Bio: Dr. Hwa-Jin Kim was born in Daegu, South Korea. She entered the prestigious Seoul National University in South Korea on a full scholarship. She received her Master and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Manhattan School of Music where she was the youngest faculty member. She also taught at Brown University in Rhode Island. After moving to Asheville, Dr. Kim joined the music faculty at University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2003. To promote classical music in the community, Dr. Kim founded Asheville Chopin Club and has produced successful concerts.

Dr. Kim is the creator and director of UNC Asheville Summer Piano Camp for students between 6th and 12th grades.

Email: hwajinkimdma@gmail.com

Phone: 828-681-9732

Website Address: Hwa-Jin Kim

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: Asheville

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

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.

Website Addresses:

Stephanie Quinn Website

Student Progress Videos

Masterclass / Tutorial Videos

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.

Address: P.O. Box 8932, Asheville, NC 28804

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

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

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

Bio: Keyboardist/composer Richard Shulman creates music as a positive influence for himself, audiences and society. -- Richard has recorded 28 of his own albums and collaborated on dozens more. Trained in the classical and jazz fields, he has developed a heartfelt language in these genres while focussing much of his output on music for meditation, healing and inspiration. Shulman has performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the UN, and numerous venues in North America and Europe. Shulman has composed for jazz groups, chamber ensembles, choir, and symphony orchestra and creates 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

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

Bio: Wayne Smith, DMA 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

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 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

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

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

Bio: A graduate of prestigious The Gnessins State Institute of Music in Moscow with MM in piano performance, chamber music and pedagogic.

Teachers: Profs. B.M. Berlin (links to K. Igumnov and A. Siloti) and A. Stoliarevich (links to F. Blumenfeld and A. Rubinstein). Concerts in USA, France, UK, Canada, Israel, Ukraine, Australia, Russia., People's Republic of China. A piano duet/duo partner of Judith Burganger. Former Professor of Music at Florida Atlantic University. NCTM/MTNA, YouTube.

Email: ltreer@comcast.net

Phone: (828) 505-0412, (561) 235 -1187

Studio/Store Location, Serving: Asheville

Offering Piano Lessons for: Intermediate, Advanced, Middle/High School, College, Adults

Teaching Styles: Classical

Offering Other Music Lessons for: performances : chamber music

Address: Asheville

Bio: Brian Turner is a pianist who has been thrilling audiences throughout North America for 30 years. From solo concerts to an arena tours, he brings a unique passion to playing piano. Brian began performing at age 12, earned piano degrees at Ohio University, and  relocated to Asheville, NC, where he performs and teaches privately. His compositions have been featured in podcasts, online radio, and film and he has shared the stage with KISS, Sammy Hagar, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, Jason Bonham, Michael Anthony, Meat Loaf's Neverland Express, Michael Bolton, Clay Aiken, Caleb Johnson, Warren Haynes, Cliff Williams and others. 

Email: brianturnerpiano@gmail.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

Specializations: Classical, Jazz, Popular, Religious, Theory, Composition

Other Music Related Services: Performance as soloist or group 

Bio: Hello! I am an instructor within the Conservatory Prep program at Piano Lab Studios. I teach a variety of styles, and my degree is from The Manhattan School of Music.

I am available for performances. Please reach out to Piano Lab directly to inquire!

Email: petervindia@gmail.com

Website: AshevilleConservatory.com

Address: Asheville

Bio: My daughter, 14, has played piano off and on for about 8 years. She is taking lessons from Ivan Seng and loves piano!

Phone: 704-661-6976

Email: evolutionbanjo@yahoo.com

Address: Asheville

Email: doug.weeks@converse.edu

Phone: 864-597-9665

Address: Spartanburg, SC