Alumni Spotlight 2018: Claire McCollough

Claire McCollough

Teacher: Janet Ali

Claire McCollough won a total of FOUR first place prizes in the 2018 festival!

• BEST PIANIST STUDYING WITH A CMTA MEMBER ($50)
• BEST PERFORMANCE OF A WORK WRITTEN OR EDITED BY KEVIN OLSON ($50)
• BEST PERFORMANCE OF CLEMENTI OP. 36 (HOULE EDITION) ($50)
• BEST PERFORMANCE OF A LYRICAL AND PREDOMINANTLY SLOW WORK ($50)

Claire McCollough pictured with Arthur Houle, Evan Mazunik, Wynn-Anne Rossi, John Salmon, Janet Ali, and sister Julianne McCollough

CLAIRE’S BIO

Claire began taking piano lessons at the age of 7 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Less than a year later, the McColloughs moved to Colorado, where Claire started lessons with Janet Ali. It was here where she discovered how much she enjoyed using piano to spread joy to those around her. Throughout the next eleven years, she performed yearly at National Federation of Music Clubs (regional and state levels), United States International Piano Duo Competition, and studio recitals. She taught beginner piano lessons starting in 8th grade and eventually had nine students.

In Claire’s senior year, she prepared a Guild High School Diploma Program in Social Music (scoring top marks) and earned a 75-point solo piano trophy from National Federation of Music Clubs (along with her four first-prize awards in the 2018 Festival for Creative Pianists).
Claire is now in her first year studying business at University of Colorado Boulder, and she misses piano very much. She hopes to continue playing and teaching on the side once she can fit a keyboard in her home again (dorm rooms are very small).

Her word of advice to piano students is to stick with piano through the first (sometimes more difficult) years because it only grows more fun from there. She wanted to quit in 6th grade, but she continued learning and has never regretted it. After all, it was only afterwards that Claire learned how much she values piano in order to express her artistry and emotions and share them with others.

Claire McCollough pictured with Wynn-Anne Rossi and sister Julianne McCollough