Piano Day
Christopher Newport University’s School of the Arts is thrilled to present Piano Day 2026, taking place on Saturday, November 21 in the beautiful Peebles Theatre.
Join us for a day dedicated to performing, learning, and sharing all about the best instrument! Piano Day offers a relaxed and welcoming opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of piano. This year will also feature an exciting demonstration of recording potential in virtual reality, showcasing cutting-edge ways to experience and share live performance.
Students interested in participating in the masterclass are invited to submit a video recording of their chosen piece to benjamin.corbin@cnu.edu
Due to limited time, only six performers will be selected. Registration closes one week prior to the event, and participation is completely free.
Plan to spend the day with us—bring a lunch and a water bottle, and get ready for an engaging, forward-looking, and musically enriching experience. Remember to stay with us after Piano Day for a complete solo recital by our amazing guest artist, Mark Valenti!
Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | Arrival |
| 10:15 a.m. | Welcome performance |
| 11 a.m. | Masterclass |
| 12 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1 p.m. | Masterclass |
| 2 p.m. | VR demonstration |
| 2:30 p.m. | Student recital |
| 5 p.m. | Guest Artist Recital: Mark Valenti, piano |
About Piano Day
Piano Day is an opportunity for beginner, intermediate and advanced student pianists aged 12-18 who are studying piano privately to experience a day of music and learning in the beautiful Ferguson Center for the Arts.
If you have any questions, or would like to see past schedules, please contact Dr. Benjamin Corbin, Director of Keyboard Studies, and Assistant Professor of Piano and Collaborative Arts for more information at (757) 594-7730 or benjamin.corbin@cnu.edu.
About Dr. Corbin
Pianist Ben Corbin maintains an active schedule as a performer, teacher, and masterclass clinician. He was awarded top prizes in the Phi Beta Music Competition, OMTA Piano Competition, and the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artists’ Competition. Described as an “incisive” pianist (Colorado Springs Gazette) and praised for his “sensitive keyboard work” (The Virginia Pilot), Ben has also been featured on classical radio KMFA in Austin, TX, WFMT Chicago, and WHRO in Virginia. He has had the privilege of performing at Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, The American Theater, the Ferguson Center for the Arts, and on the Dame Myra Hess International Concert Series, as well as a concerto soloist with the Hampton Roads Philharmonic, the Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble, the Virginia Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the University of Oregon Symphony Orchestra, and the Christopher Newport University Wind Ensemble.
Dr. Corbin holds degrees in Piano Performance (BM, MM) from the University of Oregon where he studied with Dean Kramer and David Riley, and Collaborative Piano (MM, DMA) from The University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Anne Epperson. Ben was awarded fellowships in collaborative piano to attend the Brevard Music Center and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. He has served as a member of the Collaborative Piano staff at the Meadowmount School of Music in New York, the International Clarinet Festival of Panamá, the Torggler Summer Vocal Institute, and Snow Pond Center for the Arts. Dr. Corbin is currently the Associate Professor of Piano and Collaborative Arts at Christopher Newport University, where he also serves as the Director of Keyboard Studies.
About Mark Valenti
Mark Valenti received his Master of Music from Northwestern University, Bachelor of Music from the Philadelphia Musical Academy and has studied with such notable teachers as Benjamin Whitten, Zoltan Kocsis, and Mary Sauer. In addition to giving solo recitals in cities throughout the U.S., Mr. Valenti has performed in France, Belgium, Hungary and Luxembourg, as well as for former First Lady Barbara Bush in Washington, D.C.
Mark Valenti has performed recitals live on WFMT classical radio. He has also done extensive work in the Jazz field, including performances with Gregory Hines, Frank Foster and Al Grey, and has appeared on television with Joe Sudler’s Swing Machine and singer/actor Christopher Durham.
Formerly a Professor of Music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Xavier University in Chicago, and the Loire Valley Music Institute in France, Mr. Valenti currently teaches at his studio in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.