Dr. Reid Smith, a native of Rockingham and a well-known pianist in the area, has been chosen by Steinway and Sons of New York City as the national Steinway Teacher of the Year.

Steinway dealerships in every state nominated a pianist/teacher for this prestigious award and Smith was chosen for his dedication to the art of teaching, for sponsoring recitals in his community, for the accomplishments of his students, and for offering piano students from the U.S. the opportunity to perform in many international piano festivals for the past 10 years. Smith has been invited as a faculty member for festivals in France, Spain, Italy, Azerbaijan, and Russia and has served as a juror at many international competitions in various countries.

Smith was the sole faculty member from the U.S. at the International Piano Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia in June 2017, with students from many countries participating in the “Music in Palace” solo and concerto competitions.

In the first division, ages 6-9, the second division, ages 10-15, and the third division, ages 16-30, Smith’s students won the first prize in all three divisions and were featured on Russian National TV for the surprise of American students taking the prizes in both competitions in all three divisions. Student winners in the Concerto Competition performed in the famous Marble Palace with the assistant conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic conducting.

Smith was recently chosen by the White Bear Performing Arts Center as the artistic director of their classical music series. This $10 million dollar concert venue, which opens in September 2018, will present international artists and will join the ranks of the finest performance spaces in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.

On Dec. 14, Smith was asked to choose their new Steinway Concert Grand at the Steinway Factory in Queens, New York and he will now be responsible for the classical music programming at this state-of-the-art facility.

Contributed photo Rockingham native Reid Smith was recently named the national Steinway Teacher of the Year.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_reidsmith.jpgContributed photo Rockingham native Reid Smith was recently named the national Steinway Teacher of the Year.

For the Daily Journal