MUSIC, SPORT, MINDFULNESS

Meet pianist Milton Schlosser and the interests that inspire his artistry

Milton Schlosser possesses an award-winning university career characterized by diverse skills and continued transformation as an artist.

Hired as a full-time professor at the young age of 23, Milton was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus in 2018 from the University of Alberta. He instructed courses in all major areas of the music curriculum and served in key administrative positions. He is known for his cutting-edge perspectives, including those found in the music curricula he has designed.

Currently, Milton is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Music at the University of Victoria. He incorporates perspectives from neuroscience, contemplative studies, and sport psychology into his performing as a professional pianist and an amateur triathlete as well as in his teaching.

Milton Schlosser is a noted pianist, teacher, and scholar. He was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus by the University of Alberta in 2018 and is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria. The Toronto Star’s review of Milton’s CD 1890 exemplifies the type of artistry he is known for, acclaiming his playing for its “emotionally expressive, powerfully intimate journeys through beautiful harmonies and counterpoint.”

During his university career, Milton was the recipient of numerous teaching- and research-related awards, including a prestigious McCalla Professorship for his significant contributions to research, teaching, and learning. Based at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus in Camrose, he also taught graduate-level piano pedagogy courses in Edmonton.

Milton continues to be active as an artist. He has performed in live and broadcast performances as solo recitalist, collaborative pianist, and soloist with orchestra. Solo recital engagements have taken him to China, Ireland, France, Germany, the US, and Japan.

He has released five recordings that feature him as a soloist and collaborative pianist performing pieces drawn from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. Two of the recordings highlight works by renowned American composer Frederic Rzewski, including one piece commissioned by Milton. He holds a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Alberta, where his primary mentors were Robert Stangeland and Stéphane Lemelin. Alongside his activities as a pianist, Milton has published as a researcher and composer, has performed as organ recitalist, and today trains and competes in triathlon events.

Two publications serve to illustrate his unique perspectives and diverse interests. “Music, the Liberal Arts, and Rural Identity: The Not-So-Straight-Road” appears in the book Roads Taken: The Professorial life, Scholarship in Place, and the Public Good. The chapter traces Milton’s career and the distinctive, quality teaching that can occur on a smaller-sized liberal arts campus in a rural location. “Minding the music: Neuroscience, video recording, and the pianist” is found in the International Journal of Music Education. The article offers best practices in the use of digital video equipment by pianists through the examination of intersections between neuroscience, contemplative studies, and sport psychology.

1890

1Nicholas HowellsCrowfoot*
2-4Johannes BrahmsThree Intermezzos, Op. 117
5-10Johannes BrahmsSix Piano Pieces, Op. 118

*World première recording

Canadian pianist Milton Schlosser performs works by Nicholas Howells and Johannes Brahms. The Toronto Star hails Schlosser’s Brahms playing: “emotionally expressive, powerfully intimate journeys through beautiful harmonies and counterpoint.”

FREDERIC RZEWSKI’S NANOSONATAS AND SONGS

1-7Frederic RzewskiNanosonatas, Book 1, Nos. 1-7*(2006)
8Frederic RzewskiApolitical Intellectuals(1974)
9Frederic RzewskiLullaby: God to a Hungry Child(1974)
10Frederic RzewskiNothing Changes*(1976)
11Frederic RzewskiThe Liar*(1983)
12Frederic RzewskiTo His Coy Mistress*(1988)

*World première recording

A groundbreaking CD that features several world premières of works by American composer-pianist Frederic Rzewski, one of the most prophetic and gifted musicians of our time. Included is the solo piano piece Nanosonatas, Volume1, commissioned by Schlosser. As well, five songs are performed by Canadian soprano Kathleen Corcoran and Schlosser, three of which are previously unrecorded.

BOHEMIAN WOODS

1Antonin DvořákSlavonic Dance in G Minor, Op. 46 No. 8
2Antonin DvořákSlavonic Dance in A Major, Op. 46 No. 3
3Antonin DvořákSix Piano Pieces, Op. 118
4Bohuslav MartinůVariations On a Slovakian Theme, H. 378
5-8Leoš JanáčekPohadka (Fairy Tale)
9-11Leoš JanáčekSonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano, H. 286

The disc features an inviting display of the rich vein of Czech nationalism. Prochazka is passionate and riveting, while Schlosser is revealed to be “a true chamber music pianist, no mere ‘accompanist'” (Musical Pointers).

