All Members
John Allen
Bio: John Allen, Market President for Argent Trust Helping families flourish from one generation to the next
Email: jallen@argenttrust.com
Phone: Cell: (704) 906-6627, Greenville Direct: (864) 977-8805
Address: US Main & Fedex/Charlotte Office: 11020 David Taylor Drive #430 Charlotte NC 28262
Greenville Office: 15 South Main Street, Suite 901Greenville, SC 29601 - BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Daniel Angerstein
Bio: Daniel is a pipe organ builder originally from Texas. He honed his craft in the Boston area for 17 years before moving to Hendersonville. A musician and connoisseur of fine pianos, he currently rebuilds and voices pipe organs throughout the eastern half of the US.
Email: treasurer@ashevillepiano.org
Phone: 828-551-1580
Studio/Store Location, Serving: All of Western NC
Piano Technician/Dealer Offering These Services: Tuning, Rebuilding
Other Music Related Services: Pipe Organ Building
Address: Hendersonville
Frank Argento
Email: frank_argento@hotmail.com
Phone: 828-280-1307
Studio/Store Location, Serving: All of Western NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical, Popular, Religious
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Other Music Related Services: Play piano for special occasions
Address: Asheville
Sam Austin
Bio: Sam Austin grew up in Asheville and started playing the piano at the age of 10 and picked up the clarinet through highschool. They have played at Carnegie Hall (clarinet) and have loved exploring new instruments. The piano has always been the foundation for their love of music. Many years of travel and starting a family took them on a break from music to explore high adventure travel, yoga and dance while always embracing the arts. Now, with a family which includes 3 young children and a career as a hairstylist, they are re-honing their skills and bringing their love of piano back into their life and home. Sam wants to give a shout-out to Shane Owenby of Piano Emporium who helped them fulfill the dream of owning a grand piano – they now have a lovely Yamaha grand in their West Asheville home.
Email: yogaaustin@gmail.com
Phone: 828-458-4821
William Bares
Phone: 345-521-3739
Email: wbares@unca.edu
Web Site: baresmusic.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: UNC-Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: College Students
Teaching Styles: Jazz
Performers’ Occasions: Recitals, Jazz Events
Address: Asheville
William Baunach
Bio: Will Baunach is a past President of the Asheville Area Piano Forum. He has been a dedicated pianist since childhood. After a career in high-tech, in the 1990s he took further music studies at Portland State University where he subsequently taught piano. Today he teaches using an innovative lab-based approach combining computers, keyboards, and pianos.
Email: willbaunach@yahoo.com
Phone: 828-687-9075
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Arden
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Arden
Dr. Deborah Belcher
Bio: Dr. Deborah Belcher holds degrees in piano from Winthrop University, Indiana University and Michigan State University, and has performed as recitalist and collaborative pianist throughout the Eastern U.S. and in Canada. She has appeared as soloist with the Blue Ridge Symphony, the Converse College Chamber Orchestra, the Elmhurst Symphony, the Sammartini Chamber Orchestra and the Windermere Chamber Orchestra. Her solo & chamber music performances have been heard in public radio broadcasts throughout the Midwest and the Southeast. She is a member of the music faculty of UNC Asheville and is in demand throughout the Southeastern states as facilitator of the “Instant (Pop) Piano for Hopelessly Busy People” seminar. Dr. Belcher developed an affinity for the music of Latin composers including Astor Piazzolla, became an aficionado of Argentine tango and sometimes performs tangos joined by dancers on stage.
Email: deborah.belcher@icloud.com
Phone: 828-230-7343
Website Address: deborahbelcher.com &/or https://www.facebook.com/AshevillePianoExperience/?ref=bookmarks
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Canton, All of Western NC, WNC & upper SC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Popular
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Music History. Piano Pedagogy.
Address: Asheville
Steven Bennett
Email: steven_b@bellsouth.net
Address: Asheville
Matt Blanks
Bio: Matt Blanks originally hails from Olney, Maryland, and taught and performed in the Chicagoland area for the last 10 years. A graduate of Peabody Conservatory and Baldwin-Wallace University, he has appeared as a young artist with Opera Southwest, Tri-Cities Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Chicago Opera Theater. Most recently, he held positions as Director of Music/Organist at Calvary Episcopal Church in Batavia and Adjunct Professor of Music at both North Park and Dominican Universities.
Phone: 301-221-0068
Email: matt.blanks.tenor@gmail.com
Web Site: SoaringSounds.as.me
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Weaverville, Marshall
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Adults
Offering Other Lessons for: Voice
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular, Religious
Performers’ Occasions: Accompanist, arranger-for-hire
Address: Alexander
Adlai Boyd
Bio: Retired Presbyterian Minister and University Psychologist
Email: ladlai@charter.net
Phone: 828-669-4869
Other Music Related Services: Will video performances and competitions as needed
Karen Boyd
Bio: A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory(B.M.), West Chester University (M.M.), with post- graduate performance studies at Rutgers University, Ms. Boyd has almost fifty years of teaching experience. Her students have won numerous competitions and many have continued music study at major universities. She is a founding member of AAPF, and is its president for 2020-21. Karen is also a member of NCMTA.
Email: karenpianoboyd@gmail.com
Phone: (828)669-4869 or (828)782-0502
Teaching Locations: at student homes, Black Mountain, Montreat, Swannanoa, East Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginners through Advanced, ages 5-90.
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Black Mountain
Judith Burganger Treer
Bio: Please see Wikipedia or YouTube
Email: jburganger@comcast.net
Phone: 561-487-9539
Website Address: WIKIPEDIA:Judith Burganger; FAU.EDU
Studio/Store Location, Serving: BOCA RATON, FL 33434
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, PEDAGOGY
Address: Asheville
Kimberly Cann
Bio: Kimberly is a mother of two toddlers; wife of a double bassist & self-taught master of many trades; Eastman-trained professional concert pianist; sister of concert pianist Michelle Cann; director of Piano Lab Studios; and President of the AAPF 2012-2014 and 2017-2018. She loves Asheville and plans to retire here...but that's a long time from now. :)
Email: kcann98@gmail.com
Website Address: PianoLabAsheville.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Canton, All of Western NC, Fletcher
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular, Religious
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition, Voice, Strings, Percussion
Sylvia Cassel
Bio: Retiree, enjoy playing standards, volunteer playing at Mission Hospital
Email: sylvia.cassel@gmail.com
Address: Asheville
Benjamin Caton
Bio: Emeritus Professor Benjamin D Caton taught for 46 years in the Department or Music at East Tennessee State University. He earned these degrees: BSME, ETSU; MA and PhD, The Ohio State University. Caton served as President of Music Teachers National Association from 2011-2013. Awards include MTNA Foundation Fellow, MTNA Distinguished Service Award, MTNA Teacher of the Year Award, ETSU Distinguished Service Award, Phi Mu Alpha Signature Sinfonian Award. Currently teaches piano in the ETSU Pre-College Program and is adjunct professor of piano and piano pedagogy at ETSU.
