Gordon Sparber

Doctor of Music, Piano Performance

After earning a doctorate in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Ellen Mack, Gordon Sparber began teaching piano for Peabody’s Preparatory School and working as a freelance pianist in Baltimore. While in Baltimore, he performed on such series as Res Musica Baltimore and Music at Loyola and was the pianist of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. At the same time, he began writing on musical subjects, eventually becoming a music critic for the Washington Post and other newspapers and a fellow of the National Arts Journalism Program. Mr. Sparber's career took an unexpected turn when he became a bread baker and business owner, creating Ollie's Bakery in Winston-Salem, N.C. He recently moved to Austin from northern Michigan, where he was working as the pianist for the Traverse City Central High School choruses and the Old Town Playhouse. In Austin, he has taught at Leander High School, the Northwest School of Music, the Armstrong Community Music School and his own private studio, and has been the pianist for the International School of Violin Performance.​