Professor of Music, Head of Piano Performance
Phone: (239)590-7209
E-Mail: mbaron@fgcu.edu
Office: Music Mod. Room 8A

Michael Baron, Associate Professor of Music, heads the piano area of the university music program while teaching courses in applied and class piano. An award-winning concert pianist, Baron performs more than forty concerts each year, including annual tours of Europe and engagements throughout the United States . Equally at home as a recitalist, a soloist with orchestra, and a chamber musician, Baron commands a diverse repertoire, ranging from Baroque compositions to world premieres of contemporary works. His virtuosity and musicianship regularly garner the highest critical acclaim. Il Tempo ( Rome ) praised his "spellbinding recital. Baron kept the audience enthralled with a combination of touching poetry and superhuman virtuosity." Baron holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from The Ohio State University where he studied with legendary American pianist Earl Wild. He also worked extensively in Italy with renowned pianist Orazio Frugoni.

A distinguished educator, Dr. Baron was formerly Artist-in-Residence, Head of Keyboard Studies, and a tenured Associate Professor of Music at Mesa State College in Grand Junction , Colorado . He has also taught at the State University of New York, Beloit College , and The Ohio State University. Among others, Baron has presented masterclasses for Music Teachers National Association, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Crested Butte Chamber Music Festival. He has served as a jurist for numerous competitions including the Jefferson Symphony National Music Competition, Competition Internationalé, Rocky Mountain Competition, Pikes Peak MTNA Competition, American Piano Guild Competition, Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra Competition and Capella Musicale.

Dr. Baron's students have won or placed in numerous competitions, including Competition Internationalé, Music Teachers National Association, Maurice S. Thomas Memorial Competition and Four Corners Piano Competition. He is a popular teacher and presenter for music teacher association workshops. Baron co-directs the Corsi Internazionali di Musica Summer Music Festival at the University of Urbino , Italy ( www.urbino.beadlam.us ) and is Artistic Director of the Rocky Mountain Music Alliance Concert Series in Colorado Springs , Colorado.