Piano Workshop History

A History of the Goshen College Piano Workshop and Academy

The seed for a Goshen College piano workshop was planted in the beginnings of the Goshen College Piano Preparatory Department in the late 1960s.  In 1966, associate professor of piano Kathryn Sherer joined forces with John O’Brien who was then teaching in a private studio in Elkhart (In.).  Together they set up group lesson activities along with private lessons for 10 young students who were enrolled in the budding program.

Statistics are scarce from those beginning years, but we know that by 1973 there were five teachers registered for a 3 1/2 week pedagogy course and 37 teachers for the five-day workshop. Most of these came from neighboring states, but some came from as far away as Virginia, Montana, and Ontario, Canada.  In addition to the teachers, there were 14 students enrolled for the summer.  Special guests and clinicians for that year’s workshop were Carol Rosenberger, Frances Clark and Louise Goss.

As word of the program spread, there was interest from teachers in outlying areas to come with their students during the summer to learn from the Goshen experience.  In the first few years this was done by informal arrangement, but by the summer of 1970, Kathryn Sherer recognized this event as an ongoing annual “piano workshop.”

Clinicians and Staff of Past Workshops

Year Guest Clinicians Goshen College Staff
1973 Carol Rosenberger
Frances Clark
Louise Goss
John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Veronica Roth
1974 Elvina Truman Pearce John O’Brien
Mary K. Oyer
1975 Elvina Truman Pearce John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Doyle Preheim
Veronica Roth
1976 Marvin Blickenstaff John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
Philip Clemens
1977 Louise Goss John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
1978 Elvina Truman Pearce John O’Brien
Kathryn Sherer
1979 Joseph Banowetz Marvin Blickenstaff
Celia Weiss
Mary K. Oyer
1980 Nelita True Marvin Blickenstaff
Laura Jane Fuller
Kathryn Sherer
Celia Weiss
1981 Enid Katahn Marvin Blickenstaff
Celia Weiss
1982 Nelita True
Sr. Marjorie Delaplane
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
1983 Eloise Ristad Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
James Goldsworthy
1984 Jane Magrath
John Owings
Marvin Blickenstaff
1985 Joan Conway
Maurice Hinson
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
1986 Wolfgang Rubsam
Christopher Leuz
Mary Jo Schmidt
Larry Rast
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
David Mosley
1987 Arthur Becknell
Donald Walker
Marvin Blickenstaff
Mary Jo Schmidt
Douglas Bomberger
Mary Louise Hooley
1988 Seymour Bernstein
Marion Hall
Kathryn Sherer
Mary Jo Schmidt
Mary Louise Hooley
Lon Sherer
1989 Barbara English Maris
James Goldsworthy
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
1990 Anne Farber
Fernando Laires
Virgil Smith
Karen Taylor
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Hinckle
1991 Malcolm Bilson
David Breckbill
Andrew Trechak
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Hinckle
1992 Nelita True
Cathy Albergo
Jeffrey Jacob
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Hinckle
1993 Elvina Truman Pearce
John O’Brien
Sam Holland
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Steffen
Chris Thögersen
Lon Sherer
1994 Marilyn Neeley
Judith Bettina
James Goldsworthy
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Steffen
1995 Brian Ganz
Douglas Bomberger
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Kathryn Sherer
Arlene Steffen
1996 Jane Magrath
Paul Barnes
Karin Edwards
Yat-Yee Chong
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
Arlene Steffen
1997 Phyllis Lehrer
Douglas Bomberger
Martha K. Smith
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
Kathryn Sherer
1998 Marilyn Neeley
Anne Farber
Robert Vandall
Karen Zorn
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
Kathryn Sherer
1999
Robert Duke
Catherine Rollin
Marvin Blickenstaff
2000 Nancy and Randall Faber
Marilyn Houser Hamm
John Owings
Karen Zorn
Yat-Yee Chong
Marvin Blickenstaff
Beverly Lapp
David Gross
Matthew Hill
2001 Elvina Truman Pearce
Douglas Bomberger
Paul Sheftel
Karen Zorn
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2002 Ena Bronstein Barton
Dennis Alexander
Pallavi Mahidhara
Christopher Wallace
Megan Monahan Wallace
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2003 Marvin Blickenstaff
Paul Wirth
Bette Close
Joyce Grill
Spencer Myer
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2004 Nelita True
Samuel S. Holland
Judy Nelson
Philip Keveren
Jonathan Sokasits
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2005 William Westney
Phyllis Lehrer
Ena Bronstein Barton
Catherine Rollin
Liz Seidel
The Sherer String Trio
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2006 Paul Wirth
Robert Vandall
Nancy Bachus
Christopher Hepp
Jacqueline Herbein
Arthur Greene
Megan & Christopher Wallace
Matthew Hill
Anna Bauer
2008 Jessica Johnson
Catherine Rollin
E. Douglas Bomberger
Mark Swartzendruber
Sole Nero
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
Anna Bauer
2010 Lisa Weinheimer Roebuck
Karin Redekopp
Mark Edwards
Kevin Olson
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2011 Carolyn True
Garick Pedersen
Melody Bober
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill
2012 Nicholas Roth
Jody Graves
Jorge Muniz
Beverly Lapp
Matthew Hill

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