Gray School of Music, Piano Faculty, Teacher

Reuben (Ben) Allred was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he began the study of piano at age 11.  He began teaching private piano lessons at the age of 18 under the supervision of Keith Snell, and has since been teaching students of all ages from the beginner through the advanced levels.  Studying with Gregory Allen, he received both a Bachelors and Masters degree in performance from the University of Texas at Austin where he held scholarship and a Teaching Assistantship.  In this capacity, Reuben studied group piano pedagogy under Martha Hilley, and private piano pedagogy with Sophia Gilmson.  Reuben currently studies at the University of North Texas under Pamela Mia Paul, and is pursuing both a Doctoral Degree and an Artist Certificate.  Mr. Allred has also received training from Leon Fleischer, John Perry, Paul Badura-Skoda, Nelita True, Timothy Lovelace, Krassimira Jordan, Carol Leone, Yves Henri, and Frank Heneghan.  Reuben is an active teacher in the Dallas/Forth Worth area, and along with his large studio at the Gray School of Music also maintains a studio at the Lonestar Music Academy in Flower Mound, and has several private students in Denton.  Recently he traveled to Guangzhou, China, to teach and perform chamber music with fellow students and UNT professors at the South China University of Technology.  A prolific transcriber, many of Reuben's transcriptions have been premiered in Texas, including his own performance of his transcription of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for the Lewisville Lake Symphony International Chamber Series.  As an active performer and collaborator, Reuben has been involved with such groups as the Dallas Festival of Modern Music, the American Repertory Ensemble, the UNT NOVA Ensemble, and the UNT Center for Chamber Music Studies.  From 2004-2007, he was the principal pianist for the UT Austin New Music Ensemble directed by Dr. Dan Welcher, where Reuben worked closely with contemporary composers such as George Crumb, James MacMillan, Melinda Wagner, and Christopher Theofanidis to premiere or perform new chamber works.  Reuben was a winner in the 2008 UNT concerto competition which included a performance with the UNT symphony orchestra.  His other interests include jazz, composition, and reading.