Email: caton@etsu.edu
Phone: 423-928-2478
Studio/Store Location, Serving: ETSU at Johnson City, TN
Offering Piano Lessons for: College and Pre-College
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Johnson City, TN
Elizabeth Child
Email: mechild@windstream.net
Phone: 828-817-4627
Website Address: www.elizabethchildpianist.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Tryon, NC and Landrum, SC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary, Middle/High School, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Tryon
William Clark
Email: ddawac@msn.com
Phone: 828-299-1619
Address: Asheville
David Cleavinger
Bio: David Jesse began piano at age 6, giving his first public performances at age 9. A native of Cincinnati, OH, he grew up exploring many facets of the arts such as: musical theatre, studio art, and choral opportunities such as the May Festival Youth Chorus. He graduated in 2021 from Miami University of Ohio, earning his Bachelor's in piano performance with added studies in organ and harpsichord. Past intensives include the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival (2017), the American Institute of Musical Studies (2018), Festival Baltimore (2019), and the Gijón International Piano Festival (2022). He has been privileged to work with esteemed artists such as Dr. Jihye Chang (FSU), Dr. Frank Huang (MU), Dr. Kenneth Griffiths (UC-CCM) and Dr. Asiya Korepanova. David currently serves as organist at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines, NC.
Email: djcleavinger@gmail.com
Website: davidjesse.org
Phone: 513-707-8806
Address: Aberdeen
John Cobb
Bio: Dr. John Cobb is an international performer and recording artist known for his broad interpretive range and technical command. The New York Times has praised his solid technique, bronze tone and flexibility of interpretive style. The Chicago Daily News commented, “the vibrations that filled the hall were less those of the piano than those of an exquisite musical mind.” Dr. Cobb has been presented by Artists International on their Distinguished Artists series in New York City and has made recordings of 20th Century as well as early piano music on original instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Dr. Cobb has performed internationally some of the most important works of contemporary music and has worked directly with many of the most influential composers of our era, such as Aaron Copland and Lukas Foss. While completing a Doctor of Music degree at Northwestern University, Dr. Cobb held a fellowship at the University of Chicago, where he pursued doctoral studies in musicology and held the position of staff pianist with Ralph Shapey’s Contemporary Chamber Players. He continues to perform a broad repertoire of chamber music and has collaborated with renowned artists such as Joel Smirnoff, former first violinist with the Juilliard String Quartet and most recently with Jason Posnock, concertmaster of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. Among Dr. Cobb’s orchestral appearances is a performance of the Samuel Barber Piano Concerto with the Asheville Symphony. As a frequent performer on the Piano Forte concert series at the Asheville Art Museum, Dr. Cobb celebrated Franz Liszt’s bicentennial with an all-Liszt solo program during the summer of 2011. Dr. Cobb is a direct musical descendant of Franz Liszt through his teacher, pianist Claudio Arrau, whose teacher was a pupil of Liszt. He presents master classes on piano technique and literature, and frequently serves as an adjudicator for competitions and music festivals. Dr. Cobb maintains private studios in Fairview and Hendersonville.
Email: jcobbpiano@gmail.com
Phone: (828) 551-3810
Studio/Store Location, Serving: All of Western NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition, Voice, Mrs. Cobb (Gwenn) is a singer/voice teacher
Other Music Related Services: Arrau Technique training: using relaxation and body leverage in playing.
Address: Fairview
Roger Cousins
Bio: Roger Cousins NEC (1974), UConn (1979), Public school Music Education (40yrs). Formed “Nite Lite” Band (1976- pres) performed from Mid- Hudson NY to Fl. Clubs, functions, weddings etc. Retired 2013 to NC mountains. Ready to play Classical Piano again. Specifically interested in 2 piano 4 hands repertoire.r
Email: rfcousins@gmail.com
Phone: 828-557-2540
Address: Hayesville
Stuart Cox
Bio: I am a classical pianist. I have flexible availability and am willing to work in a variety of positions for a flexible fee. I currently have no equipment and would need a piano. I would like to work in any supportive role and to meet other pianists in Asheville.
Email: stuartcox727@gmail.com
Phil Dettra
Email: jpkontaksu@gmail.com
Address: Asheville
Leslie Downs
Bio: Dr. Leslie Downs is active as both a solo and collaborative pianist. He has performed in solo, lieder, chamber and choral concerts throughout the United States and in Canada. He has served as music director for regional musical theatre productions. For 16 years he worked as a freelance pianist/teacher/vocal coach in New York City. He currently serves as the Music Director for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. He holds degrees from Centenary College of Louisiana, Yale University, and University of Oklahoma.
Email: lgdowns721@gmail.com
Phone: (828) 775-3539
Website Address: LeslieDowns.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Black Mountain
Offering Piano Lessons for: Intermediate, Advanced, Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Classical, Popular, Religious
Other Music Related Services: Vocal Coaching
Address: Asheville
Mike Emerson
Bio: Have been taking piano lessons for 3 years
Email: emerson10036@gmail.com
Phone: 828-702-8515
Address: Asheville
Suzan Fehr
Phone: 828-777-0061
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary
Teaching Styles: Classical, Religious
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Asheville
Polly Feitzinger
Bio: Degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (Bach. of Music), Columbia University Teachers College (Master of Arts) with 2 years additional study at Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Career includes lecture-recitals, articles on piano pedagogy in leading music journals and competition adjudication.
Email: pollyfeitzinger@gmail.com
Phone: 828-676-0766
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Arden
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Hendersonville
Victoria Fischer Faw
Phone: 336-263-7013
Email: fischer@elon.edu
Bio: VICTORIA FISCHER FAW, NCTM, D.M.A., Professor Emerita at Elon University, is a pianist, teacher, and scholar whose musical passions include the full range of piano solo and collaborative repertoire, teaching young teachers to teach piano, and mentoring undergraduate musical research. Recent honors include being named 2021 North Carolina Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year, MTNA 2022 National Teacher of the Year, and MTNA Foundation Fellow for 2022. Her scholarship and performance activity includes a specialty in the music of Béla Bartók. She won first prize at the 1990 Bartók-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition and has published and presented many articles and programs to local, state and national music teachers on Bartók and other musical topics. Dr. Fischer studied at Centenary College of Louisiana, UNC-Chapel Hill, UT Austin, and the Vienna Conservatory. Her teachers include Constance Knox Carroll, Danielle Martin, David Renner, Amanda Vick Lethco, Martha Hilley and Elliott Antokoletz. She is active in NCMTA and MTNA, and lives on a Christmas tree farm in Sparta, NC with her husband, Steve.
Studio/Store Location, Serving: All of Western NC, Alleghany County
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Lessons for: group, virtual
Other Musical Related Services: Performances, presentations, masterclasses, consulting
Address: Sparta
William Foley
Bio: I've taught piano for most of my adult life. I have a passion for it. I provided piano lessons in Valencia CA for over 25 years. I was a member of the MTAC for 18 years and have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Canterbury University. Now that the Covid virus is under control, I'm eager to get busy again.
Email: wwfoley19@gmail.com
Phone: 828-407-9552
Website Address: www.pianobill.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical, Popular
Performers’ Occasions: Weddings, Church Pianist, Accompanist
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Asheville
Keith Freeburg
Bio: B.S. Degree University of Minnesota in Music Education and Applied String Bass, Registered Piano Technician with 40 years experience, Owner of Freeburg Pianos in Hendersonville, NC.
