Associate Professor of Piano Jacksonville University

US classical pianist Scott Watkins is a highly revered U.S. classical pianist. He is a graduate of The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music where he was a Van Cliburn Scholar, studied with Bela Siki, and graduated with a degree in piano performance.

Further studies followed at The University of South Carolina — where he was a student of Canadian Raymond Dudley and earned his Master’s degree in music — and at Florida State University — where he studied with Edward Kilenyi and graduated with a Doctor of Music degree.

Watkins has received numerous rewards throughout his long career, including the Artistic Ambassador Award, which he won in 1985, the Patricia D’Angelus Award, which he won at the Memphis Beethoven International Piano Competition in 1999.

He has also performed with some of the most renowned musicians in the industry. Since his debut, he has performed at many of the world’s concert halls and worked with several renowned soloists, including soprano Elizabeth Futral, tenor Stanford Olsen, and violinists Eugene Fodor and Hillary Hahn. Watkins has also worked with a number of talented conductors, including Michael Krajewski, Fabio Mechetti, Heping Liu, and Andrew Lloyd Jones.

Today, Watkins is a professor of Piano at Jacksonville University, where he has taught since 2011. His teaching doesn’t stop there, however. He is also a Visiting Foreign Scholar at Beifang University’s Conservatory of Music and Dance in Yin Chuan, China during the Spring.

Watkins has received multiple plaudits for his performances. Folio Weekly called him a “polished player in his prime,” and The Dallas Morning News said he “plays authoritatively and expressively.”

He continues to record and perform music regularly. His latest album, American Piano Sonatas, was released under Jacksonville University’s record label, Dolphinium Records. It includes music by other greats like Carlisle Floyd, William Schirmer, and Howard Hanson.