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Artina McCain (B.M. ’03) is this week’s featured alum in our new Alumni Spotlight series for the This Week at Meadows e-newsletter. Each week, a different Meadows alum will be highlighted for their accomplishments post-graduation.

The Meadows experience can shape and inspire its students in ways they may not be expecting. Throughout her time in the program, Division of Music alum Artina McCain was surrounded by an extremely supportive group of teachers and though she did achieve her dream of becoming a concert pianist, she was also inspired to become a professor of piano herself.

In 2016, McCain joined the faculty at the University of Memphis as an Associate Professor of Piano where she teaches applied lessons, chamber music and graduate courses for students seeking careers in music. Having been in their shoes, she understands how important it is for young talent to be nurtured and disciplined.

“As a professor now, I realize how important it is in the early years to have teachers that really will champion and encourage individual talent and help point them in the right direction,” explains McCain, who recalls chair of Piano Studies and Professor of Piano Carol Leone’s guidance being instrumental in her path to success. “Dr. Leone’s encouragement would later resonate and help me continue to strive for my goals, even when the path became more difficult than I could imagine.”

That difficult path McCain refers to is an injury that occurred in her early 20s, which prevented her from performing for six years. Though many artists who suffer similar injuries are not able to return to performing, or who have to simply perform through the pain, McCain was determined to recover successfully. She eventually found an alternative modality, The Continuum Method in Austin, TX, that helped to recover her body and continue working towards her goal of being a concert pianist.

“I started my career in my 30s looking for ways to identify myself as an artist without the normal paths of creating a career and, feeling fatigued of performing the same standard repertoire, I developed an interest in American music,” says McCain, who went on to record an album of African American art songs and spirituals. “Cultural entrepreneurship and connecting with communities that I was a member of would skyrocket my career to places I never dreamed of as an 18-year-old.”

One such achievement is McCain recently being named a voting member of the 2024 Grammy Recording Academy, an honor reserved for only the most qualified industry professionals. She also recently performed apart of Solange Knowles El Dorado Ballroom series at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and NYC. Currently, she is touring new works with orchestras and chamber ensembles across the country.