Email: keithfreeburg@yahoo.com
Phone: 828-551-0095
Website: www.freeburgpianos.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: All of Western NC
Piano Technician/Dealer Offering These Services: Tuning, Moving, Rebuilding, New Piano Sales, Used Piano Sales
Other Music Related Services: Concert Tuning, Piano Appraisals, Consignment Sales
Address: 2314-D Asheville Hwy, Hendersonville, NC 28791
Eric Fricke
Bio: Eric Fricke is a concert organist and pianist, improviser, composer, and collaborative musician. He has appeared on the national stage as an organist since 2007, with notable appearances at Entertainment Gathering 2008 (later broadcast on TEDTalks), on NPR’s From The Top, and Carnegie Hall. From 2017 to 2019, Eric was the Principal Organist of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, NM and organist for the Santa Fe Symphony. As a pianist, Eric performed with the Santa Fe Opera for their 2017 production of Stephen Paulus’ Shoes for the Santo Niño. Eric began his musical studies at the age of 5. He studied organ with Cameron Carpenter and Lew Williams, piano with celebrated ballet pianist Miles Fusco, and voice with Joan Jacobowsky, Professor Emerita of Salem College. He holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from St. John’s College of Santa Fe, NM, and a Graduate Certificate in Injury-Preventive Keyboard Technique from Salem College. He has taught piano and voice for over a decade in his private studio and at numerous schools and musical organizations.
Email: ericfricative@gmail.com
Phone: 480-734-3714
Web Site: https://ericfricke.com/
Monique Gaddy
Bio: Monique is an instructor and the Assistant Director for Piano Lab of Asheville. With a passion for early childhood music education, she pursued her Kindermusik teaching license in 2019. She is currently teaching piano, voice, guitar, ukulele and Kindermusik classes.
Email: moniquemccreary1@gmail.com
Phone: 828-575-8055
Website Address: pianolabasheville.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, Adults, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Voice, Guitar, ukulele ; Kindermusik
Address: Asheville
Julie Gordon
Bio: I studied piano through high school and am now studying under Dr. John Cobb. Hosted an Amateur Performance Group in July 2022.
Email: jmg29860@hotmail.com
Phone: 828-699-6528
Address: Hendersonville
Shirley Gruenhut
Bio: Avid chamber music player, New York native recently relocated to Hendersonville, NC, graduate of Brooklyn College (CUNY), 1st-time recipient of prestigious Charles Ives Award for Excellence in Musical Performance, studied graduate level piano accompaniment (vocal & instrumental) at Manhattan School of Music, holds M.M. (A.B.D), has assisted at the Metropolitan Opera House studios, has performed regularly in New York, Europe, Israel and currently in Western North Carolina. Was founder and co-founder of several chamber music ensembles, including The Soiree Sisters, The Urban Stress Trio, and co-founder & Musical Director of Handel With Care. Currently seeking piano students, teach out of my music studio/home.
Email: smgruenhut@yahoo.com
Phone: 646-413-1294
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: vocal coaching/accompanist
Address: Hendersonville
Sue Guerry
Bio: I would like to join the piano forum to meet with other people who are interested in the piano.
Email: rg324@aol.com
Phone: 828-337-1582
Address: Black Mountain
Beth Heinberg
Bio: Former Boston Conservatory faculty
Email: bethheinberg@gmail.com
Phone: 828-575-3940
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: 8 and up beginners, intermediate, advanced
Teaching Styles: Classical
Performers’ Occasions: Honey Music Collective
Address: Asheville
Dr. Anna Hayward
Bio: Hayward, Anna Haun was Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Piano Pedagogy Program at Georgia State University. Dr. Hayward has also served on summer music festival faculties for the U. of Illinois, the Breckenridge Colorado Music Festival, and the Musique Session Internationale in Grenoble, France. Sponsored by Alfred Music, she has given piano pedagogy workshops in the US, England, Malaysia, and Australia, and has also performed throughout the US, Micronesia, England, Germany, France, and Austria. She was awarded the "Master Teacher Certificate" in Piano by MTNA (1995). She enjoys preparing students for a career in piano performance and/or piano pedagogy as well as teaching students wanting to pursue their passion for learning.
Email: annahayward1011@gmail.com
Phone: 828-225-3801
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Advanced, College, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Asheville
Beth Heinberg
Bio: Former Boston Conservatory faculty
Email: bethheinberg@gmail.com
Phone: 828-575-3940
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: 8 and up beginners, intermediate, advanced
Teaching Styles: All styles, music literacy, theory, and improvisation emphasized
Performers’ Occasions: Honey Music Collective
Address: Asheville
Hero Piano Movers (Clay Freeman)
Bio: Hero Piano Movers provides piano transportation, setup, storage, and related services. We provide quality services by using the best equipment and techniques for each move, and our specialty is moving pianos over challenging terrain, up and down flights of stairs, and through tight spaces. Help AAPF with 1. Provide content for social media 2. Help with even logistics 3. Provide occasional services for events.
Email: info@heropianomovers.com
Phone: 828-367-9248
Address: 65 Merrimon Ave. #1109 Asheville, 28801
James Hilderbrandt
Bio: I am an enthusiastic piano listener.
Email: JamesFLNC@aol.com
Phone: 828-772-0638
Address: Asheville
Sherry Hjelvik
Bio: Amateur. Would like to be part of amateur group.
Email: hjdanz1@yahoo.com
Phone: 386-847-5382
Address: Asheville
Mary Holmes
Bio: A fairly recent transplant to Asheville, I am an experienced pianist and teacher of all levels. I have a B. Music in Piano Performance from Illinois Wesleyan University, a Master of Music in Piano Performance in Music History and Musicology from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Oakland University in Piano Performance. Currently I serve on the boards of the Asheville Piano Forum and the Asheville Chamber Music Series. I enjoy both teaching and performing.
Email: 312mesh@gmail.com
Phone: 828.505.7008; 828.707.6353
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Asheville
Jenna Jaffe
Bio: Jenna Jaffe graduated cum laude from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Music Degree in Vocal Performance in 1992. She was also accepted into two Masters of Music programs at the renowned New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Jenna has been teaching private piano, voice, and general music for over 28 years. She specializes in teaching beginning to advanced voice and beginning to intermediate piano students. She is currently accepting new students in her private studio in East Asheville. Jenna is also a passionate performer of dance, performance art, singing in most genres, as well as playing several different instruments. In addition, she is a certified teacher of ESL at Asheville Buncombe Community College and regularly studies languages in her spare time.
Email: jenna.jaffe@gmail.com
Phone: 828-273-2605
Website Addresses:
https://www.consciouscreating.org/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI8OXTyKdSFg6DcPK9DwNCA
https://www.instagram.com/jenna_jaffe/
https://www.facebook.com/consciouscreatingart
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Studio: Southeast Asheville, Serving the Region for performances
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Popular, Jazz, Improvisation
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition, Voice, Percussion, Music History, Improvisation, Recorder, Composition Arrangements, Diction, Drama Coaching, Energy Healing with Voice
Other Music Related Services: Vocal and Piano Performance for any Events
Address: Asheville
Mary Johnson
Bio: I graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music in 1970. During my career, I taught music in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, taught piano in the home, played in some bands and now I play for RELAXATION and ENJOYMENT, purely! I will accompany folks, play background music in various settings, when needed.
