating said. "It's a great way to both meet other pianists and get feedback from professionals and teachers."

Keating, of Urbana, Illinois, is studying conducting and piano performance with an emphasis in collaborative piano in Lawrence's Conservatory of Music.

This is Keating's second time participating in the competition and winning at the state level. Because Keating won the first level of competition, he will go on to represent Wisconsin at the next level: the East Central Division.

Keating brought three pieces to compete on piano at the competition: Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10, No. 3; Carl Nielson's Chaconne, Op. 32; and George Walker's Piano Sonata No. 2. He plans to use these pieces to apply to programs after his graduation from Lawrence.

"He's an extraordinary musician in every possible way," said Kautsky, chair of the Keyboard Department in the Conservatory. "He's got a wonderful musical mind."

Keating decided to attend Lawrence after a trial lesson with Kautsky, drawn to the collaborative and student-led environment of Lawrence, including in the Conservatory.

"In a lot of places, if you're a piano major, you're just playing piano, but at Lawrence it's so much more than that," Keating said. "You get to collaborate. You get to take what classes you want. It was obvious that this was the place I could go to get the most out of my education."

Keating also is involved in the Conservatory's Opera Theatre program and the Lawrence University Concert Choir. After graduation, he plans to continue his education in a graduate program where he can express himself as both a pianist and conductor.