ABOUT ME
Praised by Chinese Weibo Weekly Broadcast as the pianist who “enthralled her audience with her performance that they willingly immersed themselves into her realm of musical wonder, and that she has truly breathed new life into the classical masterpiece of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto in C minor," Dr. Christine Utomo has established her career as soloist and collaborative pianist, music educator, piano masterclass clinician, and an adjudicator. She currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Piano at Chengdu University, China, and Artistic Director at Irama Music Studio, Indonesia.
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She has actively performed as soloist and collaborative pianists at various venues in the U.S., Europe, China, and Indonesia, such as Shanghai Cadillac Concert Hall, Chengdu University ASEAN Concert Hall, Ratusz Hall of Torun, Teatro Communale di Cassalmaggiore, Fort Revelin Hall, Rector Palace Dubrovnik, Alfred Newman Hall, Klosterkirche Medingen, Ruïnekerk Bergen, Aula SImfonia Jakarta, J.S. Bach Recital Hall, Jakarta Steinway Gallery, Balai Sarbini Jakarta, Jakarta International Theatre, among others. She has been featured as a soloist with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Jakarta Symphony Orchestra, and Torun Symphony Radio Orchestra. As a collaborative pianist, she has performed with NAFA Wind Ensemble, Iskandar Widjaja, Tina Guo, Marcel Luxen, Gabriel Schwabe, among others. Her past collaborative works resulted in the release of two singles recording with cellist Tina Guo.
Her past performances had been featured at Chengdu University’s International Culture and Art Festival, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra Weekly Radio Concert (China), Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival (Croatia), International Bach Competition (Leipzig), Holland International Music Sessions, Paderewski Piano Academy, Casalmaggiore Music Festival, and numerous music festivals in Indonesia, such as Jakarta Chamber Music Society, Parahyangan Classical Music Festival, Be-Sharp Foundation Concert, the Grand Signature Piano Heritage Concert Series, Lions Club Charity concert series, among others.
Her passion in teaching music had brought her in touch not only with piano students, but also with very young children and their parents or caregivers. She initiated the Early Childhood Music program at Irama Music Studio in 2013, where she conducted, trained teachers, and taught experimental classes using a combination of Kodaly and Edwin Gordon pedagogy. She later became a licensed Kindermusik music educator in 2014. Aside from the early childhood music teaching experiences, she enjoys teaching piano students of various ages and levels. Her piano students had won prizes at various piano competitions and had been accepted in various universities in the U.S., Europe, and China.
In addition to her teaching and performance schedules, she also participates frequently in organizing various community-engaged activities, such as theme-based children's concert series, school outreach talks, music summer camp, piano masterclasses, music appreciation, and piano pedagogy lectures. Recent highlights included "Beethoven’s 250th anniversary” online lecture series, which discussed various issues on score analysis, interpretation, and performance practice, and to such diverse topics, such as contemporary music, career development, transcription, and improvisation. She had also contributed frequently as a guest lecturer at Dr. Johannes Nugroho’s online piano pedagogy series. She has also been frequently invited as a judge in various local piano competitions, such as the Indonesian Ananda Sukarlan Award, Steinway Piano Competition, UPH National Piano Competition, Perfect Tone Piano Competition, Concertino Piano Competition, APCS Classical Festival, among others.
Dr. Utomo completed her Doctoral of Musical Arts study in piano performance at the USC Thornton School of Music, where she also earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in piano performance. She has trained extensively with Norman Krieger, and has worked with Malcolm Bilson, Bernd Goetze, Andrez Jasinski, Philippe Entremont, Angela Hewitt, and Mikhail Voskressenky. She started her piano study at the age of five, along with the organ, music theory, and improvisation. Her childhood teachers included her mother—Ms. Lindawaty Angkasa, and piano teachers Ms.Julinda, Mr. Andrew Wilkinson, Ms. Jenny Sumono.