Email: rmmjohnson@gmail.com
Phone: 828-775-4545
Other Music Related Services: retired musician/accompanist
Address: Asheville
Hwa-Jin Kim
Bio: Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim, (Piano) -- Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim was born in Daegu, South Korea, where she began her piano studies at the age of five. She was chosen to perform at MBC Television Station in Daegu at age seven, and she appeared as a soloist with the Daegu Symphony Orchestra at age 14, performing Grieg’s piano concerto in A minor. She won numerous competitions and entered the prestigious Seoul National University in South Korea on full scholarship, studying with Dr. Jin-Woo Chung. Upon graduation, she came to New York to continue her studies at the Manhattan School of Music, where she received her Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. Dr. Kim has performed in South Korea, Italy and many other venues in Boston, Rhode Island, and New York, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Dr. Kim had been a youngest faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. She also taught at Reformed Presbyterian Seminary of the East, and New York Bethesda Theological Seminary, teaching both piano and music history. She also taught at Brown University in Rhode Island. After moving to the Asheville/Hendersonville area of North Carolina in 2000, Dr. Kim has been featured as a soloist in numerous concert series and benefit concerts. She actively works as lecturer, teacher as well as competition adjudicator. Her sensitive, beautiful nuanced interpretations are the hallmarks of her remarkable pianistic musicianship. Dr. Kim joined the music faculty at University of North Carolina at Ashville in January 2003. She is a member of Board of Trustees of the Asheville Chamber Music Series where she serves as the education coordinator. She also serves as the president of the Korean Women's Association in Asheville, North Carolina. Her husband, Dr. Paul S. Kim is the president of Grace Hematology & Oncology in Fletcher and their two daughters are in college, Grace who studies music and pre-law at Vanderbilt University and Kristie, at Duke University on pre-made track. Hwa-Jin Kim is the founder and director of Asheville Chopin Club.
Email: hwajinkim@aol.com
Phone: 828-681-9732
Offering Piano Lessons for: Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Asheville
Benny Kirby
Bio: I have been playing for three years, and like to play boogie-woogie and classical.
Email: bearkirb3.14@gmail.com
Phone: 828-301-7736
Address: Arden
Jake Kirby
Bio: Hello! I am Jake, have been playing piano for 5 years, and especially love classical music. I enjoy hearing and playing pieces those such as Debussy, Beethoven, and Bach, but my most favorite composer would have to be Chopin.
Email: maestrospock314@gmail.com
Phone: 828-301-7736
Address: Arden
Lisa Kiser
Bio: Principal keyboardist at Greenville Symphony orchestra
Email: lisakiser11@gmail.com
Phone:864-908-4428
Web Site: Kiserpiano.com
Teaching Locations: Greenville, SC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Greenville, SC
Erik Kohl
Email: takenotemusicstudio@yahoo.com
Leonidas Lagrimas
Bio: Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Western Carolina University. His duties include coordinating the Class Piano program and teaching Applied Piano. He has presented his research at numerous local, state, and national conferences.
Dr. Lagrimas’ performance experience includes multiple collaborative piano appearances at Carnegie Hall, and guest artist recitals at numerous universities throughout the East Coast. He is active as a musical theatre accompanist/keyboardist as well as a choral/church accompanist. He holds National Certification (NCTM) in piano from MTNA, and a Ph.D. in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Florida State University.
Email: a.lagrimas@gmail.com
Phone: 850-443-2940
Web Site: www.wcu.edu/faculty/llagrimas.aspx
Address: Sylva
Rita Landrum
Bio: Rita E. Landrum holds a Bachelor of Music degree in music theory from Furman University where she presented Furman’s first composition recital her senior year. She received a Master of Fine Arts degree in music composition from the University of Georgia where she was a student of John Corina. She is a former faculty member of the Brevard Music Center in Brevard NC. Commissions have included works for organ, piano, solo voice, choral groups, and chamber ensembles.
Email: rlandrum@windstream.net
Phone: 828-859-6508
Address: Tryon, NC
Gary Landwirth
Bio: I am an amateur pianist with a deep appreciation for the instrument and its repertoire. My background is similar to many coming back to the piano after many years, having taken lessons as a kid and now having resumed several years ago. I enjoy getting together with other like-minded folks.
Email: glandwirth@mac.com
Carlisle Lincoln
Bio: Long time player (by ear), recent formal music education at UNCA. Enjoy playing and would like to keep learning.
Email: clink17@gmail.com
Phone: 907-351-8410
Address: Leicester, NC
Bob Lindwall
Bio: I am a transplant from Chicago 14 years ago. I got a degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in Social Studies and a minor in Art History.. I have always had a keen interest in music and growing up in Manitowoc Wisconsin i attended Civic Music concerts with my parents and also took piano lessons and played in competitions . I lived most of my adult life in Chicago and frequently attended the Chicago Symphony , Ravina Music Festival ,and concerts in Grant Park. Also frequently attended the Door County Music Festival in Fish Creek Ws that was founded by Thor Johnson from the Interlocken Musici Festival. I have been active in the arts here in Hendersonville and i organized a monthly arts breakfast club here in Hendersonville for about 12 years.
Email: lindwallb@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 773-617-8649
Nicole Lopez
Bio: I'm an amateur and student (studying with Deborah Belcher) largely focused on repertoire by women and BIPOC composers. I was born and raised in Asheville, where I first learned to love the piano (shout out to JoAnn Keener). After high school, I stopped playing piano, but moving back to Asheville during the pandemic brought back my love of playing. I’ve been organizing and performing at virtual benefit concerts for Midwest Access Coalition and recently performed at All Good Coffee in Weaverville to fundraise for the Asheville Community Bail Fund..
Email: hello.nicole.lopez@gmail.com
Phone: 828-712-1466
Auralia Manis
Bio: Student (25 and under) of music with a deep love for piano, voice, and orchestra (cellist).
Email: AuraliMani@gmail.com
Website: http://youtube.com@AuraliaManis
Phone: 828-707-4606
Address: Weaverville, NC
Michael Matin
Email: mmatin@warren-wilson.edu
Phone: 828-575-8539
Address: Black Mountain
Carol McCollum
Bio: Board member Asheville Symphony and Asheville Area Center for the Performing Arts; Pianist
Email: camcc27@gmail.com
Phone: 828-252-8506
Address: Asheville
Micah McKenzie
Bio: Student at UNCA. Has played piano 8 years.
Phone: 704-614-5768
Email: micahcmckenzie@gmail.com
Address: Asheville
Virginia McKnight
Bio: Virginia McKnight has degrees from Stetson University and Florida State University as well as a Certificate from the Neuchatel Conservatory in Neuchatel, Switzerland. She has made a career of collaborative piano including work at Yale University. Ithaca College, Cornell University and in New York City. Before moving to Asheville, Virginia taught and accompanied at Stetson University. In Asheville, She has worked as pianist at the Asheville Community Theater, Haywood Arts Repertory Theater, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater, Mars Hill University, UNC Asheville, and Reynold’s High School. Virginia has recently retired from her position of Organist and Music Director at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.
