Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Aaron Stampfl

Meet Dr. Aaron Stampfl

Degrees and Experience
  • D.M., Northwestern University
  • P.D., Indiana University
  • M.M., Indiana University
  • B.M., Wheaton College
Biography and Professional Achievements

Pianist Dr. Aaron Stampfl maintains an active solo and chamber concert schedule both nationally and internationally, having appeared at the Chicago Cultural Center, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Metallener Saal at Vienna’s Musikverein. As a chamber artist, he performs regularly in a wide range of ensembles and genres. Dr. Stampfl has performed with renowned operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee and Tony Award winning soul singer Heather Headley. He frequently collaborates with pianist Elena Cholakova on piano duo and duet repertoire, recently performing in Austria and Bulgaria.

An ardent Lisztian, Dr. Stampfl is a lifetime member of the American Liszt Society, performing in the national festival in 2017. His research explored the inspiration for Franz Liszt’s “Italie” in his doctoral dissertation “Interpreting the Extra-Musical Associations of Liszt’s Deuxiéme Année: Italie.” Stampfl is also an enthusiast of the Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson, having presented on his music at the Colorado State Music Teachers Association Conference in 2021 and the National MTNA Conference in 2022.

A multi-genre performer, Dr. Stampfl was a member of the Chicago-based indie-pop band Ultra Sonic Edukators. USE recorded under the direction of Brian Bell of the Grammy winning rock band Weezer and their release on YMA records earned them recognition from Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the best bands on MySpace. Among the many bands in which Dr. Stampfl has performed, he has shared the stage with acts such as Sleeping At Last, The Fray, Local H, and Gregg Allman.

Dr. Stampfl currently serves as coordinator of keyboard studies of piano at Colorado Christian University, where he teaches Applied Lessons, Piano Class, Piano Pedagogy, Music Theory I and II. He has formerly taught at DePaul University, Roosevelt University, and Wheaton College in Chicago.

Dr. Stampfl completed a Doctorate in Music (DM) at Northwestern University, studying piano with Alan Chow and Sylvia Wang. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Daniel Paul Horn. He studied piano and chamber music with Shigeo Neriki, Evelyn Brancart, and János Starker at Indiana University, receiving a master’s degree and performance diploma.