FREDERIC RZEWSKI’S DE PROFUNDIS AND NORTH AMERICAN BALLADS

1-8Frederic RzewskiDe Profundis I - VIII
9-12Frederic RzewskiNorth American Ballads I - IV

Politics, tolerance and daring meet, both in the music of Frederic Rzewski, and in the heart of the performance by Canadian pianist Milton Schlosser. The text for De Profundis is taken from Oscar Wilde’s letter from Reading Gaol.

LANDSMÅL

1-6Edvard GriegLyriske Smaastykker (Lyric Pieces), Op. 43 I-VI
7-14Edvard GriegHaugtussa (The Mountain Maid), Op. 67 I-VII
15-17Edvard GriegSonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 36 I-III

Chamber music by Edvard Grieg, for piano alone, piano and voice, and his noted Sonata for Cello and Piano. In this recording, Schlosser “proves himself to be as sympathetic an accompanist as he is a stylish and feeling soloist” (Vancouver Sun).

“Music, the Liberal Arts, and Rural Identity:
The Not-So-Straight Road.”
Published in the book Roads Taken: The Professorial Life, Scholarship in Place, and the Public Good (Truman State University Press, 2014).

Publisher’s Description
Public liberal arts colleges are higher education’s gems, yet their intimate campus settings and locations outside of the intellectual-cultural capitals challenge the traditional rhythm of academic careers. Professors trained at elite research institutions, usually located in large urban centers, must adapt to the holistic undergraduate education emphasized at colleges often located in smaller communities. The authors in this collection serve as pathfinders and exemplars for academic careers that integrate teaching, scholarship, and citizenship, rooted in place. Their stories demonstrate that the noblest traditions of higher education might be lived out most meaningfully on small, liberal arts campuses.

The essays in this volume paint a realistic portrait of the life of the faculty in public arts colleges in the twenty-first century, with all of its inherent joys and trials. They also illustrate the dilemma of the young PhD: Follow in the footsteps of the graduate mentor or seek—or at least accept—a divergent path. An excellent case is made for the latter, and an equally strong case for the significance of the public liberal arts professoriate—and the institutions it serves.
—Julius Erlenbach, Chancellor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Superior

Available from Truman State University Press and Amazon.ca

“Minding the music: Neuroscience, video recording, and the pianist.”
Published by the International Journal of Music Education (November 2011).

Abstract

Research in music education asserts that video review by performers facilitates self-directed learning and transforms performing. Yet, certain videos may be traumatic for musicians to view; those who perceive themselves as failing or experience performance-related failures are prone to feelings of distress and sadness that can negatively affect their music-making and well-being. In this study, the reactions of nine Canadian undergraduate pianists to reviewing themselves regularly on video are examined. The study was designed in two parts: first of all, to track the effects of watching self-referent videos of piano lessons and other performances; second, to highlight student responses to a Recital Review Protocol (RRP). The RRP was designed with instructors and students in mind, incorporating neuroscience strategies to reverse blood flow patterns in areas of the brain responsible for negative mood induction. The results from the first part of the study point to how regular video analysis is able to shift initial negative perceptions and transform practicing and performing. The findings from the second part indicate that more attention needs to be paid to students by instructors immediately after performances.

Available at Sage Journals

Advent in Canada.
Text and music by Milton Schlosser

Summary:
This carol was composed in 2001, when I was Cantor of the Augustana Campus Ministry program that year. Due to the generosity and foresight of donors who funded the position, I was released from some teaching to focus my energies on Chapel services. One of the compositions I produced was this Advent carol. It situates the Advent season in Canada, evoking the history, landscape, climate, and wildlife of Camrose and Central Alberta.

Sheet music download:

EMPLOYMENT

2004-2018
  • University of Alberta
    Full Professor of Music
1985-2004
  • Augustana University College
    Full Professor of Music

MAJOR UNIVERSITY RECOGNITION

2018
  • Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta
    Awarded title by the University in recognition of significant contributions to research, teaching, and learning.
2007-08
  • McCalla Professorship, University of Alberta
    Awarded by the University in recognition of significant contributions to research, teaching, and learning.

