Dr. Rochelle Sennet (suh-NET) is a distinguished performer, teacher, and scholar known for her versatility at the keyboard and dedication to championing both canonical and underrepresented composers. Her recital repertoire frequently features the works of J.S. Bach alongside music by Black composers such as H. Leslie Adams, Jeffrey Mumford, James Lee III, and George Walker.
She holds a Bachelor of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory, a Master’s from the University of Michigan, an Artist Diploma from Texas Christian University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Illinois. A prizewinner in several competitions, she was co-winner of the Krannert Center Debut Artist Competition and a finalist in the MTNA Steinway & Sons Young Artist Piano Competition.
Dr. Sennet is the inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also serves as Professor of Piano and a faculty affiliate in the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC).
Her acclaimed recording series, Bach to Black: Suites for Piano (Volumes I–III), released on Albany Records, features the complete English, French, and Partita suites of J.S. Bach alongside suites by Black composers including Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, Adolphus Hailstork, and others. Volume I earned a Gold Medal from the Global Music Awards. She also released Alkebulan’s Son: The Solo Piano Works of James Lee III in 2014, and has recorded George Walker’s Piano Concerto and triple concerto Da Camera, with Walker himself praising her interpretations.
Her discography includes Gathering Shatters, a duo recording, and Kozeluch’s second piano concerto and harpsichord sonatas with the Classical Chamber Players. Her recordings have been featured on WQXR, WFMT, WILL, BBC Radio, and syndicated programs like Sunday Baroque and Bach and Beyoncé with Maria Ellis.
Dr. Sennet has performed at the Gateways Music Festival, Four Seasons Arts in California, and internationally at the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory and Uzbekistan State Conservatory. She has premiered James Lee III’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in Russia and his Concerto for Piano and Winds in Baltimore. She has also performed with the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra (live on WBLV), the University Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Sewanee Festival Orchestra.
An accomplished chamber musician, she co-founded Duo MemDi with violinist Igor Kalnin, performing concerts from Carnegie Hall to international venues in Uzbekistan, emphasizing diversity and memorized performance.
As an educator and scholar, she is a frequent guest lecturer, clinician, and adjudicator, having presented at national conferences including MTNA, NCKP, AMS, and CMS. She has given masterclasses at institutions such as Roosevelt University, University of New Mexico, and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and judged competitions including the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, National Society for Arts and Letters, and Walgreens Concerto Competition.
Her published writings have appeared in Newsweek, Inside Higher Ed, Visible Magazine, and The Fulcrum. Her op-ed, “Can They Play Bach,” was syndicated by over 30 newspapers nationwide, reaching more than 7 million readers.
Dr. Sennet’s students have excelled in competitions such as the Krannert Debut Artist Competition and MTNA Young Artist Competition, and have participated in elite festivals and programs including Aspen Music Festival, Gilmore Keyboard Festival, and the Vienna Summer Music Performance Institute.
She is a Yamaha Artist, a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music through MTNA, a Voting Member of The Recording Academy, and currently serves as President-Elect of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association.