Pianist Zachariah Stoughton is often engaged to perform and lecture across the United States, specializing in his unique and ground-breaking programs praised for being intensely thoughtful while at the same time freshly entertaining.
Mr. Stoughton’s performances of music from the 20th and 21st centuries have set him apart from his pianist colleagues. His passion for the music of American composers such as Aaron Copland, Virgil Thompson, Irving Fine, Samuel Barber, Ross Lee Finney, Leonard Bernstein, Norman Dello Joio, and Roy Harris is revealed in every concert containing their works. Mr. Stoughton also has an intense interest in music of living composers, frequently performing works by Lowell Lieberman, Bright Sheng, Dan Welcher, and many others. These concerts have opened a new dimension of the piano repertoire to audiences while establishing that new music is both accessible and enjoyable.
Mr. Stoughton holds membership in the Music Teachers National Association, the Society for American Music, the College Music Society, Pi Kappa Lambda (National Music Honor Society), Alpha Psi Omega (National Theatre Honor Society), the American Acoustical Society as well as the Piano Technicians Guild. He is a graduate of Texas Christian University from where he holds the degree of Master of Music in Piano Performance. He is also a graduate of the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he earned the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance degree as a recipient of the William C. Race Scholarship for Piano.
In his spare time, Mr. Stoughton holds a significant interest in piano technology. His work as a technician has well complemented his work as a performer and teacher. His research into historical keyboard temperaments has resulted in several scholarly writings examining the place of “unequal temperaments” in the interpretation of 18th and 19th century harmonic languages.
Mr. Stoughton currently serves on the faculty at the Texas Christian University School of Music. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he is a key member of staff at the PianoTexas International Academy & Festival.