Music Piano Accompanists
The Music Department strives to provide appropriate piano accompanists for all regular curricular purposes including for-credit lessons, colloquia appearances, jury exams, masterclasses, and formal Junior and Senior recitals. Any student who wishes to receive Department provided accompanist services should inquire to Dr. Steve Hodson.
At times students need additional services for individual projects and off-campus events, the funding for which may not be provided by the Music Department. Below is a list of student pianists who are regularly employed by the Music Department, and a listing of professional accompanists that our students and faculty have successfully worked with in the past. If you need the services of an accompanist beyond what the Department has assigned to you or can provide, you may inquire with one of these individuals regarding what they will charge you to provide the services you need.
Student Accompanists
Professional Accompanists
You are welcome to sign up for two back-to-back time slots if needed. Professors may sign up for their students two weeks in advance. Students may sign up six days in advance. Walk-ins are welcome!
Erin Bonski-Evans, D.M.A. (ABD) is a prolific pianist and pedagogue. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her work as a collaborative artist and teacher, and has held collaborative artist positions at Interlochen, Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Toledo Opera Association and Bowling Green State University. Locally, she has accompanied for Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara Master Chorale, and coached and accompanied for Ensemble Theatre Company. In addition to Westmont, Erin has been teaching at Santa Barbara City College for ten years, and currently serves as the Minister of Music at First Presbyterian Church. She has recorded the piano works of Dr. Earl Louis Stuart, and has published pedagogical articles in American Music Teacher Magazine.
To view and sign up for Erin's accompanist hours, click the link below. Please note, that you must be signed in with your Westmont Email Account in order to access the document.
Pascal Salomon has been widely acclaimed in Europe, China, Israel, and the USA, both as a soloist and a refined collaborate pianist. He has studied at the “Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris” with Gabriel Tacchino. He has taken numerous master classes with the world-renowned pianists Vera Gornostaeva (Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow), György Sebök, Andras Schiff, Paul Badura-Skoda, Murray Perahia and Jeremy Denk. He was granted the virtuosity degree at the “Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Genève” where he studied with Edson Elias and Nelson Goerner. He then taught at the same Geneva Conservatory for 10 years before moving to California. Winner of the scholarship for young performers from the Société de Musique d'Yverdon-les-Bains (Switzerland), he also received the prize for best French pianist in the Senigallia International Competition Italy), as well as the Honor Diploma in the Maria Canals International Competition (Barcelona, Spain). Pascal Salomon obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts in 2017 at UC Santa Barbara with Paul Berkowitz. He dedicated his research and dissertation to the fascinating topic of Music Phenomenology. Currently, he lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his family, where is Collaborative Piano Faculty at Westmont College. He is also faculty member at SoCal Chamber Music Workshop and Santa Barbara Chamber Music Society. For more information: www.pascalsalomon.com
To view and sign up for Pascal's accompanist hours, click the link below. Please note, that you must be signed in with your Westmont Email Account in order to access the document.
Community Accompanists
Neil Di Maggio, pianist and teacher, enjoys a full and diverse dual career as an active performer and teacher and as a researcher for Westmont College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance summa cum laude from San Jose State University, where he studied with Beethoven scholar, Dr. Alfred Kanwischer. His Master of Music degree in piano performance is from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied under master teacher Mack McCray. He received a full-tuition scholarship and teaching assistantship for the graduate program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There he earned his Master of Music in collaborative piano with renowned collaborative artist and professor, Anne Epperson. Other influential teachers are Yael Weiss and Betty Oberacker, and Laurette Goldberg (harpsichord).
Neil’s professional work has taken him from California to Phoenix to New York City and he enjoys a busy musical career of chamber and solo performances, collaborating with Westmont, City College, and UCSB faculty. Recently he partnered as harpsichordist with the faculty of Santa Barbara Strings, and served on the faculty of the Westmont Academy for Young Artists. The Santa Barbara Independent praised his “brilliant display” as soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Santa Barbara Master Chorale in 2004. Neil’s students are frequent award winners with the Santa Barbara Music Club and the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation competitions. Contact at 1-805-682-2792.