CREATIVE WORK AND RESEARCH SUMMARY, 2010-18

  • Performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist in Canada, Ireland, China, Japan, Germany, France, the US, and the Netherlands.
  • Published the chapter “Music, the Liberal Arts, and Rural Identity: The Not-So-Straight Road” in the book Roads Taken: The Professorial Life, Scholarship in Place, and the Public Good (Truman State University Press, January 2014).
  • Hailed by The Toronto Star in a 2013 review of the CD release 1890 for piano playing imbued with “emotionally expressive, powerfully intimate journeys through beautiful harmonies and counterpoint”
  • Published the research article “Minding the music: Neuroscience, video recording, and the pianist” was published by the International Journal of Music Education (November 2011).
  • Commissioned, performed, and subsequently recorded world premières of solo piano works by noted American composer Frederic Rzewski and emerging Aboriginal Alberta artist Nicholas Howells.
  • Pursued two innovative research projects funded through University of Alberta major awards: a project to develop methods in the use of digital video recordings by pianists and piano teachers drawn from neuroscience research, and the creation of an “online music practice log” for use by students and professional musicians to maximize experiential learning.
  • Composed and premièred the 2015 work “Who Am I?” Bonhoeffer from Prison, 1944.

EDUCATION

1992-95
  • Doctor of Music
    University of Alberta. Piano Performance. Thesis supervisor: Dr. Stéphane Lemelin. Dissertation essay: “Queer Effects, Wilde Behaviour: Frederic Rzewski’s De Profundis.”
1983-1985
  • Master of Music
    University of Alberta. Piano Performance. Thesis supervisor: Dr. Robert Stangeland. Thesis essay: “Piano Technique in Opus 11 of Skryabin.”
1980-1983
  • Bachelor of Music
    University of Alberta. Piano Performance Major. Awarded With Distinction.

FUNDED CREATIVE WORK AND RESEARCH, 2010-18

  • 2016 – Amount: $7,000
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performings Arts
    Project title: Commissioning of solo piano work. Composer: Frederic Rzewski.
  • 2015 – Amount: $2,444
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performings Arts
    Project title: International Performance in France—Roujan
  • 2014 – Amount: $4,356
    Alberta Foundation for the Arts: Cultural Relations Grant
    Project title: International Performance, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Chengdu, China
  • 2014 – Amount: $2,800
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performing Arts
    Project title: International Performances in Ireland—Dublin and Cork
  • 2013 – Amount: $3,500
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performing Arts
    Project title: International Performance of Canadian Music at Canadian Embassy in Berlin, Germany
  • 2012 – Amount: $10,000
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performing Arts
    Project title: “1890,” a recording for CD and iTunes release.
  • 2011 – Amount: $2,000
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performing Arts
    Project title: Performance of Canadian music at international conference in Newfoundland.
  • 2010 – Amount: $1,600
    President’s Grant for the Creative and Performing Arts
    Project title: Consultation with Dr. Henry Davis IV with regard to neuroscience and sport psychology applications to current piano students.
  • 2008-10 – Amount: $45,000
    Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund
    Project title: development of an online music practising log for use by students and faculty in support of experiential learning.

RECORDINGS: AVAILABLE ON CD AND THROUGH ITUNES

(See RECORDINGS page)

