Kasandra Keeling, D.M.A.

About Kasandra

Dr. Kasandra Keeling currently serves as Interim Associate Director of the UTSA School of Music, as well as serving as the keyboard area coordinator. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in piano performance from the University of Houston and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her primary teachers have been Janice Hodges, Nancy Weems, Alvin Chow, and Larry Graham.

Keeling was the 2008 recipient of the Texas Music Teachers Association Outstanding Collegiate Teaching Award and was inducted into the national Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in New York in 2023. She was the 2014 winner of the American Prize competition in the professional piano concerto category and the 2015 recipient of the UTSA President’s Achievement Award in Performance.

She is a sought-after performer, collaborator, adjudicator, and clinician. Performance highlights include solo and collaborative performances at Steinway Hall in New York City, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the Teatro Degollado in Guadajalara, and for Interlochen Center for the Arts. Keeling has also presented or performed at the national and international conferences for MTNA, CMS, NFA, ITG, CFMTA, and ASTA. She has been a featured soloist with the San Antonio Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, San Antonio Wind Symphony, Filarmonica de Jalisco, the Littleton and Timberline symphonies of Colorado, and the university orchestras of the University of Houston, University of Colorado, University of Wyoming, and UTSA. Her recent recording entitled "Bridging Borders: New South American Music for Trumpet and Piano" with Dr. Oswaldo Zapata can be heard on all streaming platforms.

Dr. Keeling joined the summer piano faculty at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in 2014.

In my teaching, I aim to foster curiosity and artistry. I encourage students to take full advantage of the resources at their disposal and to exceed expectations in all endeavors.