Teacher-Scholar Legacies: Peter Kairoff
By Jacqui Carrasco, Chair of Music
As Dr. Peter Kairoff looks back on his teaching and performing career at Wake Forest, what strikes him most is his incredible luck in finding a home where he could explore and share his myriad interests and talents. I’d, of course, argue that we in the Wake Forest community were the lucky ones: for 35 years, Peter has inspired us daily with his profound musicianship, intellect, and humanity.
Like many a Wake Forest student, Peter started his college years as a pre-med student. But classical music kept drawing him in during his piano studies at UC San Diego and USC – not only with performing opportunities and awards, but with its rich connections to history and culture. His two post-graduate years as a Fulbright Scholar and a Rotary International Fellow in Florence deepened his love of classical music, while also igniting his life-long passion for Italy and Italian culture. If only someday he could live in Italy but work in the United States, he mused.
Coming to Wake Forest in 1988 as a piano professor, a unique opportunity later emerged: with his fluent Italian and rich knowledge of Italy, Peter was enlisted in 1996 to direct WFU’s magical Casa Artom in Venice, Italy. During the next 25 years as director, he traveled regularly to Italy, served as Resident Professor of Casa Artom for numerous semesters, and oversaw significant renovations to this storied villa and program. His Italian “home” also created performing and other artistic opportunities with many Italian and European collaborators.
The Reynolda campus and Winston-Salem, with their rich artistic and intellectual opportunities, invigorated him as well, and his contributions to our students, the Music Department, the greater community, and worldwide audiences as a teacher-scholar-pianist have been immense. Inducted into the Steinway and Sons “Hall of Fame” in 2023, he has regaled us with his supreme artistry, sensitivity, and flair as a pianist and harpsichordist, including in recent recitals of masterworks such as J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His numerous lauded recordings on the Albany and Centaur labels have highlighted great works by Bach and Franz Schubert, as well as undiscovered gems of American Romantic composers such as Horatio Parker and George Chadwick. Peter has been a constant and treasured chamber music partner to us music faculty in our own recitals and concerts. While I’m hoping my collaborations with him will continue, even if just for fun, I’ve had the joy of making music from the Baroque to the present with him in countless duo, trio, and quartet concerts locally and regionally.
As a teacher, Peter has made classical music engaging and relevant to generations of students. With his encyclopedic knowledge of Western art music and his masterful mixing of performance, anecdotes, and information, he has captivated students in introductory classes, special seminars in honors and interdisciplinary programs, and life-long learning courses. (If you haven’t had the pleasure of sitting in one of his classes, I encourage you to check out “Kairoff at the Keyboard,” his popular WFDD radio series archived on the Public Radio Exchange – PRX .) He has been a beloved mentor to Wake Forest piano students, and together, they have explored their mutual passion for the liberal arts and the great piano repertoire.
Peter’s service to our department and the University has also been tremendous. He served as Associate Chair and then as Chair of the Music Department, and during that latter tenure, he calmly guided us through our unique COVID challenges. I learned so much from him about how to foster a sense of community in our department, though the bar he has set for wit and eloquence (and opening piano chord flourishes) in meetings, speeches, and special department events is unlikely to be matched by me or any other future chair!
Peter would likely add that his greatest luck at Wake Forest was in meeting his wife Claudia, a Professor Emerita of English and recent WFU Medallion of Merit awardee for her incredible service to the University. Claudia has been a wonderful friend to us in music, hosting gatherings and helping us enjoy Brendle performances more with her enthusiastic support from the front rows.
Though we will miss Peter and Claudia’s regular presence in Scales, we are so happy that they can enjoy more time together, including recent and upcoming trips to Norway, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal. We are very thankful that Peter found his lucky fit at Wake Forest and for the many ways in which he has shaped our University, engaged our community, and inspired us all.