Pianist Katharina Jackson Dann received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance with a minor in collaborative piano from the University of Houston, Moores School of Music, in 2018. At the University of Houston, she served as teaching assistant in accompanying and group piano to music majors. In 2015 and 2018 Dr. Dann was contracted as Guest Lecturer by the University of Houston to teach summer session Group Piano. Along with her teaching responsibilities, she was a member of the University’s Contemporary Music Ensemble, AURA, and gave monthly solo performances at the Crain Garden Performance Series at Houston Methodist Hospital.
Dr. Dann’s solo career began in the United States at age 15 when she was selected to perform with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at Yale University in 2005. In 2006, Dr. Dann was invited to perform at the Portuguese World Music Conference at Yale University. She also appeared as a soloist with the Hamden Symphony Orchestra, and the UConn Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Dann also won first prize winner of the UConn Concerto Competition and the Young Artists division of the Texas Music Teachers Association solo competition. Dr. Dann has performed in renowned venues such as Lincoln Center, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
Dr. Dann launched her international career in Latin America in 2007, when she was invited to perform a solo recital at the Casa de Cultura in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Brazil, she was also invited by Brazilian pianists Sergio Gallo and Mauricy Martin to participate in the 1o Encontro de Pianistas in Paraty, RJ. In 2009, Dr. Dann won the IV Concurso Nacional Jovem Destaque where she performed at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Fórum de Ciência e Cultura in Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Dann has attended summer music festivals including the Brevard Music Festival and the Foulger International Music Festival where she was a student of Douglas Weeks and Max Levinson. She has also performed extensively in master classes with notable pianists such as Anderson and Roe, Lang Lang, and Abbey Simon.
Dr. Dann also holds a Master's degree from the University of Houston along with a Performer’s Certificate and Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Dann’s primary teachers have included Tali Morgulis, Timothy Hester, Irma Vallecillo, and Neal Larrabee.
With over 10 years of teaching experience, Dr. Dann believes every student is highly capable of being successful and creates attainable goals for all students to reach their full potential. She is currently an active teacher and performer in the North Texas area and enjoys working with students of all ages.