Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A music faculty member at Mississippi State University with more than 36 years of experience in piano performance is receiving national recognition for dedication to her craft.
Rosângela Yazbec Sebba has been named a Steinway Artist, joining the select ranks of some 1,600 highly esteemed musicians from around the world who have chosen to play exclusively on pianos produced by internationally renowned piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons.
"Professor Sebba's selection as a Steinway Artist is a tremendous honor for her as an individual musician and it's a tremendous honor for the university," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "Being able to have our music students train with an internationally recognized artist as a member of our faculty will assure the continued growth and sophistication of our music department."
Barry E. Kopetz, head of the university's music department, praised Sebba, a professor of piano, theory and ear training, for being "a fine person and fine musician."
"The Steinway Artist designation is considered to be one of the finest honors that a pianist can achieve," Kopetz said of the sought-after chamber musician who has accompanied master classes and concerts of artists including Simon Este, Wynton Marsalis, The Emerson String Quartet, Joseph Robinson and Leontyne Price.
"Not many musicians receive this kind of recognition, so for the professional world to acknowledge her talent and musicianship in this way is not only very special for Rose, but also for our department and the university as a whole," he added.
Founder and coordinator of the MSU piano pre-college program and retreat, Sebba currently serves as the Mississippi Music Teachers Association's vice president for collegiate and national competitions. She is featured on the Mississippi Arts Commission's Artist Roster, with a CD titled "Eight Sonatinas and the Sonata for Piano Solo by M. Camargo Guarnieri" released in 2010.
Prior to joining MSU in 2000, the Brazilian native held positions at Gustav Ritter State Conservatory-Brazil, University of Southern Mississippi and Pearl River Community College.
Additionally, she is the founder and coordinator of the Brazilian Music Festival and has given recitals, master classes and lectures in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Costa Rica, England and Spain.
Others featured on the prestigious Steinway Artist roster include classical pianist Lang Lang, jazz stars Diane Krall and Harry Connick Jr., pop icon Billy Joel, and immortal legends Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Vladimir Horowitz, and Arthur Rubinstein.
"I am thankful to Steinway & Sons for giving me the opportunity to be featured in their prestigious roster," said Sebba about her new designation as a Steinway Artist. "This is a huge honor not only for myself as a musician, but also for our university and state," added the music graduate of the Universidade Federal de Goias and the University of Wyoming who completed additional studies at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.
Since its inception in 1853, Queens Borough-based Steinway & Sons has designed what widely are considered the world's finest pianos, those which "set an uncompromising standard for sound, touch, beauty and investment value." The company has been honored with numerous awards and granted more than 100 patents over its long history. For more, visit www.steinway.com.
"Whether on the stages of the most prestigious concert halls, or at one of the more than 160 All-Steinway Schools, Steinway pianos remain the pre-eminent choice for notable institutions and artists around the world," said Robert Klingbeil, director of institutional sales at Amro Music Stores, Inc., in Memphis, Tennessee.
The All-Steinway School designation is bestowed upon a select group of institutions of higher learning and conservatories who "demonstrate a commitment to excellence by providing their students and faculties with the best equipment possible for the study of music."
Formally announcing its commitment to make the university's music department an All-Steinway School, MSU's College of Education provided the Starkville campus with the opportunity to view its newly acquired baby-grand and four vertical Steinway pianos this past spring.
In addition to joining the more than 160 institutions of higher learning and conservatories throughout the world with this distinction, the university seeks to become the only Mississippi school holding the prestigious honor.
"We're also starting a new campaign to have a state-of-the-art music building, where the majority of concerts will be hosted," Sebba said. "I'm hoping this distinction will help bring more attention to the music department at Mississippi State University and will show donors that we are very serious about and committed to our role of enhancing culture and music education in our region and the state of Mississippi."
Learn more about MSU's music department at www.music.msstate.edu, www.facebook.com/pages/Mississippi-State-University-Department-of-Music/... and www.twitter.com/mstatemusic.
MSU is online at www.msstate.edu, www.facebook.com/msstate, www.instagram.com/mssstate, and www.twitter.com/msstate.