Bio: Recently relocated from Florida, Melissa Meghdadi is a distinguished collaborative pianist and piano instructor based in Greer, South Carolina. She serves on the faculty at Mars Hill University as well as piano instructor at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville. She maintains an active career working with both vocalists and instrumentalists in applied instruction, ensemble collaboration, and performance.

Melissa's former students in Florida have earned numerous awards primarily through the National Federation of Music Clubs and CFMTA reflecting her high standards of musical preparation and artistic leadership.

A native Floridian, Melissa pursued private piano studies learning the Russian technique with Zalina Gurevich of Altamonte Springs, FL and later pursued her Bachelor of Piano Performance at the Mannes College of Music in New York under the guidance of Arkady Aronov and Nina Svetlanova. She holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Florida State University, where she studied with Leonidas Lipovetsky.

Her professional interests include collaborative performance, advanced pedagogy, and has an emerging fondness for sacred piano music. She is also active performing and accompanying for the choir at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard, N.C.

Teacher Specializations: Classical, Pedagogy, Theory, Popular

Student Levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Performing: As both a collaborative and solo pianist, I offer both accompanying for occasions and can perform at events such as dinners, weddings, etc.

Performance Styles: Classical, Religious

Website: academyforthearts.org

Email: dolcepiano88@gmail.com

Phone: 407-618-3210

Address: Greer, SC

Bio: Lauren Cason is a life-long pianist who had her first piano lesson at age 3. She continued her piano studies through high school then went on to earn a BA in Piano Performance and an MM in Piano Pedagogy. She has taught private lessons for twenty years and loves understanding the unique qualities of each student she teaches. She is an active performer with a solid resume of piano work over her career. Currently, she accompanies Asheville Chorale Society's select ensemble, Tempus. She is also co-founder of the musical nonprofit, For the Folk and makes up half the roots music duo, Songs of the Folk.

Teaching: I teach students from age 7 to young adult. I teach all skill levels and teach in student's homes or online. My husband is a piano tuner if that service is needed.

Teacher Specializations: Classical, Music History, Pedagogy, Popular, Religious, Theory, Virtual

Performing: I am available for full wedding ceremony music and have my own keyboard and sound equipment. I am also available for background piano music at events for 1-2 hours of music.

Performance Styles: Classical, Religious, Improvisation

Email: lpmusic85@gmail.com

Website: Facebook Page

Phone: 803-640-2321

Address: Union Mills, NC

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

Bio: Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim is a concert pianist, educator, author, and founder and artistic director of Sonare Music Academy. A graduate of Seoul National University, she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music, where she also served on the faculty. She taught for over 22 years at the University of North Carolina Asheville and is a two-time recipient of the Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award. In 2026, Dr. Kim created The Beethoven 32, a week-long celebration of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas. She is currently organizing Chopin Festival 2027, celebrating Chopin through performance, education, and community engagement.

Email: hwajinkimdma@gmail.com

Website(s): sonaremusicacademy.com, YouTube channel

Teacher Specializations: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Classical, Music History, Theory, Pedagogy, Virtual, Young Children

Performance Styles: Classical

Address: Asheville

Bio: Dr. Leonidas Lagrimas, NCTM serves as Associate 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

Styles: Classical, Religious

Specializations: Music History, Pedagogy, Theory, Virtual

Address: Sylva

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: Beginning through Advanced

Specialties: Classical, Sacred, Piano Pedagogy, Theory

Address: Black Mountain

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: 614-657-6685

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

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 served as membership co-chair for 15 years. 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, Music History, Pedagogy

Address: Asheville