Argento, Frank is a graduate of the Hartt College of Music, University of Hartford in Connecticut, where he majored in music education and piano. Frank and his family moved to Asheville, having spent 22 years in Alaska, where he and his wife helped establish a small Christian school. He currently teaches at Veritas Christian Academy, Christ School, and the Asheville Music School. He serves as principle organist and pianist at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Brevard. Frank has a solo piano album of Christmas music released Fall 2007.

Baunach, Will 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.

Bennett, Marcia has a B.S. from Brigham Young University, Utah, and an M.S. from California State Hayward. She did further graduate study at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds five lifetime CA teaching credentials. Now retired after teaching thirty years, Marcia substitutes in local schools and tutors remedial reading and math. Her special interest is in teaching beginning pianists, young and old. She’s not particularly interested in recitals, but will prepare for performance.

Ivy has taught piano and voice in El Paso, Tx and East Tennessee regions and has been a choral director at various churches for the past 30 years. Originally from El Paso, Texas, she now has music studio in tri-cities area of East Tennessee, teaching over 65 students in voice, piano, piano and string ensemble. Her education in vocal performance, theory and composition , and creative early childhood education began at the University of Texas at El Paso in 1973 and progressed to East Tennessee University in Johnson City . She has studied piano with Dr. Arryl Paul (University of Texas at El Paso) ; Dr. Lynn Rice-See ( Middle State University at Murfreesboro); and Barbara Lister-Sink in her program of Preventative Keyboard Injury Technique at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. Ms. Blair is the founder and executive director for The Appalachian Classical Music Association, sponsoring various programs and events for teachers and young developing musicians. The biggest event, the Sonata Classics Festival, celebrating it's 10th anniversary, is held every Fall in November, bringing in 18-20 artist clinicians evaluating and awarding students in auditions throughout the event. See website:www.appalachianclassicalmusic.org ; www.sonatafestival.com

Boyd, Karen teaches piano at Harmony Lane Piano Studio at her home in Montreat, NC. She works with students of all ages and levels, and teaches Music for Little Mozarts classes which are designed to give children ages 4 to 6 an early start in classical piano instruction through fantasy and play. Karen currently serves as Performance Chairperson for the AAPF, and was a founding member of AAPF. She holds piano performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and West Chester University, and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship for doctoral work at Rutgers University. Her major instructors include Arthur Dann, Robert Bedford, and Theodore Lettvin. Karen concertizes as soloist, accompanist, and with chamber music ensembles.

Scott Camp teaches piano lessons in the Asheville area.  Scott grew up in McMinnville, Tennessee, and received a B. A. in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) including study with Jazz Instructor Jerry Coker.  Scott then received a B. M. and M. M. from New England Conservatory of Music (Boston)  in jazz studies and jazz composition.  Scott worked as a freelance musician during this time, including work in pop/rock cover bands, jazz piano lounges, and as a church musician, and piano teacher.  

After further study towards a Ph. D. in music theory/composition at the University of Iowa (Iowa City), Scott switched paths to manage Champs Sports retail stores for 10 years in Kansas City, Missouri and Asheville, North Carolina. 

As is common for music instructors, Scott's combination of experiences has produced a unique approach to teaching music students--simultaneously innovative and traditional, to address the realities of music education in the 21st century. 

In addition to teaching piano lessons, Scott is director of music at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Arden, North Carolina.  His activites at New Hope church include playing piano, directing voice choirs, handbell choirs, and leading the contemporary praise band.

Scott is married to Patsy Brison, who supports and shares the love of music.

West Indian-American Kimberly Cann began formal piano studies at age 6, when her family moved from Bermuda to Fletcher, NC. At age 12, she performed her first solo recital. When the family moved to FL the following year, she performed her first concerto (Beethoven's “Emperor”) with orchestra. By the age of 18, she had performed as soloist with five orchestras, including the Florida Orchestra, and was soon to win her first national piano competition. Her educational forays include study at the Van Cliburn Institute in Fort Worth, TX, the Brevard Music Festival, and a Masters Degree from the Eastman School of Music in NY in 2006. Her teachers have included Kathryn Hilliard, John Crawley, Rita Fandrich, Gary Wolf, Marilyn Neeley, and Barry Snyder. Appearances both nationally and abroad have been met with critical acclaim; her playing has been described as “striking, tempestuous…” and “exceedingly colorful” (The Royal Gazette), and her outreach programs and masterclasses were praised as “fantastic.” She enjoys teaching as much as she does performing and has taught over 250 students, many of whom have gone on to win competitions and receive college scholarships. In 2006, she accepted the positions of visiting Professor of Music and Artist-in-Residence at Northern Caribbean University (Jamaica). Her students excelled and received national awards for their work. In 2008, she returned to the states and married double bassist Aaron Brown. Now living in WNC, she teaches privately and performs occasionally with her husband, sister/concert pianist Michelle Cann, and others. She serves as the Vice President of the Asheville Area Piano Forum, and she also serves on the Board of Directors of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra and the Community Advisory Board of NPR station WCQS. Kimberly is also excited to be involved in building two new programs that will provide a platform for helping to build the self-confidence and leadership skills of the children in our area, using the community environment of music ensembles. Both of these programs are designed to be free of charge and geared towards those kids whose families could not otherwise afford music education. The AAPF is sponsoring the program, Keys for Kidz. For more information on this program, visit the Keys for Kidz page on this website. Note-Able Youth is a similar program, but with an even wider scope that encompasses larger ensembles, with after-school group classes every day. Among others, this program gleans inspiration from the Venezuelan model for positive social and economic change, commonly known as El Sistema-- a network or "system" of youth orchestras, choirs, and other ensembles. For more information on the progress of Note-Able Youth, please go to kimberlycann.com.

