About Craig Ralston
Craig Ralston is a piano and voice teacher in Utrecht with a Doctor of Musical Arts and over 30 years of stage experience. This is the story behind that sentence.
From Southern Africa to the concert hall
Craig grew up in Southern Africa, where he climbed onto a piano bench as a child and never really climbed off. He studied music education, earned a master's in piano performance, and completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in composition and theory. Alongside those degrees he earned the highest certificates of the Royal Schools of Music in London.
What followed was a career across three continents: concerts as a pianist, years as a university lecturer, choirs and ensembles under his direction, and eventually a music school of his own, built from nothing.
Teacher, conductor, competition judge
For Craig, teaching isn't a side job next to performing; it's the through-line. He lectured at university, ran his own school, and guided hundreds of students from first lesson to exam and audition. Today he judges international music competitions, currently in Taipei. Take piano lessons or voice lessons with him and you study with someone who knows what juries listen for, because he is one.
And now: a home studio in Utrecht
These days Craig lives and works in Utrecht, teaching from his home studio with a grand piano. No institute, no classroom number six: one teacher, one student, and the time to actually get somewhere. He teaches piano, voice and music theory and composition, to students of all ages.
All lessons are in English, which for Utrecht's international community is often exactly why they find him. For Dutch students it turns out to be no obstacle at all after the first lesson.
Education and career at a glance
- Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition and Theory
- Master of Music in Piano Performance
- Bachelor's degree in Music Education
- Highest certificates of the Royal Schools of Music, London
- Former university lecturer in music
- Founder of his own music school
- Judge at international music competitions
The first lesson is free
Come by, play or sing something you love, and tell me where you'd like to go. Then decide if it's the right fit for you.
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