LIVE PRESENTATION OF ARTISTIC WORKS, 2010-18

  • 2016 October
    Piano soloist and accompanist in recital, sponsored by the Lougheed Centre, Camrose. Solo piano works along with those with jazz guitarist Robert Renman.
  • 2016 February
    Soloist with orchestra (Lougheed Centre, Camrose). Featuring Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 54, as performed with the Concordia Symphony under the baton of David Hoyt. Sponsored by the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Centre for the Performing Arts and piano@augustana.
  • 2016 January
    Soloist with orchestra (Tegler, Hall, Concordia University of Edmonton). Featuring Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 54, as performed with the Concordia Symphony under the baton of David Hoyt. Sponsored by Concordia University College of Edmonton.
  • 2015 November
    Solo piano recital (UAlberta, North Campus. Edmonton, Canada). Featuring the première of Schlosser’s 2015 composition “Who Am I?” Bonhoeffer from Prison, 1944, Chopin’s B-Flat Minor Sonata, Opus 35, and Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin. Sponsored by the Department of Music.
  • 2015 November
    Solo piano recital (Camrose, AB). Featuring Schlosser’s 2015 composition “Who Am I?” Bonhoeffer from Prison, 1944, Chopin’s B-Flat Minor Sonata, Opus 35, and Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin. Sponsored by the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre and piano@augustana.
  • 2015 September
    Solo piano recital (Chateau de Cassan, Roujan, France) as part of national celebrations of French heritage associated with Les Journées du Patrimoine. Featuring Schlosser’s Vierge Bleue/Blue Virgin, Chopin’s Sonata in B-flat Minor, Opus 35, and Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin. Sponsored by Chateau de Cassan.
  • 2015 February
    Solo piano recital (University of Hawai’i at Manoa), featuring Schlosser’s Vierge Bleue/Blue Virgin, Beethoven’s Sonata in E-Flat Major, Opus 7, Rzewski’s Which Side Are You On, Skryabin’s Études, Opuses 2/1 and 8/12, and Debussy’s Estampes. Sponsored by the Department of Music, College of Arts and Humanities, University of Hawai’i at Manoa.
  • 2015 February
    Solo piano recital (University of Victoria), featuring Schlosser’s Vierge Bleue/Blue Virgin, Beethoven’s Sonata in E-Flat Major, Opus 7, Rzewski’s Which Side Are You On, Skryabin’s Études, Opuses 2/1 and 8/12, and Debussy’s Estampes. Sponsored by the School of Music, University of Victoria. Guest artist in the Orion Series in Fine Arts.
  • 2015 February
    Solo piano recital (University of Alberta, Augustana Campus), featuring Schlosser’s Vierge Bleue/Blue Virgin, Beethoven’s Sonata in E-Flat Major, Opus 7, Rzewski’s Which Side Are You On, Skryabin’s Études, Opuses 2/1 and 8/12, and Debussy’s Estampes. Sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts & Humanities, Augustana Campus.
  • 2015 February
    Solo piano recital (Red Deer Public Library), featuring Schlosser’s Vierge Bleue/Blue Virgin, Beethoven’s Sonata in E-Flat Major, Opus 7 (Allegro molto e con brio), and Debussy’s Estampes. Sponsored by the library’s First Thursdays in the Snell music series.
  • 2015 January
    Solo piano recital (Grande Prairie Regional College), featuring Schlosser’s Vierge Bleue/Blue Virgin, Beethoven’s Sonata in E-Flat Major, Opus 7, Rzewski’s Which Side Are You On, Skryabin’s Études, Opuses 2/1 and 8/12, and Debussy’s Estampes. Sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts, GPRC. Guest artist in the college’s Visitor in the Arts series.
  • 2014 November
    Interdisciplinary event (University of Alberta, Augustana Campus) Scenes from Childhood featuring the performance of Schumann’s piano cycle Scenes from Childhood along with original arts works by Rhonda Harder Epp and the reading of selected poems by Paul Harland. Sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts & Humanities and the Office of the Dean, in celebration of the opening of the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre.
  • 2014 June
    Solo piano recital (Roujan), featuring Debussy’s Rêverie, Brahms’s Clavierstücke, Opus 118, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, Robert Schumann’s Widmung, and Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, Opus 53. Sponsored by the Château-Abbaye de Cassan. Performed in the Salle du Piano, Château-Abbaye de Cassan, Roujan, France.
  • 2014 May
    Solo piano recital (Cork), featuring Brahms’s Clavierstücke, Opus 118, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, and Robert Schumann’s Widmung. Sponsored by CIT Cork School of Music. Performed in the Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music, Cork, Ireland.
  • 2014 May
    Solo piano recital (Dublin), featuring Brahms’s Clavierstücke, Opus 118, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, and Robert Schumann’s Widmung. Sponsored by the University of Alberta. Performed in The National Concert Hall—John Field Room, with His Excellency Loyola Hearn, Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, in attendance.
  • 2014 April
    Solo piano recital (Wetaskiwin), featuring Brahms’s Clavierstücke, Opus 118, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, Robert Schumann’s Widmung, and Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, Opus 53. A benefit recital in support of the Wetaskiwin Music Festival Association. Sponsored by the University of Alberta. Performed in Wetaskiwin First United Church, Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada.
