NMSU Piano

10/03/2026

Come see Dr. Zamora perform Bernstein with the NMSU Lyric Theatre!

What does the American Dream look like behind the picket fence in 1950s suburbia? Come see Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti to find out!

🎭 ONE Performance only 🎭

📆 Saturday, October 3
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 Atkinson Recital Hall - 1075 N. Horseshoe, Las Cruces, NM
🎟 FREE ADMISSION

Come support this intimate exploration of mid-century married life, sung by our talented NMSU singers in collaboration with Dr. Seth Zamora, pianist!

09/25/2026

It’s official: we have a new logo! 🎹

Our students are already rocking the brand-new NMSU Piano logo stickers! Swipe through to see a closer look at the new design, featuring our state of New Mexico.

For the curious minds and musical nerds out there, our campus in Las Cruces is located around the bottom of “E” on the keyboard in our logo. Now you can find us on the map and the piano logo ❤️

🎨 Logo design: our own Dr. Yoshiko Arahata!
✨ Stickers:

09/21/2026

Congratulations to all the pianists who shared their talents at NMSU’s annual student showcase “Autumn Overture” this afternoon! Bravi tutti—Mario Campos, a second year MM graduate piano student performed a solo piece L’isle Joyeuse by Debussy; Dr. Seth Zamora performed with the NMSU Lyric Theatre and University Singers; Sammy Maddox, our undergraduate piano major sung in the Chamber Singers; and Phia Horton played piano in the Jazz Ensemble. Everyone did such a wonderful job. Congratulations to all the ensembles and their directors and teachers for a fantastic show as well. 🎹🙌💐

09/19/2026

Next Saturday, September 26 at 7:30pm: You are cordially invited to a Faculty Piano Recital presented by Dr. Yoshiko Arahata, Assistant Professor of Piano and Collaborative Piano! The program will feature a vibrant combination of classical, jazz, and tango music, spanning traditional to modern master artists.

“To the distant beloved” is a solo piano recital built around themes of love, longing, and connection. The program anchors itself in Beethoven’s famous song cycle of the same title, transcribed for solo piano by Liszt; Schumann’s monumental Fantasy, the ultimate pinnacle of Romanticism (which quotes Beethoven’s song); and living jazz legend Fred Hersch’s “Pastorale,” an homage to Schumann. Moving beyond the classical tradition, the recital features Clare Fischer’s brilliant reimagining of Kreisler’s “Liebesleid” in Latin jazz, alongside captivating works by traditional and modern tango masters, Horacio Salgán and Pablo Ziegler.

Atkinson Recital Hall.

The recital is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there! 🎹🎶

09/17/2026

Two weeks ago, the NMSU music department had the great pleasure of hosting guest pianist, Dr. Er-Hsuan Li from Montana State University at NMSU. Thank you, Dr. Li for his insightful piano master classes, and fantastic solo and collaborative recital with our wonderful NMSU faculty members, Dr. Angela Winter and Dr. Dalager! Our students and community have immensely enjoyed learning from his expertise.

Congratulations to our piano students, Sammy and Mario from the studio of Dr. Arahata, who thoroughly prepared and beautifully performed their new Beethoven Sonata movements (Op. 111 and Op. 57, respectively) for their masterclass so early in the semester!

What a great way to kick off the semester! Stay tuned for our next piano events 🎹🙌🎶

NMSU Piano & Collaborative Piano NMSU Music Dept New Mexico State Athletic Bands NMSU Trumpet Studio

08/29/2026

You are cordially invited to the upcoming Piano Masterclass and Guest Recital featuring our guest artist, Dr. Er-Hsuan Li from Montana State University, on Thursday, September 3!

Our piano students have been working hard on their new repertoire for the masterclass at 4pm! Additionally, at 7:30pm, Dr. Li will perform a solo and collaborative piano recital featuring contemporary American music with our NMSU faculty artists, Dr. Angela Winter, horn, and Dr. Jacob Dalager, trumpet. Come enjoy and learn about the rich diversity of modern American music! 🎹📯🎺🇺🇸

Both events will be held at Atkinson Recital Hall. Free admission and open to all.

NMSU Music Dept NMSU Trumpet Studio New Mexico State Athletic Bands

08/25/2026

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Seth Zamora, our new Visiting Assistant Professor of Music! 🎹✨

Pianist and educator Dr. Joseph Seth Zamora holds a DMA (2025) and MM (2021) in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, studying under Dr. Andrew Brownell, and a BA (2018) in Piano Performance from New Mexico State University, studying under Dr. Laura Spitzer.
 
Dr. Zamora has had an active musical career throughout New Mexico and Texas, as performer, collaborator, teacher, freelancer, and composer. Much of his time in Austin was dedicated to refining his teaching skills by working in various studios throughout Austin, such as Harmony Music Studio (2020-2023), Austin Piano School (2022-2023), and Orpheus Academy of Music (2021-2025), and creating his own studio in 2023, Zamora Piano Studio. Seth has also served as piano faculty for the Idyllwild Summer Arts Junior Piano Intensive Program (July 2024) and as piano/chamber music faculty for the Idyllwild Summer Junior Instrumental Intensive Program (July 2026).
 
Dr. Zamora has performed with various groups in the Texas area, including UT Concert Chorale, Texas State University Treble and Tenor/Bass choirs, UT String Project, UT Pops Orchestra, and throughout New Mexico too. In 2019, he embarked on a state-wide New Mexico tour in, consisting of lecture recitals contextualizing works from all major eras of music and presenting them so all audiences can engage with classical music.
 
Since returning to Las Cruces, NM, Dr. Zamora is engaged with many musical endeavors. He is the collaborative pianist for the NMSU University Singers and Concert Chorale alongside Dr. Alex Gerleman. Seth also served as collaborative pianist for many of NMSU’s instrumental and vocal studios, as well as pianist for NMSU’s 2026 production of Into the Woods. In the Las Cruces community, Seth is Music Director at Peace Lutheran Church. He also served as collaborative pianist for Singing Out Las Cruces’ 15th anniversary season.
 
In his free time, he enjoys cooking, exploring new restaurantsand wineries, pickleball, composing, and playing Dungeons and Dragons!

08/22/2026

Welcome to the new school year! Classes and lessons began this week, and we’re excited for this year’s music-making 🎹✨

Enjoy the photo from our local Hatch chili fest 🌶️

💐 We would like to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Jung-Won Shin for her wonderful contributions at NMSU over the past year. We wish her all the best as she begins her new professorship at the University of Kansas!

🎹 Please email Dr. Yoshiko Arahata, Assistant Professor of Piano and Collaborative Piano and the Piano Area Coordinator for any questions!

🎶 We are excited to welcome Dr. Seth Zamora as our Visiting Assistant Professor of Music this year! Dr. Zamora is an alum of our own NMSU piano department and has been working actively in the Las Cruces community. Stay tuned to learn more about Dr. Z!

☀️ Wishing everyone a wonderful school year and happy music-making!

05/14/2026

Congratulations to Nona Caitlen Briggs (BM, Piano Performance) who was selected as a winner of the NMSU Honors Recital again this semester! And congratulations to all other winners!

04/25/2026

Congratulations to our amazing students on their beautiful piano studio recital performances! Thank you to all the families and friends who joined us and supported them.