Concert kicks off VSU piano endowment series

Published 1:00 am Thursday, July 31, 2025

VALDOSTA – A Valdosta State University associate professor hopes to raise scholarship funds for piano students through a series of concerts.

Joshua Pifer, associate professor of piano, kicks off the first of the concerts with a performance scheduled for Aug. 1 at First Methodist Church of Valdosta.

Pifer said he plans to spearhead about five concerts annually to fund an endowment for piano student scholarships. The concerts will be held at locations, mostly churches, locally and through the southeast. 

Following the Valdosta concerts, Pifer said he is arranging similar concerts in Thomasville, Dothan, Alabama, Tallahassee, Florida, and another Georgia location, all to raise endowment funds for VSU piano students.

At the Valdosta concert, Pifer said he will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Gary Shields, a contemporary composer and friend of Pifer.

Piper began his academic career at Florida State, then worked at Auburn before coming several years ago to VSU, where he is also the keyboard area head.

“Praised for his ‘sensitivity,’ ‘color’ and ‘depth’ in performance, Joshua has appeared in concert as a soloist and chamber musician on three continents, as well as having nationally toured for concerts in 27 U.S. states,” according to his VSU biography. “Joshua has premiered works by 21st century American composers including Andre Cormier, Justin Aftab, Gary Shields, Patrick Townsend, Elizabeth Goode and Andrea Clearfield. In addition, Joshua is an advocate for the piano music of Alexander Tcherepnin.”

Pifer has recorded two albums and is a founding member of several chamber orchestras.

“I really like Valdosta,” he said. “Especially VSU since it is a teaching-first institution. I like that the focus is on the students.”

As a piano student, he often worked playing piano and organ in churches. 

“When I was in grad school, I’d play concerts and take donations then give 10% of the donations back to the church,” he said.

Unlike a guitarist or other musicians, who travel with their own instruments to concerts, keyboard players usually must play whatever piano or organ is available at the venue. 

Pifer recalled one stop at a rural Virginia church where he was greeted with a banner and small parade. The church had never hosted a pianist playing classical music. The congregation had placed an upright spinet piano on a trailer in a field and that’s where Pifer played.

“Pianists never know what they are going to find,” he said with a laugh.

He said he has also urged many of his piano students to play in churches and he plans to have students join him in the future to perform in the planned series of endowment concerts.

There is no set admission price for the First Methodist concert; donations will be taken. The concert is scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 1, First Methodist Church of Valdosta, 220 N. Patterson St., downtown Valdosta.

For people unable to attend the concert, donation checks can be made to the VSU Foundation, with “Piano Major Scholarship” in the memo line, and mailed to the VSU Foundation, Pifer said, or contact Pifer by email jkpifer@valdosta.edu or call him at 661-713-5769.