Email: charlesvirginia@bellsouth.net
Phone: 828-301-7378
Other Music Related Services: Accompanying/coaching; Church Organist
Address: Asheville
David Miller
Bio: Piano student
Email: dmiller2718@gmail.com
Phone: 312-446-6986
Address: Asheville
Madeline Morin
Email: madelinemorin4@gmail.com
Bio: Teacher – beginner level. Now retired.
Philip Morrison
Bio: Took piano lessons 2nd-9th grade. As an adult, got interested in songwriting and then singing to my own piano accompaniment. Singing opened up a new world in piano literature, including that of the “Tin Pan Alley” songwriters: Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg (music composer and lyricist for the songs in “The Wizard of Oz”), Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichal, Johnny Mercer, Leslie Bricusse, and Kurt Weill.
Email: offtherack007@gmail.com
Phone: 865-203-8243, 828-424-1167
Address: 17 Webster Court, Loudon, TN 37774
Music & Arts (Store Manager - Jon Lauterer)
Email: ashevillemgr@musicarts.com
Phone: 828-299-3000
Website Address: Musicarts.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Canton, All of Western NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular, Religious
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Voice, Strings, Winds, Brass, Percussion, Guitar
Piano Technician/Dealer Offering These Services: New Piano Sales
Store Address: 800 Fairview Rd, Asheville NC 28803
Mary Norton
Bio: Organist, pianist retired. Not playing professionally.
Email: Nortonmary13@gmail.com
Address: Arden NC
Meredith Norwood
Bio: I had about 3 years of piano lessons in early elementary school. The bulk of my musical experience has been as a choral singer which I began at age 10 and continue to this day. Since retiring to Asheville, I’ve sung with Womansong, the Asheville Choral Society, and am currently a member of the Cathedral Choir at All Souls in Biltmore Village. Recently, I began group piano classes through OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) and I love it. My skills are weak, but my enthusiasm is strong
Email: meredith.lee.norwood@gmail.com
Phone: 828-301-0033
Address: Asheville
Shane Owenby
Email: shane@pianoemporium.com
Phone: 828-277-5566
Website: www.pianoemporium.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Canton, All of Western NC
Piano Technician/Dealer Offering These Services: Tuning, Moving, Rebuilding, New Piano Sales, Used Piano Sales
Address: 828 Hendersonville Rd. Asheville, NC 28803
Anne Parker
Bio: Studied at University of Michigan, Wake Forest, UNC-Chapel Hill, University d'Aix-en-Provence France. Accompanist at Mars Hill University.
Email: anne.e.parker@gmail.com
Phone: 828-253-7894 or 828-301-4970
Address: Asheville
Stephanie Quinn
Bio: I am a concert pianist & violinist and conservatory trained teacher for over 40 years, 15 of which included online lessons. I was educated by professors at the Eastman School of Music, Juilliard & Northwestern University. Visit my website and YouTube channels. I currently perform in local orchestras, churches & special events.
Email: QuinnMusic@StephanieQuinn.com
Phone: 828-222-3324
For lessons, contact Ms. Quinn through her website.
Address: P.O. Box 8932, Asheville, NC 28804
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Globally. YouTube tutorials also available.
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Traditional and Suzuki
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Ear-training, Solfege, Theory, Composition, Singing.
Other Music Related Services: Skilled accompanist and chamber musician.
Dominic Rajagopal
Email: domraj099@gmail.com.
Barbara (Kitti) Reynolds
Bio: Studying with Les Downs, after many years of not playing piano.
Email: reynolds.barbara@gmail.com
Phone: 828-768-0537
Address: Asheville
Richard Riccardi
Bio: Riccardi has accompanied such greats as Joel Grey, Martha Raye, Diahann Carroll, Tom Jones, Wesla Whitfield, Sharon McNight and Mel Torme, and was associate conductor for the Third National Broadway Tour of ‘Annie’. He has played for the San Francisco Symphony under Maestro Seiji Ozawa, for the San Francisco Opera and Ballet, the Lamplighters, Pocket Opera, The Summer Song Opera program, and the San Francisco Boys Chorus. He received his BMus in piano at Oberlin Conservatory and his MMA in piano from Yale University School of Music. He received the Mr. Holland’s Opus award (founded by the Henry Mancini family), given to five music teachers annually at Carnegie Hall for his outstanding teaching of music. Richard is currently a collaborative pianist and an adjunct professor of piano at Brevard College.
Email: rriccardi@gmail.com
Phone: 415-717-2940
Address: Asheville
Cynthia Riley
Bio: A native Texan, Cynthia relocated to Lake Lure in 2006 after falling in love with the mountains while on vacation here. She holds a bachelor in music in piano performance from the University of North Texas and a master of music from Texas Christian University where she was employed as a graduate assistant in ear training. Her final graduate recital was featured on the radio. She studied with Luiz de Moura Castro, who accepted her for doctoral studies at the Hartt School of Music, but she instead decided on a career in nursing. She completed a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and worked as a hospital nurse for 30 years and retired from that profession in 2011. However, she continued to perform frequently as well as study in Spain, and has performed chamber music with several Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra principals as well as a performance with the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra. She was a contestant in two of the Van Cliburn International Competitions for Outstanding Amateurs and was a semifinalist in the Rocky Mountain Amateur Competition where she was chosen to play in a master class with Yakov Kasman. She has performed benefits for the Hendersonville and Asheville Symphonies. She also plays at country clubs, restaurants, retirement homes and does house concerts. An avid gardener, she was a Texas Master Gardener and her gardens were featured in the newspaper and on garden tours. She currently studies with Judith Berganger and Marilynn Seits.
Email: cynthiarileypianist@gmail.com
Phone: 828-447-8886
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Lake Lure
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Lake Lure
Donna Robertson
Bio: Donna Robertson is a native of Indiana, PA where she received her early musical education. She holds a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music and is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists. As Professor Emerita of Mars Hill University where she was college organist, she taught organ, piano, harpsichord and compostion-theory related courses and is also a published composer. She lives at Givens Estates in Asheville where she continues her musical activities.
Email: donna.robertson444@gmail.com
Phone: 828-285-2442
Address: Asheville
Judy Rodwell
Email: heyjude731@icloud.com, heyjude731@gmail.com
Anne Rogers
Bio: 1958 B Music Ed degree with piano/organ/voice emphasis. 1968-1971 elementary school music, La France, SC. 1971-1979 private piano in home. 1979-2014 private piano, downtown studio. 2014-present private piano in home
Email: annerogers500@gmail.com
Phone: 828-275-1836
Address: Asheville
Michael Ruiz
Email: mjtruiz@gmail.com
Sue Russell
Bio: Intermediate adult learner, student at Churchya Piano Studio.
