Douglas Perez

Piano Faculty

Douglas Perez is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano at Louisiana State University, studying with Dr. Ana María Otamendi. He completed a Professional Artist Certificate in Collaborative Piano in May 2023 at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the tutelage of Dr. Allison Gagnon. Previously, he studied with Dr. Kate Boyd and Karen Thickstun and earned a double Master of Music in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Butler University. Douglas also holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Piano Performance from Pensacola Christian College, where he studied with renowned Brazilian pianist Daisy DeLuca Jaffé and Dr. Gustavo Peterlevitz.

Douglas Perez enjoys performing with vocal and instrumental soloists and ensembles and has collaborated with UNCSA’s Nu Ensemble; the Butler University Chorale, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Ballet; the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and Men’s Chorus; and the Hancock County Children’s Choir. He has also performed as a soloist for audiences well over 6,000. Following an acclaimed recital featuring the United States premier of José Penalva’s Sonata 1 in April 2018, Douglas saw further engagements with works from this recital including a performance of the Penalva Sonata and Debussy’s La cathédrale engloutie at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in July 2018. Mr. Perez has also stage-managed opera productions with director Dr. Ray Gibbs, former leading tenor at the Metropolitan Opera.

An active educator, Douglas has taught private and group lessons to students of wide-ranging age for many years. At UNCSA, Douglas was the Graduate Teaching Assistant for Music Theory. He also taught individual and group piano lessons at the UNCSA Community Music School and the Butler Community Arts School. Douglas was a teaching assistant at the Interlochen Arts Camp in the summers from 2018 to 2020 and was promoted to Head Teaching Assistant in 2019; he taught and coached piano solo and chamber music. An active member of MTNA, Douglas served as President of the Butler Collegiate Chapter from 2019-2021 and presented the session, “Embracing Uniqueness: Understanding and Adjusting to Your Student’s Specific Learning Style,” at the Indiana Music Teachers Association State Conference (2019). In 2021, he was elected a member of the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda, the oldest, largest, and most prestigious honor society in the world for the achievement of excellence in music. Douglas Perez is currently a graduate staff pianist at LSU and on the piano faculty at the Grace Notes School of Music.