Photo by Claude Gabriel on Unsplash

Press Release from Elizabeth Humphries

Panama City, FL – The Visual & Performing Arts Division of Gulf Coast State College will host a piano festival on February 19, 20 and 21, 2026.

Festival information:

GCSC Piano Studio Recital

Date & Time: Thursday, February 19th at 7:30 pm

Location: Amelia Center Mainstage

Cost: Free to attend and open to the public

Join us for a studio recital featuring GCSC piano students and celebrating local talent. Pre-college, college, and adult students of Dr. Steven DiBlasi will perform solos and duets.

Guest Artist Recital

Dr. Jeremiah Padilla

Date & Time: Friday, February 20th at 7:30 pm

Location: Amelia Center Mainstage

Cost: Free to attend and open to the public

GCSC is delighted to host Dr. Jeremiah Padilla, collaborative pianist and special lecturer at Coker University in Hartsville, S.C., for a diverse evening of piano music featuring repertoire by Mozart, Schumann, Gershwin, and more. Dr. Padilla specializes in the lieder transcriptions of Franz Liszt and Leopold Godowsky and has a particular interest in Filipino piano music.

Masterclass with Dr. Jeremiah Padilla and Dr. Steven DiBlasi

Date & Time: Saturday, February 21st at 9 am

Location: Amelia Center’s Music Wing (AC 133)

Cost: Free to attend and open to the public

Registration info: Registration is open through Friday, February 13th at 5 pm. Utilize the link to participate: Masterclass Registration 2026 Piano Festival Gulf Coast State College – Fill out form

Local students will perform prepared solos and receive feedback from this year’s Piano Festival Guest Artist, Dr. Jeremiah Padilla, and GCSC faculty member Dr. Steven DiBlasi.

Teacher’s Clinic

Artistry of Practice: Cultivating Personal Musicianship

Date & Time: Saturday, February 21st at 1 pm

Location: Amelia Center’s Music Wing (AC 132)

Cost: Free to attend and open to the public

Piano Festival Guest Artist, Dr. Jeremiah Padilla, and GCSC faculty member Dr. Steven DiBlasi will co-teach a clinic on practice strategies to help students discover, develop, and hone their unique musicianship. Example scores will draw from standard beginner, intermediate, and early advanced piano repertoire with a particular focus on early to late intermediate.

For more information, please contact Jennifer McAtee at jmcatee@gulfcoast.edu or (850) 872-3887.

Marisa Weiman

Marisa Weiman

Station Manager of The AlterNation

Marisa is the Station Manager of The AlterNation, a dynamic and student-led HD3 radio station. The station provides students with a platform to hone various skills in radio production, from content creation to broadcasting and audio editing.