Email: ashevillesuerussell@gmail.com
Phone: 828-778-7747
Address: Asheville
Yelena Saladuhka
Bio: Teaches at Piano Lab in Mills River. I have graduates from a music school in Minsk Belarus. During my college years in the US I have taken lessons from Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim at UNCA. I have taught piano for 18 years, beginner through advanced levels.
Email: elena1apc@yahoo.com
Phone: (863) 398-1988
Teaching Locations: Piano Lab, Mills River, NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginners through Advanced
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Mills River, NC
Nancy Schuman
Bio: A lover of piano music, and in the past , a player of same. It’s important to me to encourage /support young musicians. Neighbor of Karen Boyd.
Email: nschu62340@aol.com
Phone: 828-989-0324
Address: Black Mountain, NC
Marilynn Seits
Bio: B.S. Music Ed. piano major, U of Illinois; In New York City: Jazz piano and composition studies with Sir Roland Hanna & Jimmy Guiffre; Electronic music studies with Steve Reich & Philip Glass in Steve Reich's NYC studio and on original Moog module synthesizers in Gershon Kinglsey's studio; Jazz pianist; composer; BMI Publisher & writer; Church organist; 12 jazz and New Age recordings on the CMR Records label; Music Together training & many years teaching piano.
Email: marilynnseits@mac.com
Phone: 561-719-4106
Website Address: mseitsmusic.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville, Weaverville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Jazz, Popular
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition, Digital editing & MIDI recording
Other Music Related Services: Jazz Duo or trio available for parties and events; Church organist; BMI Publisher; original music, original children's songs; recording demos; making CD copies & CD graphics
Address: Asheville
Suzanne Sena
Bio: Suzanne Sena was fortunate to have been born into a musical family, and music has been an integral part of her entire life. Her parents performed piano duets publicly and her father was a well-known accompanist in the Syracuse, New York area. Suzanne received a B.M.Ed., piano principle, degree from the Florida State University School of Music. She began her professional career as a high school choral director and then taught piano for many years, maintaining a studio of forty-five students. Suzanne established a community theatre In Effingham County, Georgia where she produced and directed. She was organist and choir director for St. Johns Lutheran Church in Rincon, Georgia for twenty-seven years. In 1993 Suzanne and husband, Russell Sena, a retired music educator and well-known trumpeter and jazz musician, moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina. Suzanne was a child protective social worker for a total of twenty-five years in Georgia and North Carolina, working with abused and neglected children and their families. She was Assistant to the Cantor for many years at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, where she played organ, piano and directed youth musicals. The Senas musical talents have extended to their two children. Their oldest son, Craig Sena, is an accomplished trumpeter and artist.Their other son, Scott Sena, is a musical composer and arranger for several Disney venues.
Email: suesena@bellsouth.net
Phone: 828-696-4072
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Elementary, Middle/High School, Adults, Lessons in your home (teacher will travel)
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Hendersonville
Robert Setzer
Bio: I have been teaching in the Hickory area for 45 years and teach almost exclusively on the Advanced Level. My students have won major prizes in state and national events. I am very active in the NC Federation of Music Clubs and have held numerous offices for the organization.
Email: robertrichard@centurylink.net
Phone: 828-962-2269
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Hickory, NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Advanced
Address: Hickory, NC
Susie Shaw
Bio: Susie Shaw teaches piano to ages 4 and up in the West Asheville area. She holds the Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees in piano performance from the University of Georgia. She is organist at Grace Baptist Church.
Email: srwshaw@gmail.com
Phone: 828-337-2094
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Asheville
Nathan Shirley
Bio: Composer & pianist Nathan Shirley has received over half a dozen national and international awards for his solo, chamber and orchestral compositions since age 21. He is heavily self-taught, but as a teenager was mentored in composition by Olga Harris, the last student of Khachaturian. Mr. Shirley's music has been performed in over a dozen countries around the world. He lives in Western North Carolina with his wife and children.
Email: music@nathanshirley.com
Phone: 828.659.8737
Website: www.NathanShirley.com
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Composition
Address: Marion
Richard Shulman
Bio: Keyboardist and composer Richard Shulman creates music intended to be a positive influence for himself, audiences and society. -- Richard has recorded 23 of his own albums as well as more than two dozen other recordings for which he has provided compositions, performances and/or musical production. Trained in the classical and jazz fields, he has developed a heartfelt language in these genres while focussing a significant amount of his output on music for meditation, healing and inspiration. He currently divides his concert schedule between performances of his meditation music and his original jazz as personified by the Richard Shulman Trio. Shulman has performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Art Park, the United Nations, the Kool Jazz Festival, The Amenia Peace Festival and a wide variety of other venues throughout North America and in Europe. As a composer, Shulman has created over sixty five pieces for jazz quartet as well as songs and pieces for chamber ensembles, choir, and symphony orchestra. In 1986 and 1987 he composed music for orchestra and jazz quartet during residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. From 1986 through 1995, Shulman was the principal composer for “Theatre of the Heart,” a cooperative of dancers, singers, and musicians dedicated to fostering community and the environment. Commissions include a piece for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet, and ”May Peace Prevail on Earth” for singers, symphony orchestra, three choirs, and jazz quartet, created for the World Peace Prayer Society. In addition, he has created hundreds of Musical Soul Portrait recordings for individuals, couples, and groups. -- Read the full bio at https://richheartmusic.com/about/richard-shulman/
Email: richheartmusic@frontier.com
Phone: 828-658-9604
Website: https://richheartmusic.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Weaverville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Intermediate, Advanced, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition
Other Music Related Services: Musical Soul Portraits, Jazz performances, composing, arranging & recording
Address: Asheville
Peter Slavin
Bio: I am a pianist, organist and composer with a Ph.D. in Music from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.M. in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (then called the Arts Magnet H.S. at B.T.W.) in Dallas, TX, and was named "Outstanding Pianist" by the Music faculty upon graduation. I also studied Piano for one year at Texas Christian University with Drs. Donna Edwards and Caio Pagano. In 2007, I co-founded the Tiny Mahler Orchestra, a 501(c)(3) performing and educational organization in Chicago, IL, to present concerts of unjustly neglected compositions from all eras and in all styles of the Western musical tradition. For 35 years I have worked as a church organist and music director, piano accompanist, and given private lessons in piano and music theory, in addition to composing, arranging and transcribing music. I now earn most of my living in the technology field, but remain active as a composer, performer and music researcher.
Email: pbslavin@gmail.com
Phone: 510-734-3811
Address: Asheville
Julius Smith
Bio: I have been playing from a young age as my father played both jazz and classical and taught me what he could at a young age. Later on, around 18 I became more serious after moving to Chicago and beginning to play with groups there. At 22 I studied privately, learning jazz performance and theory from a retired professor. I've recorded at home a lot and continue to play as I explore the Asheville music community. I've traditionally played funk, blues, jazz, soul, and have been beginning to explore more Latin music. I also enjoy classical styles and many others. I am open to performing and teaching improvisational theory.
Phone: 828-222-9001
Email: gesignia@protonmail.com
Address: Marshall, NC
Mark Smith
Bio: I'm a retired amateur who studied piano for many years in school. I haven't kept up my skills as much as I would have liked over the years, but recently started playing more seriously again. I enjoy many types of music -- classical, jazz, old standards, show tunes, and more.
