Pianist Cindy St. Clair has appeared throughout the United States and Europe as both soloist and collaborator, performing at distinguished venues such as the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and the World Piano Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia. She has been featured as a soloist with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra, the University of Alabama Symphonic Band, and the Samford University Orchestra.
An accomplished collaborative artist, Dr. St. Clair has extensive experience working with vocalists, instrumentalists, choirs, and musical theatre ensembles. She is currently engaged in projects with baritone Christopher Jordan highlighting music by black composers. Their recent performances include appearances at the 25th Anniversary of the African American Art Song Alliance Conference at the University of California–Irvine and on the Atelier Concert Series at the American Church in Paris, France.
Dr. St. Clair’s research interests center on the work of underserved composers and women pedagogues, as well as mental practice, stamina, and memorization techniques. She has presented her work at local, state, and national conferences, including a presentation titled “The Transference of Theodor Leschetizky’s Legacy to the United States” at the 2021 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, which received an Honorable Mention Award.
She holds both the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Alabama, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies with a concentration in Business from Samford University. Prior to pursuing music full time, Dr. St. Clair worked for 16 years in the legal field, serving on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Association of Paralegals, Inc., mentoring students, and presenting at professional conferences.
At Samford University, Dr. St. Clair serves as the Area Coordinator of Keyboard Studies and Associate Professor of Piano. She previously served as Interim Chair of the Division of Music at Samford and as Chair of the Department of Music and Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan at Judson College, where she received the Mary Gibson Thompson Teaching Award for Excellence in 2019. In recognition of her teaching and artistic achievements, she was inducted into the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame in New York in October 2025.
A dedicated leader in professional organizations, Dr. St. Clair is the Founding President of the World Piano Teachers Association USA–Alabama Chapter, a certified teacher in piano by the Music Teachers National Association and serves on the executive board of the Alabama Music Teachers Association. She is also the Immediate Past President of the Birmingham Metro Music Forum.
