Sebastian Black - Piano

Sebastian Black grew up in Birmingham, AL, attending Advent Episcopal School and Indian Springs School. He began his classical piano training with UAB’s Tatiana Kasman at age 6, and won a number of accolades in his early career, including a 1st place Lois Pickard Scholarship in 2014. He graduated from Williams College in 2019 with B.A.s in Music and Psychology, also winning the Kleinhandler Award for Excellence in Music. Sebastian was named Outstanding Graduate Student for both years of his program by the Samford University School of the Arts.

Sebastian’s international orchestral debut came in Kyiv in July 2011 with the National Academic Honored Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, as part of the R. Glier Institute’s summer program. His domestic debut came in April 2019 with the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra after winning Williams College’s Student Soloist Competition; he also performed with the Samford Orchestra in February 2024 after winning Samford’s Concerto-Aria Competition.

Sebastian works extensively as a music director and orchestral/collaborative pianist for both opera and musical theater. His music directorial credits include Into the Woods (2017), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2018), Die Fledermaus (2019), The Last Five Years (2019), Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (2019, 2022), and The Rocky Horror Show (2019). He has also played in the pit orchestras for Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens (2018), Cabaret (2020), 35mm: A Musical Exhibition (2020), A Christmas Carol (2021), 9 to 5: The Musical (2022), The Merry Widow (2022), and the world premiere of Dragon’s Breath (2023). He has played piano for the 9:45 AM Word & Table service at Vestavia Hills Methodist Church since December 2020.

Sebastian is also an accomplished choral singer. He sang the “Once in Royal David’s City” solo at Advent Episcopal School’s 2009 Lessons & Carols service, and toured Switzerland and Spain as a member of the Indian Springs Chamber Choir. In May 2023, he toured the Netherlands as a member of Samford’s A Cappella Choir, which won 1st place at the CantaRode Choral Competition (as well as Best Conductor and Audience Favorite); in October 2023, he accompanied the choir for the debut of his original competition, “Let All the World,” which won Samford’s inaugural Choral Composition Competition.