Biography
Dr. Curtis Smith began his piano studies with concert pianist Louise Barfield. He received his Bachelors of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), his Masters of Music at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and his Doctorate of Musical Arts from CCM, all in Piano Performance. His teachers have included Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff, Edmund Battersby, and James Tocco. He has also received additional training from Harvey Wedeen, Norman Krieger, and Michael Coonrod.
In addition to the standard repertoire, he is also an enthusiastic champion of lesser-known works, featuring composers such as William Grant Still, Benjamin Britten, and most notably, the piano works of his namesake composer, the late pianist-composer Curtis Curtis-Smith. Dr. Smith is also an active chamber musician, collaborative pianist, and concerto soloist. He is married to concert pianist Dr. Woori Kim Smith, with whom he performs in the piano duo Les Quatre Mains.