Anthony Gray | Music and Theater | SIU

Dr. Anthony Gray is currently an Associate Professor of Practice (Collaborative Piano) at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. He held previous positions as Adjunct Instructor in Piano and Collaborative Pianist at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise as well as Collaborative Pianist at East Tennessee State University.

Dr. Gray is active in performance as both a collaborator and a soloist. As a collaborative pianist he was a Resident Artist at Pittsburgh Festival Opera and a pianist/coach intern at Music On Site, Inc in Wichita, KS. He has accompanied voice lessons and master classes for world renown artists including Mildred Miller, Marianne Cornetti, Ollie Watts-Davis and Casey Robards. As a soloist, he received awards in multiple competitions including the Philharmonic Society of Arlington's Young Artist Competition, Music International Grand Prix and Pittsburgh Concert Society's Major Auditions. In summer 2025, he was an invited guest artist for International Piano Week held at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA. In addition to performing and teaching, he regularly presents his research at conferences of the College Music Society (CMS) and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). His article “How to Follow the Score: Unlocking Notational Awareness and Understanding” will appear in an upcoming edition of American Music Teacher.

Dr. Gray graduated summa cum laude from East Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance where he received the Outstanding Student Award and was a Fine and Performing Arts Scholar in the Honors College. He completed both his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano at West Virginia University where he received a Graduate Teaching Assistantship for both degrees as an Opera Workshop Accompanist and Class Piano/Private Piano Instructor. He studied with Cherry Smith, Dr. Chih-Long Hu, Dr. Esther Park, Dr. Ching-Wen Hsiao and Dr. Lucy Mauro.