Phone: 202-256-0225
Email: masmithcae@gmail.com
Address: Asheville, NC
O. Wayne Smith, DMA
Bio: Wayne Smith is a retired solo pianist, accompanist, teacher and church organist, having moved to Asheville in 2016 from a long musical career in Kansas City, MO. With the AAPF, Dr. Smith is a board member and a frequently heard pianist on Benefit Concerts and Performance Group gatherings. He is active as a substitute organist/pianist for many churches in Asheville and surrounding towns.
Email: owaynesmith@att.net
Phone: 816-522-5317
Performers’ Occasions: Classical Solo Pianist, Church Musician
Address: Swannanoa
Hal Southern
Bio: I am a jazz aficionado.
Email: halsouthster@gmail.com
Eunice Stackhouse
Bio: Eunice Wonderly Stackhouse holds piano performance degrees from the University of Kansas (D.M.A.) and Indiana University (M.M.) and a B.M.E. degree from Grace College (IN). She was elected to lifetime membership in Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society by the Indiana University chapter. Her career began in Indianapolis as an independent piano instructor, where for 13 years she taught 30-45 students. Prior to her move to NC, she taught at several colleges in adjunct or FT sabbatical replacement position;: including the University of Indianapolis, Tabor & Bethel Colleges (KS), Grove City College (PA), and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has been active in various music organizations and served for several years as a state officer for NCMTA. She has performed extensively in solo and chamber recital settings, including solo recitals recorded and broadcast by WQED Pittsburgh and Radio Kansas. Her article on Louise Talma’s Soundshots was published by Clavier in November 2002, and she edited the first publication of Talma’s Three Bagatelles in 2003 for Hildegard Publishing Co. As Professor of Music at Montreat College, she taught all of the Piano, Music Theory, and Keyboard Pedagogy courses there from 1996-2019. She now continues to teach piano privately in Black Mountain, to adjudicate piano competitions and festivals, and to perform in various settings.
Email: eunice.w.stackhouse@outlook.com
Phone: (828) 669-5479
Website: https://ews-piano-studio.com/
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Black Mountain
Offering Piano Lessons for: Advanced, Beginning through Advanced, Early Advanced, Elementary, Intermediate
Teaching Styles: Classical, Piano, Piano Pedagogy, Sacred, Theory
Address: Black Mountain
Mary Stair
Bio: When I play on my old Baldwin Baby Grant (beside open windows) birds come to sing! They particularly sing along with Debussy, Ravel. Mozart and Bach! Thinking about closed windows (due to air conditioning or seasonal changes) I thought of the Asheville Piano From, which I have never joined, tho' I've played piano for 75 year!. I'd like to join the Amateur Piainists Monthly Meeting group and offer my home for meeting.
Email: mms@mhu.edu
Phone: 828-254-0943
Address: Asheville
Michael Jefry Stevens
Bio: Pianist, Composer and “Steinway Artist,” Michael Jefry Stevens is currently on the music faculty of ETSU and the Asheville Music School. He has released over 100 cds and has performed and/or recorded extensively with many of the top names in Jazz, including Dave Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Matt Wilson, Han Bennink, Mark Feldman and many others. He was the “Margaret Lee Crofts Fellow” for 2000-2001 at the MacDowell Colony, was a Centrum Arts composer fellow (2004) and is currently on the Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s Touring Artist Roster.
Email: mjsjazz@mac.com
Phone: 917-916-1363
Website: www.michaeljefrystevens.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Black Mountain
Offering Piano Lessons for: Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Jazz, Popular
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition, improvisation
Address: Po Box 164, Black Mountain, NC 28711
Ted Stewart
Bio: Primarily an organist and secondarily a pianist: Church musician, School accompanist, Organ recitalist, Teacher of organ/piano, including college for 50 years. Now retired.
Email: stewart.smith@att.net
Phone: 816-305-1038
Address: Swannanoa
Laura Chu Stokes
Bio: Laura Chu Stokes, a nationally certified teacher of music, has been a pianist and music educator for more than forty years. A graduate of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in piano performance, Laura has taught hundreds of students in her private studio and as the director-instructor at Appalachian State University’s Community Music School (CMS). She is a contributing author to the Alfred Music blog https://www.alfred.com/blog/ and Coordinator of the Hayes School of Music Piano Competition for pre-college pianists each fall. As a performer, Laura has been a staff accompanist at ASU and collaborative artist with her husband, trumpeter James Stokes. She has performed numerous recitals, both solo and chamber, and been featured as a soloist with the Columbus and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras. Laura also enjoys serving as an adjudicator at MTNA state competitions and performance festivals. Since 1989, Laura has conducted hands-on workshops for www.e-znotes.com, a full line of music learning tools developed by her mother, Lucy Chu. She has been invited by professional music teacher associations and music dealers/retailers nationally as a clinician and featured speaker.
Phone: 828-253-6936
Email: eznotespianostudio@gmail.com
Web Site: eznotespianostudio.com; e-znotes.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Boone NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Offering Other Lessons for: Theory, Pedagogy, Mentoring
Offering Other Piano Services: Music Educational Learning Tools
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular
Performers’ Occasions: Recitals, Jazz Events
Address: Boone
Tom Stuart
Bio: I am an accompanist for classical soloists and choirs. I am a classical pianist who works with singers and choirs. I have worked in the past with the Hampton Choral Society on Long Island and the New York Choral Society in Manhattan. I attended Oberlin College for two years and finished my bachelor's at SUNY Stony Brook. I have been a musical director for amateur musicals as well.
Phone: 828-484-9897
Email: tipikoda@protonmail.com
Address: Weaverville
Judy Sullivan
Bio: Dr. Judy Sullivan is an active piano teacher and accompanist in the Asheville area. Joining the AAPF in the fall of 1994, Judy has served on the Board of Directors for five years, as President for three years and Member Activities Chair for two years. She currently works with membership for the Forum. Judy's education degrees are from James Madison University, the University of Virginia, and The College of William and Mary.
Email: jsullivanpiano@gmail.com
Phone: 828.298.8037
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Canton
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults, Lessons in your home
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular, Religious
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition
Address: Asheville
Teresa Sumpter
Bio: Dr. Teresa Sumpter is currently the Chair of the Department of Music and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Mars Hill University where she teaches applied piano, group piano, piano literature, piano pedagogy, and music history. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in Piano Pedagogy and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. Her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance is from Ball State University. She also holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from West Virginia University. Teresa has performed, adjudicated, and presented throughout the country. Recent performances include recitals on the Pianoforte Series in Asheville, NC, Carson-Newman University, Winthrop University, and Friends of Music Concert Series at Montreat College. She has been a frequent adjudicator for the North Carolina Music Teachers Association district and state piano contests since her arrival in the area in 2008.
