Lora Clark Kolean, Assistant Professor of Music, has been working at Hope College since 2001, and is currently head of the keyboard area. She teaches applied piano lessons and various classes, including Piano Pedagogy, Collaborative Piano, and Piano Literature. In recent years she taught beginning and intermediate piano classes for the college.

Professor Kolean studied for three years at Accademia Musicale Umbra in Perugia, Italy, with Fabio Bidini. She received her Master of Music degree from Western Michigan University, where she studied with Lori Sims, and her Bachelor of Music degree from Hope College, where she studied with Joan Conway.

Professor Kolean has been a finalist or won several local competitions and has worked with numerous well-known artists in master classes and festivals, including performances at Festival Musicale Savinese in Monte San Savino, Italy.

She has also performed at Hope College’s faculty recitals, Sundays at 2 and Brown Bag series and as a soloist with the college’s Symphonette. Within the west Michigan community she has appeared with the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck, the First Reformed Church Free @ 3 Series, in the All Saints’ Episcopal Church Recital Series in Saugatuck, and with the Amici Trio.

Besides teaching and performing, Kolean judges piano competitions in the state of Michigan. She serves on the Executive Board of Holland Piano Forum and is director of Holland Piano Club. She also helps with the children’s education program at her church. She resides in Holland with her husband and their two children, who both play the piano.