Dr. Caroline Oltmanns

Professor
Dr. Caroline Oltmanns - profile photo

Dr. Caroline Oltmanns

Professor

Dana School of Music & University Theatre

Bliss Hall

phone: (330) 941-3636

cmoltmanns@ysu.edu

www.caroline-oltmanns.com

Bio

‘Filled with fantasy in the greatest sense of the word’ (Dr. Ursula Adamski-Stoermer, Bayerischer Rundfunk) pianist Caroline Oltmanns reveals in her playing a deep connectivity between music and culture. Her impeccable musical phrasing combined with an engaging stage presence have attracted audiences both in the US and abroad.

This season features two concert tours to Switzerland, recital performances in Germany, and a return invitation to perform with Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Past seasons have included concerto appearances with Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, Harburger Orchester Akademie, and Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra in addition to the commission, premiere and recording of several new concerti.

Caroline Oltmanns has recorded six solo CDs on the Filia Mundi label. Her new concept album Ghosts features Robert Schumanns last work "Ghost Variations". Caroline Oltmanns's playing has been broadcast globally on radio and TV stations, and she recently was featured on the documentary series Living the Classical Life. She serves as a jury member of national and international competitions including the Cleveland International Piano Competition.

As an International Steinway Artist, Fulbright Scholar, and recipient of the Stipendium der deutschen Wirtschaft, she is Professor of Piano at Youngstown State University and holds degrees from the Staatliche Musikhochschule Freiburg and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Her musical mentors were Robert Levin, John Perry, Vitaly Margulis, and Malcolm Frager.

Research Interests

Recording, performing, presenting lectures about music, piano practise, and music history

Teaching Interests

Piano, Ensemble Music with Piano, Music Appreciation, Music History, Music Entrepreneurship

  • Education
    • 1994

      Other, Piano

      University of Southern California

    • 1991

      MA, Piano

      University of Southern California USC

    • 1989

      BA, Piano

      Staatlich Musikhochschule Freiburg

  • Awards and Honors
    • 2023

      YSU

      2023/24 Research Professorship

      New female composers of music for and with piano -
      A gateway collection and compilation of the creative outputs and initiatives of women composers of gen-x and beyond

      This research project continues, combines and expands on two prior research projects:
      The Youngstown State University Grant supported project “Beyond Auf dem Strom - Diversifying Repertoire for High Voice, Horn, and Piano Ensemble” and my article “Women at the Piano” published in the Fall of 2022 in the Journal of the International Alliance for Women in Music.

    • 2022

      Steinway and Sons

      Steinway Top Teacher Award

      Top Teacher Award for excellence in Piano Instruction presented by Steinway International.

    • 2022

      YSU

      Research Professorship

      Themes and Variations, Pasagaglias and Chaconnes
      A new look at the relevance of a traditional music genre and its connectivity to the current climate of diversity.

    • 2021

      YSU

      Distinguished Professor Award in Scholarship

    • 2019

      YSU

      Faculty Improvement Leave sabbatical

      THE POWER OF WIND – AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE AND A POETIC PHENOMENON IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

      A CD/DVD Recording and Performance Project with Video Installations and an Information E-Booklet about Wind Energy

  • Professional Service
    • 2016 - present

      Committee Member
      Music from the Western Reserve