Rate My Professor Terence Dennis

Professor Terence Dennis is the Blair Professor and William Evans Professor at the School of Performing Arts, University of Otago, a position he has held following his appointment to the staff in 1981. He earned his MusB (Hons) from the University of Otago and a Konzertexamen from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Cologne. In 2015, he was appointed the Blair Professor of Music, marking him as the first performance staff member to receive this honor, which acknowledges his distinguished contributions to music teaching, performance-based research, and leadership in advancing music within the university and broader community. His primary research specializations are piano performance and pedagogy, along with collaborative piano and accompaniment. Dennis's students have excelled, pursuing postgraduate studies at premier institutions in Britain, Europe, Australia, and the United States, and securing major national competition prizes and international scholarships.

Among his accolades are membership in the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM), Fellowship in the New Zealand Academy of Humanities (FNZAH), and Fellowship in the Royal Society Te Apārangi (FRSNZ). Internationally acclaimed as a pianist and accompanist, Dennis has partnered in recitals with renowned artists visiting New Zealand, including a long-standing collaboration with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. He performs as the pianist for the University of Otago Trio and has served as the official pianist for the New Zealand Mobil/Lexus Song Quest Finals and Winners Tours since 1991, as well as for seven international string competitions. He is a Trustee of the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa International Foundation, contributed as staff at the Solti-Te Kanawa Accademia di Belcanto in Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy, in 2009 and 2010, and holds chairs for the Dunedin branches of the New Zealand Wagner Society and Chamber Music New Zealand. Recent performances include accompanying Sumi Jo in a recital of works by Vivaldi, Rossini, and others in 2024, participating in Lexus Song Quest semi-finals, and presenting showcases of 20th-century flute repertoire and New Zealand compositions.