Piano Lessons with Collin J.

Collin J. is an award-winning pianist based in Stillwater, Minnesota. He began his formal musical training under Dr. Jo Anne Link at the nationally recognized Crocus Hill Studios in St. Paul, Minnesota. Collin earned his undergraduate degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Yoshikazu Nagai. Additional studies were with Dr. Jack Winerock and Dr. Steven Spooner. Collin pursued his graduate studies with Dr. James Giles at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. His graduate work was generously supported by the Eckstein Fund.

An accomplished performer, Colin has appeared across the United States and abroad. Recently, he has appeared in faculty recital at the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival in Maiori, Italy. Further accolades include third prize in the Chopin International Piano Competition (Hartford, CT), second prize in the Schubert Club Competition, and the national first prize in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Piano Competition, where he also received the Chopin Prize from the Chopin Foundation of the United States.

During Collin’s residency at Northwestern University, he was awarded first prize in the 2024 Pauline Lindsey Endowed Scholarship Competition. Subsequently, he was the recipient of the 2025 Thaviu-Issak Endowed Prize in Piano, deemed as the Bienen School of Music’s top distinction in piano performance. In masterclass, Collin has performed under esteemed artists John Perry, Enrico Elisi, Leon Fleisher, Vladimir Feltsman, Sergei Babayan, Olga Kern, Barry Douglas, Kevin Kenner, Boris Slutsky, Bernadene Blaha, Yong Hi Moon, Inna Faliks, Awadagin Pratt, Garrick Ohlsson, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Collin has appeared with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, and Minnetonka Symphony. His performances have been aired on Classical Minnesota Public Radio.

A committed teacher, Collin has served on the faculty at The Music Conservatory of Illinois and was a graduate assistant at the Bienen School at Northwestern University. His teaching experience spans from the very beginner through to the collegiate level.