Cahill Smith
Where are you originally from, and where do you now reside? I grew up near Tallassee, Alabama. I moved to Logan, Utah in 2019.
Please tell us about your education, including where/what you studied at the time of your BMC Scholarship win. I attended primary school at Alabama Christian Academy in Montgomery, and studied piano with Margaret Moore and Ronald Shinn. For my undergraduate, I studied at both Samford University with the late Betty Sue Shepherd and the University of Alabama, Birmingham with Yakov Kasman. I then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to complete my MM at the University of Michigan with Arthur Greene, and then finally to Rochester, New York for my DMA at Eastman School of Music, where I studied piano with Natalya Antonova.
Are you currently working in the professional music arena? Yes!
What role does music play in your daily life? Music is both my full-time profession and my greatest “hobby”. I perform solo, concerto, and chamber music concerts in the US and abroad, and I currently serve on the piano faculty of Utah State University. At USU, I teach applied lessons to undergraduate and graduate performance majors, as well as lecture courses in piano literature, pedagogy, keyboard skills, and analysis. Our program is designed for students that want to pursue careers in solo and collaborative performance, operate high-level teaching studios, and succeed in excellent graduate piano programs. Before moving to Utah, I served in a similar faculty position at Lee University in Tennessee for 6 years.
Are you involved in any community music organizations? I am involved in MTNA, and served on the executive board of the Tennessee chapter, TMTA. I have also been involved musically at several local churches, Tennessee State Music Festival and Competition. For several years I served as the Artistic
Director for the Lee University International Piano Festival and Competition in the summer, as well as Charleston Chamber Music Intensive in the summers. I serve on the advisory board of the Logan Chamber Music Society, and as an advisor to the Utah State University Youth Conservatory, which serves to provide high-level piano instruction to the community at affordable costs
If you had to pick one, what would you say is your most treasured music-related accomplishment or accolade? I have been blessed with some really memorable performance opportunities, including four programs at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York. I treasure the memories of concerto performances with the National Ukranian Symphony Orchestra in Kiev, the Mongolian Symphony Orchestra in Hohhot, China, the Eastman Philharmonia, and the Chattanooga Symphony. Having my solo CD featured on Classical Radio Boston and other stations was a pleasant surprise, too!
What are your plans for future musical endeavors? I plan to focus most of my energy on my students now, pushing them to accomplish their own goals and supporting them as artists. But I look forward to playing concerts again post-COVID and hopefully recording more. I am very interested in continuing the tradition of a summer piano festival and competition here at USU. It was such a rewarding experience to organize and facilitate something so impactful for young musicians.
Can you tell us one favorite memory involving musical performance or study? I treasure most the memories of my lessons with my piano teachers.
What is your favorite piece you have ever played/sung? That is a tough one! I tend to feel like any piece that I am currently learning is my “favorite” until the next one comes along. Performing Medtner’s Forgotten Melodies, Books 1 and 2 was a landmark for me, as was Liszt’s B Minor Sonata and Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Op. 111. Learning and performing those works were each like climbing a mountain with a breathtaking view from the top – unforgettable!
What words of encouragement or advice do you have for students studying music today? Music is just one part of life – even if it seems like the most important thing, or the ONLY thing (as it often has to me!) it is just something you do. It is not who you are. When that gets out of balance, musicians can lose perspective, and either become toxically self-critical or dangerously over-inflated. Neither is good for you. Learn to be a good friend, care for others, give something back to the world. When you take an interest in other people, you will find they take an interest in you and your art! Listen to anything and everything you can get your ears on. Branch out from the music you know and you might find something you love even more! Don’t be afraid to sound stupid. Musicians grow the fastest when they reach out of their comfort zone often. Find an excellent mentor/teacher/coach and follow them closely. It should be someone who you admire, trust, and fear (just a little bit!), and who watches you very closely. There is no substitute!