  • 2014 April
    Solo piano recital (Chengdu), featuring Brahms’s Clavierstücke, Opus 118, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, Robert Schumann’s Widmung, and Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, Opus 53. Sponsored by the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Performed in the Recital Hall, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Chengdu, China.
  • 2014 March
    Solo piano recital (Edmonton), featuring Brahms’s Clavierstücke, Opus 118, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, Robert Schumann’s Widmung, and Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, Opus 53. A benefit recital in support of the Edmonton Branch of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ARTMA). Sponsored by Piano Centre Edmonton. Performed in the Steinway Showroom, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
  • 2013 June
    Collaborative piano recital (Berlin), with Kathleen Corcoran, soprano. Program title: “Songs of the North: Voices of Canada.” Featuring Nicholas Howells’s solo piano work Crowfoot and selected songs by other Canadian composers. Sponsored by the Canadian Embassy, the Alberta Government, Alberta Culture, and the University of Alberta. Performed in the Canadian Embassy’s Canada Room.
  • 2012 September
    Solo piano recitals (Edmonton, Camrose, Victoria, Langley, Spokane) featuring Johannes Brahms’s Piano Pieces Opuses 117 & 118, W.A.Mozart’s Sonata in F, K. 332, Frederic Rzewski’s Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues, and Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot. Sponsored by UAlberta’s Department of Music and the Edmonton Branch of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ARMTA) in Edmonton, the Faculty of Augustana in Camrose, Recital Series of the Langley Community Music School in Langley, BC, Recital Series of the Lutheran Church of the Cross in Victoria, BC, and the Department of Music at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, USA.
  • 2012 February
    Solo piano recitals (Vancouver, Grande Prairie, Camrose), featuring Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata, Chopin’s Ballade in F Major, Grieg’s Notturno and Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Liszt’s Widmung and Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody, James Neff’s Largo, Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot, and J.S. Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Co-sponsored by Augustana Campus at Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, BC, and sponsored by Grande Prairie Regional College in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and by UAlberta Augustana in Camrose, Alberta.
  • 2011 October
    Collaborative piano recital (Tokyo), with Kathleen Corcoran, soprano. Program title: “Songs of the North: Voices of Canada.” Featuring Nicholas Howells’s solo piano work Crowfoot and selected songs by other Canadian composers. Sponsored by the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan and performed in its Oscar Peterson Theatre. Funded by the University Senate, the Dean’s Office, and Admissions.
  • 2011 September
    Collaborative piano recitals (Canmore, Camrose), with Tanya Prochazka, cello, and Kathleen Corcoran. Featuring works by various Canadian composers, including the world premiere of Augustana Campus alumni Nicholas Howells’s Crowfoot (for solo piano) and Grieg’s Sonata for Piano and Cello. Sponsored by the Alberta Piano Teachers’ Association for its annual conference in Canmore, AB, and by Augustana Campus in Camrose, AB.
  • 2010 November
    Collaborative piano recitals (St. Albert, Edmonton, Camrose), with Tanya Prochazka, cello, and Kathleen Corcoran, soprano. Featuring Sergei Rachmaninov’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, André Previn’s Four Songs, and selected songs for soprano and piano by Canadian composers. Sponsored by the St. Albert Chamber Music Society in St. Albert, AB, UAlberta Augustana in Camrose, AB, and the University of Alberta, Faculty of Arts/Department of Music in Edmonton, AB.
  • 2010 October
    Collaborative piano performance (Camrose), with Kathleen Corcoran, soprano. Featuring selected songs for soprano and piano by Canadian composers. Sponsored by UAlberta Augustana as part of an international conference on the concept of Nordicity with Telemark University College of Norway.
  • 2010 February
    Solo piano recitals (Grande Prairie, Vernon, Prince George), featuring Robert Schumann’s Carnaval, Johannes Brahms’s Opus 118 piano pieces, and Maurice Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin. Sponsored by Grande Prairie Regional College in Grande Prairie, AB, and co-sponsored by UAlberta Augustana in Vernon, BC and in Prince George, BC.

Milton Schlosser, piano, performs works by
Beethoven, Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Liszt, and Grovlez

Milton Schlosser performs works by Chopin, Ravel, and Schlosser

Johannes Brahms’s six pieces from Opus 118 – Milton Schlosser, piano

Chopin, from Carnaval by Robert Schumann

Nicholas Howells’s piano composition Crowfoot. Recorded by the CBC.

Milton Schlosser, pianist, and Nicholas Howells, composer, discuss Howells’s piano piece Crowfoot. Recorded by the CBC.

© Copyright - Milton Schlosser 2023