Email: tsumpter@mhu.edu
Phone: 828-689-1308
Website: www.mhu.edu/music
Studio/Store Location, Serving: All of Western NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory
Address: Mars Hill University, Box 6693, Mars Hill, NC 28754
Farrell Sylvest
Email: farrellsylvest.com@gmail.com
Website: farrellsylvest.com
Address: Asheville
Jeanette Syprzak
Bio: ADULT STUDENT 2 YEARS, I AM LOOKING FOR A PIANO TEACHER
Email: jeanettesyp@gmail.com
Phone: 828-273-6068
Address: Asheville
Christopher Tavernier
Bio: Christopher Tavernier made his orchestral debut with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of thirteen in Rocky Mount, NC, performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in the opening concert of the orchestra’s Fall 2013 season. Christopher has been featured on ABC affiliate television station WLOS, CBS affiliate WSPA in Spartanburg (Scene on 7), Carolinas CW62 (Studio 62), and Carolina Live NPR radio, and WCQS in Asheville, NC. Christopher in currently studying at the College of Music at FSU majoring in Piano Performance under Dr. Read Gainsford, professor and coordinator of keyboard studies. Additionally, he has published recordings in DVD and CD formats
Email: bobtav@gate.net
Phone: 828-707-2604
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3atoGLS1O2acfz50_HqUcg
Address: Hendersonville
Gabrielle Tee
Bio: Teacher and Performer. Asheville-based contemporary musician Gabrielle Tee has a passion for creating and teaching music. She started piano lessons at age 6 and began composing original songs at age 10. While she is open to students of all ages and musical backgrounds, she specializes in teens who have an interest in pop, rock, or jazz. Her positive teaching approach and community engagement has been recognized by local residents, having twice received Mountain Xpress' "Music Teacher of the Year" Award.
Email: music@gabrielletee.com
Website: Gabrielletee.com
Phone: 563-370-5626
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Jazz
Address: Asheville
Laura Keith Thiel
Bio: Dr. Laura Keith Thiel is a highly accomplished piano teacher and performer, with a Doctoral degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Miami. With 30 years of teaching experience, Dr. Thiel has been instrumental in helping her students win numerous local and regional piano competitions. Dr. Thiel's expertise also extends to adjudicating in various competitions for the Florida Music Teachers Associations and the Florida Federation of Music Clubs. Her passion lies in making piano lessons accessible to all who are interested, and she takes pride in helping her students grow into accomplished musicians. Together with her husband Doug, Dr. Thiel has been residing in Hendersonville for the past four and a half years. They share their home with two adorable Boston Terriers named Dollie and Lulu. Dr. Thiel is truly honored to be a part of the Asheville Area Piano Forum, where she can contribute her vast knowledge and experience to fellow musicians and piano enthusiasts.
Email: laurakeiththiel@gmail.com
Phone: 305-984-7700
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Hendersonville
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Harpsichord, Musicology
Address: Hendersonville
Joshua Tjung
Email: ietjhiang@gmail.com
Phone: 828-335-9898
Address: Asheville
Leonid Treer
Email: ltreer@att.net
Phone: 561-487-9539
Offering Piano Lessons for: Advanced
Teaching Styles: Classical
Address: Asheville
Sarah Trent
Bio: I would like to attend master classes as a student to give and receive feedback from other pianists. I am 18 years old, and I am turning 19 soon. I am a freshman in college, and have decided to study music instead of veterinary medicine. I have played the piano since I was small, picking out tunes that sounded good to my ear. Since then, I took lessons with several different teachers over the years. I played piano in my middle school, and high school jazz band, as well as my high school marching band. When I got to high school, I took lessons with Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim for 3 years. Under her teaching, I competed in the 2020 Virtual Piano Competition in the “Advanced” category performing Clair De Lune and won 4th place. I had to quit lessons my senior year because of personal reasons. I have now returned back to my practice with Karen Boyd (who encouraged me to join the Piano Forum) and want to pursue music as a career.
Email: sarahtrent223@gmail.com
Phone: 828-767-9057
Address: Fairview
Brian Turner
Bio: Brian Turner is an internationally-acclaimed pianist, composer, and recording artist who has been thrilling audiences throughout North America for 25 years. Brian’s diverse repertoire has earned him the opportunity to share the stage with a wide array of well-known and accomplished musicians, most-recently with American Idol winner Caleb Johnson. From churches to arenas, concert halls to festivals, Brian excels musically on any stage. Most recently Brian opened for rock legends Kiss for the first half of their Freedom To Rock Tour performing 18 shows for over 100,000 people in arenas across the U.S. and Canada. Brian began playing the piano over 25 years ago, and by age 12 was performing professionally for audiences across Northeast Ohio. Following high school he attended Ohio University, studying with renowned pianist Richard Syracuse and earning degrees in piano performance and pedagogy. He performed with a variety of groups at the collegiate level, from accompanying other classical musicians to joining larger ensembles to forming popular local rock groups headlining in clubs. After college, Brian relocated to Asheville, NC, where he has established a thriving piano studio in West Asheville and performs regularly as a solo musician and as a member and bandleader of Orange Krush, as well as with other local bands and ensembles. An accomplished composer of solo piano music, Brian’s solo piano album Ascension has gained world-wide attention and his music was selected for the official iOS New Age Piano app with over one million downloads worldwide. He has recorded several solo piano albums as well as recorded as a session player on dozens of records. Brian’s compositions have been featured in podcasts, online radio, and film. As a performer, he has shared the stage with such legendary musicians as Kiss, Sammy Hagar, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, Jason Bonham, Michael Anthony, Michael Bolton, Clay Aiken, Warren Haynes, Cliff Williams, Artimus Pyle, Bobby McFerrin, Steep Canyon Rangers, Umphrey’s McGee, Gov’t Mule, Shenandoah, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Bernie Worrell, Marcus King and many others. As a recording artist, Brian has worked with Grammy Award-winning Producer Karl Richardson. Brian is highly-accomplished in a wide variety of genres, including classical, pop, jazz, church and electronic music. His music is available on iTunes and most major platforms.
Email: brianturnerpiano@yahoo.com
Phone: 828-279-9729
Website: www.brianturnerpiano.com
Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Hendersonville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Canton, All of Western NC
Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Young Children, Elementary, Middle/High School, College, Adults
Teaching Styles: Classical, Jazz, Popular, Religious
Offering Other Music Lessons for: Theory, Composition
Other Music Related Services: Performance as soloist or group
Address: Asheville
Nan Watkins
Email: nan_watkins@hotmail.com
Phone: 828-293-9237
Address: Tuckasegee
Doug Weeks
Email: doug.weeks@converse.edu
Phone: 864-597-9665
Address: Spartanburg
Ann Weinstein
Bio: Adult learner after many years of absence from playing the piano.
Phone: 646-717-2432
Email: awwnyc77@gmail.com
Address: Asheville, NC
Rich Winslow
Bio: Intermediate Adult learner.
Email: rich@rwinsphoto.com
Phone: 828-243-5932
Janet Wright
Bio: I studied piano as a child and am currently working with John Cobb and Brian Turner. I am enjoying my piano playing in retirement more than I ever dreamed possible and enjoy playing with the Amateur group of AAPF in an attempt to become more comfortable playing in front of an audience.
Email: janetiwrightemail@gmail.com
Phone: 618-558-0705
Address: Asheville