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 from beginner through advanced.  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.   During this time Reuben was invited to participate in numerous master classes with teachers such as Leon Fleischer, John Perry, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Nelita True.  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 premeire or perform new chamber works.  Currently a new doctoral student on scholarship at the University of North Texas, Reuben was a winner in the 2008 UNT concerto competition which included a performance with the UNT symphony orchestra.  He also participated in a NOVA concert for the residency of Augusta Read Thomas in November of 2007, as well as performed Makrokosmos Book I by George Crumb on a solo recital. Reuben Allred is a student of Dr. Pamela Mia Paul.  His other interests include jazz, composition, reading, watching movies, and playing pool.