Dr. James Pitts

Dr. James Pitts, pianist and educator, began his piano studies with his mother, Dr. Ruth Pitts. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree at Baylor University, and his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Texas, where he was a pupil of the eminent artist and Cliburn Gold Medalist, Vladimir Viardo. Dr. Pitts is excited to join the faculty of McLennan Community College in the Fall of 2024.

Dr. Pitts is an active performer, frequently presenting solo and duo recitals with his wife, Dr. Ping-Ting Lan. He has performed many of the pinnacles of piano repertoire, including Beethoven’s “Appassionata” and “Hammerklavier” sonatas, Chopin’s 4 Scherzi and 24 Preludes, Brahms’s Handel Variations, Op. 24, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit. He has also performed several contemporary works by Messiaen, Birtwistle, Carter, Ohana, and others.

Dr. Pitts’s dissertation was a study of the work of the Russian composer and pianist, Nikolai Medtner. He has become something of a specialist in the works of Medtner, and has performed 6 of Medtner’s sonatas, including the “Night Wind” Sonata, Op. 25 #2 and the Sonata-Ballade, Op. 27, as well as several shorter works, such as his Tales (Skazki).

Dr. Pitts has been a soloist with several orchestras, including the Waco Symphony Orchestra (Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue, Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), the Central Texas Orchestra (Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4), and the Orchestra of the Pines (Rachmaninov Concerto No. 3).

A dedicated teacher, Dr. Pitts has taught applied lessons, class piano, and a two-semester historical survey of piano literature. Many of his undergraduate and graduate piano majors have won competitions and have had professional success as teachers, collaborative pianists, and church musicians. Some of these have gone on to receive their DMA degrees.

As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Pitts has worked with hundreds of student instrumentalists and singers, performing in about 40 recitals each year. He has extensive experience working with opera, choirs, and large instrumental ensembles.

Dr. Pitts is also in demand as an adjudicator, and has frequently judged for the Music Teachers National Association, the Texas Music Teachers Association, Houston Forum, the Dallas Music Teachers Association, the Waco Music Teachers Association, and the McLennan Community College Piano Competition.

Dr. Pitts’s teachers include Dr. Ruth Pitts, Mr. Doyce Edwards, Mr. Roger Keyes, and Dr. Vladimir Viardo.

Office: BPAC 114 * Phone: (254) 299-8285 * Email: jpitts@mclennan.edu