Posts in Spec: Popular
Melissa Meghdadi

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

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

Lauren Cason

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

Patricia Cosier

Bio: I am a pianist, a composer and teacher and have taught all ages for 40 years. I taught elementary school music and was on the faculties of several music conservatories and colleges in Florida, New York and California. I currently teach piano from my studio in South Asheville. For more information email me at pcosier1@gmail.com.

Teacher Specializations: Classical, Music History, Popular, Theory, Young Children

Student Levels: Beginner, Intermediate

Email: Pcosier1@gmail.com

Phone: 949-244-8944

Address: Asheville

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

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

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

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.

Teaching Levels: Intermediate, Advanced

Teacher Specializations: Classical, Theory, Popular, Religious, Improvisation

Performance Styles: Classical, Religious

Email: lgdowns721@gmail.com

Phone: (828) 775-3539

Website Address: LeslieDowns.com

Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville, Black Mountain

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:

Studio/Store Location, Serving: Studio: All of Asheville and online lessons

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

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: Black Mountain

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: 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

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 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

Christopher Tavernier

Bio: Christopher Tavernier made his orchestral debut with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of thirteen, where he performed Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. In addition to being a solo performer, he is also a dedicated chamber musician. Christopher has won numerous competitions throughout the Appalachian region and Southeastern US, including the young artist division at the state MTNA competition in Florida. Christopher received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Florida State University in 2023, studying with Dr. Read Gainsford, before going to New York to study for a year with Rieko Aizawa at Brooklyn Conservatory, the pianist of the widely acclaimed Horszowski Trio. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance & Literature degree from the Eastman School of Music, studying with Dr. Douglas Humpherys. Outside of the practice room, Christopher enjoys being outdoors and playing chess.

Email: tavernier.pianoman@gmail.com

Phone: 828-707-3543

Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3atoGLS1O2acfz50_HqUcg

Performers’ Occasions: Accompaniment, Collaboration, Chamber Music, Classical, Orchestra, and Popular

Address: Hendersonville