Alumna returns to Hillsdale for piano performance

Home Culture Alumna returns to Hillsdale for piano performance

From the “middle-of-nowhere” Oregon to the halls of Howard Music Hall to the stage in Rochester, New York, Hillsdale College alumna Cameron Wilkens ’09 now practices piano about forty hours every week as a professional pianist and doctoral student.

She will return to Michigan this Sunday to perform a sacred and classical piano recital, showcasing works by Alexander Scriabin, Dino Kartsonakis, J.S. Bach, and Sergie Rachmaninov. The show will be held at the Hillsdale First United Methodist Church on 45 N. Manning Street at 4 p.m. on Feb. 22. She said she plans to give verbal commentary throughout the performance that relates her Christian faith to the music. Admission is free and a reception will follow.

“She is a fabulous gal who is very serious about her Christian faith and is putting on a more broad program than what you might expect from a concert pianist,” said John Ourensma, director of music at the Hillsdale First United Methodist Church. “She understands both the composers and the music in a way so that she can give a Christian testimony to the music. As a church, that’s what we’re about: We want high musical standards and to have a Christian witness.”

Wilkens began taking piano lessons at age five and teaching them at age 11. A music major and president of the Honors Program at Hillsdale, she graduated Summa Cum Laude and went on to receive a master’s degree in music theory pedagogy from Eastman School of Music.

“I started piano initially just to copy my siblings. My brother and sister both played and it was so inspiring—I just wanted to be like them,” Wilkens said. “When I graduated I never thought I would have a chance to study with the people I do. I wake up every morning and still wonder if this is real. At the same time I feel that I haven’t gotten very far and there’s still so much to do. One thing I love about Eastman is so many people are much better than I am. I hope to reach to their levels of talent.”

In 2013, Wilkens became the first Master’s student in more than a decade to be nominated for membership into Eastman’s chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, an honorary for music leadership and scholarship.

Last year, she received her master of music in performance degree from Eastman while studying under Natalya Antonova. Wilkens is currently working on her doctorate in piano performance.

“She was young when she started here [at Hillsdale], but I could just tell that she was really advanced both technically and musically,” Wilkens’ former piano teacher Brad Blackham said. “You could just tell that she was completely committed to being a music major and wanted to try to have a career. Obviously she’s worked very hard to get where she is today.”

In her free time, Wilkens researches how theory and music history impact performance and the use of time, tone, and dynamic for expression in performance. She also finds ways to incorporate her faith into her performance and said she plans to briefly discuss her thoughts on the subject during her comments at the piano recital on February 22.

“It’s like someone is trying to read Shakespeare without really knowing Shakespeare. You could pronounce English but you would have no context or understanding of its inner depth or beauty,” Wilkens said. “Also, it has always bothered me when people assume that the only music that has anything to do with God is specifically related to hymns. There is so much incredible beauty in music and that has to come from somewhere. I find it very powerfully a reflection of God and His goodness.”

The Hillsdale alumna performs across the United States and was recently selected to be a Fellow at Pianofest in the Hamptons. She also teaches private piano lessons in her own studio, with students from age 8 through adult, and teaches theory and aural skills to high school through doctoral students.

“It’s a hard balance. I love it in some ways more than anything else in life so it’s not work in that sense,” Wilkens said. “It’s not something that I have to do, but something that I connect with emotionally and mentally. That’s tricky when it’s your profession. Things that are setbacks in your career can also tear your soul apart.”