YSU prof Oltmanns releases album

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Concert pianist Caroline Oltmanns, professor of piano in the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, released her new concept album, “Ghosts,” last month at a reception and performance at the Pollock House on the YSU campus.

“Ghosts” is Oltmanns’ sixth solo album on the Filia Mundi label and features works by Schumann, Brahms, Chopin and Wilding. A video of the launch party, which was attended by YSU President Jim Tressel and many of Oltmanns’ friends, can be viewed on YouTube.

The album can be purchased from online retailers, including Amazon.

A native of Germany, Oltmanns is a Fulbright Scholar, International Steinway Artist and recipient of awards through the Annette-Kade-Stiftung and the Stipendium der deutschen Wirtschaft. She earned her diploma at the Staatliche Musikhochschule Freiburg and master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

She has presented master classes and workshops in the United States, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, Canada and China. Her students have been accepted into prestigious programs in the United States and abroad.

Oltmanns has initiated and supported several philanthropic causes through regular benefit appearances and recently established the endowment 88 Hearts for Youngstown, a fund to support scholarships for piano students.

Highlights of her 2016-17 season include two concert tours to Switzerland, appearances in Germany and a solo debut in London. Previous concert seasons have included concerto appearances with Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, Harburger Orchester Academie and Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra.

Solo recital venues have included Steinway Hall and Weill Recital Hall in New York; Preston Bradley Hall in Chicago; Redlands Bowl and Leo Bing Theater in Los Angeles.