Elizabeth Child

Bio: Elizabeth Child holds a DMA in piano performance from The Juilliard School.  She teaches classical piano and theory to all levels at her studio in Tryon NC, and often performs in the Asheville area.  You can contact her through her website at www.elizabethchildpianist.com.

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

John Cobb

Bio: An international performer and recording artist, Dr. Cobb did post-doctoral study with legendary pianist Claudio Arrau. The New York Times praised his "solid technique, bronze tone and flexibility of interpretive style." 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. He performs a broad repertoire of solo and chamber music, is a frequent performer on the Piano Forte series at the Asheville Art Museum and appeared as soloist with the Asheville Symphony, performing the Samuel Barber Piano Concerto. Dr. Cobb frequently serves as an adjudicator for competitions and music festivals.

Email: jcobbpiano@gmail.com

Phone: 828-551-3810

Studio/Store Location, Serving: Greater Asheville, Fairview, and Hendersonville

Offering Piano Lessons for: Beginners through Advanced, ages 10 through Adult; coaching for professionals

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

Diane Coombs

Bio:   Diane has served as piano teacher for 10+ years in both Virginia and SD & as both traditional church pianist & worship team keyboardist for 40+ years in Kentucky, Virginia, S. Dakota & N. Carolina. Performances include: Buncombe Baptist Assoc. Choir Christmas performances at Biltmore & Grove Park, accompanying the AC Reynolds Middle School choir & bell soloist Christine Anderson. Diane earned a Bachelor of Music Education, majoring in piano, from Georgetown College, Kentucky, & Master of Rehabilitation Counseling from University of Kentucky. Not currently teaching. Interested in church piano sub.

Email: dianecoombs7@gmail.com

Phone: 828-280-5035

Address: Asheville

Jason DeCristofaro

Bio: Dr. Jason DeCristofaro is the Director of Creative Arts & Events and Music Faculty at Warren Wilson. An active music educator, multi-instrumentalist and composer/arranger based in Asheville, NC. Jason has performed nationally and internationally at many jazz festivals, and is in demand as a clinician, having presented clincis, masterclasses and performances on jazz improvisation at many colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Email: jdecristofaro@warren-wilson.edu

Website: www.youtube.com/jasondecristofaro

Phone: 828-273-8254

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

Sharyn Edwards

Bio:  Pianist Sharyn Edwards has concertized throughout the southeastern United States and in Russia. She has been soloist with the Charlotte, Charleston, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Charlotte Repertoire Symphonies and was an Artist with the N.C Touring Artists Roster. Dr. Edwards made her New York debut at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and has recorded a Classic CD for the Musikus Label. Dr. Edwards is a native of Asheville and her formative training was with Dorothy Krauss.  Other teachers include Dr. John P. Adams, Canadian Pianist, Raymond Dudley, John Quincy Bass, James Bonn and coaching with Madame Lili Krauss among others.  Currently she is Director of the Dr. Sharyn Edwards 46th Piano Festival and Competition.

Email: sharynedwards14@gmail.com

Offering Piano Lessons for: All ages.

Teaching Styles: Classical

Address: Leicester

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.

Performer Details: I like the challenge of learning new repertoire, particularly 4 hand literature with fellow Piano Forum members. I also sub as a church pianist and am available to perform as a cocktail pianist.

Email: pollyfeitzinger@gmail.com

Phone: 828-676-0766

Studio/Store Location, Serving: Hendersonville

Offering Piano Lessons for: Teenagers, Adults

Teaching Styles: Classical

Offering Other Music Lessons for: Piano, Theory

Address: Hendersonville

Victoria Fischer Faw

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.

Phone: 336-263-7013

Email: fischer@elon.edu

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

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/

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

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