2026 UCCS Piano Festival
Two days of events celebrating the instruments, its music and artists
Jan 30-31, 2026
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Presented by the Department of Visual & Performing Arts, Music Program, in partnership with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Ent Center for the Arts
Piano provided by Piano Warehouse, Colorado Springs.
Questions? Contact Yvonne Wu (ywu@uccs.edu) or Kelly Zuercher (kzuerche@uccs.edu)
All events except Philharmonic concerts are free and open to the public! Reservations required.
Friday, January 30th
7:30pm Pikes Peak Piano Stars
An evening of piano music featuring distinguished faculty pianists from the region, including Susan Grace (Colorado College), Zahari Metchkov (CSU Pueblo), Abe Minzer (PPSC), Moses Swedberg (CC), and Kelly Zuercher (UCCS)! Reserve free ticket here.
Saturday, January 31st
10-11:30am Masterclass with Aristo Sham
Join us for this exciting opportunity to hear from international star Aristo Sham, the newest Gold Medalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, as he coaches local young pianists. Reserve free ticket here. This event is made possible by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.
1pm Student Piano Recital
A program featuring student pianists from across campuses of Southern Colorado. Reserve free ticket here.
3-4:30pm Talks on Piano Pedagogy and Contemporary Literature
Local educators Kelly Zuercher and John Rot share insight on teaching and composing for the piano. Reserve free ticket here.
7:30pm, & Feb. 1, 2:30pm Colorado Springs Philharmonic concert—Van Cliburn Champions: Mozart
Hear Mozart’s genius from two sides. Aristo Sham, Van Cliburn gold medalist, performs the radiant Piano Concerto No. 17, alive with charm and effortless grace. Then the mood shifts to the monumental “Prague” Symphony, brimming with energy and drama.
Tickets at CSPhilarmonic.org
Pikes Peak Piano Stars
Faculty pianists from the region, including Susan Grace (Colorado College), Zahari Metchkov (CSU Pueblo), Abe Minzer (PPSC), Moses Swedberg (CC), and Kelly Zuercher (UCCS)
Aristo Sham
International star and the newest Gold Medalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Kelly Zuecher
Kelly McSweeney Zuercher joined the music department at UCCS in the fall of 2016, where she teaches both class piano and private piano lessons.
John Rot
John Rot is a composer, theorist, conductor and pianist based in Colorado Springs and a lecturer at UCCS
Students
Student pianists from across campuses of Southern Colorado