Cobb, John, a semi-finalist in the Third Van Cliburn Piano Competition, has played solo and chamber concerts extensively in the U.S. and Europe. A student of Claudio Arrau, he has conducted master classes and seminars around the country, continues his national concert-playing, and maintains a piano studio locally. About his musical life, Dr. Cobb says: "From childhood I have had many interests, but the most enduring one has been music, especially the piano and its literature. My musical life has largely been about learning what musical greatness consists of, how to develop it in myself and hopefully interest students in it. Performing is hard for me, but it also conveys the thrill of flying. It constitutes my single greatest effort at transcendence."

Dettra, Philip is a former faculty member of the School of Music at Penn State where he performed regularly. While at Penn State, he produced and performed in several public television programs featuring French piano music. In addition to some private teaching, Philip works principally in residential design. He is also Director of Music at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, NC.

Dixon, Suzanne is a native of Asheville and received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Mars Hill College in 1977. In addition to accompanying the UNCA Community Chorus and the Asheville Symphony Chorus she has served several area churches as an organist/pianist. Suzanne is currently a Suzuki Piano Basics instructor and enjoys working with young children.

Fehr, Suzan moved from Louisiana to Asheville in 1975. She received her musical education at Our Lady of the Lake University, Texas Western, and Louisiana State University. She is an active member of the National Federation of Music Clubs and currently teaches piano  in West Asheville.

Feitzinger, Polly has degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Columbia University. She also spent two years studying piano and harpsichord at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In addition to a performing career, Polly has given pedagogy workshops and has had articles published in leading music magazines. She has taught in a number of private schools in New Jersey and New York. She is a founding member of the Asheville Area Piano Teachers Forum, the precursor of the AAPF.

Mary Jo has 17 years experience teaching private piano lessons with students from ages 4 to 80. Interested in composing from an early age, she spent high school summers studying with University Faculty in Piano, Jazz and Composition clinics at the well-known Indianhead Center in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, where she was born and raised, getting a head start on serious study in Classical & Jazz Piano and Theory And Composition at the University of Northern Colorado, playing in the Jazz Lab Band and writing for choir, piano and jazz band. She is a Self-producing Singer/Songwriter experienced with keyboard programming, production and recording of original music and covers, and has published her CD “Living Hearts” under the pen name MariJo Brannan - original music with all vocal and instrumental arrangements. She spent 14 years in Hawaii, teaching and playing both solo piano and piano-vocal gigs and with a floor show band on the Windjammer Cruises. She in the owner of Soul Spire Sound And Art and accompanying website www.marijobrannan.com, a venue for viewing and sale of her CD’s and the fine Hawaiian and Tropical Art of Bradford Binning. Mary Jo’s teaching strategy is to meet students at their own level and expand from there in whatever individual directions they wish to explore and will hold their interest and keep them learning. Her experience with writing music and being a singer/songwriter adds dimension to the knowledge being passed on in the lessons. She is very particular about Technique and Theory no matter what music is being pursued – the basics of the music language and what it takes to make music beautiful are first and foremost – therefore, method books are thoroughly used and supplemented with anything else that can be added according to the ability and interest of the student. She has a natural and respectful rapport with the young students and really enjoys adults learning from scratch or refreshing their skills. Mary Jo’s students participate in recitals as often as possible. Lessons provide role-modeling and mentorship while building a lasting relationship. In addition to developing a deeper understanding and appreciation of music, students gain raised self-esteem, increased ability to concentrate and a heightened appreciation for detail. In addition to teaching, she plays keyboards with the Asheville-based band cover band Tuxedo Junction, with Dave Wendelin And Friends - mostly original music from both herself and Dave - and occassional solo piano/vocal gigs.

DAVID TROY FRANCIS/BIOGRAPHY

David Troy Francis was born in Memphis, Tennessee and is best known for his steadfast championing and performance of contemporary American music. Now living in Asheville, NC, he is an esteemed concert pianist and recording artist as well as a respected composer, arranger and accompanist.

His electrifying and critically acclaimed cd, The Americans, features compositions of living American composers including the world premiere recorded performance of Eight Etudes for Piano by two time Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ned Rorem. Other eminent American composers represented on this CD are the magnificent Lowell Liebermann, the distinguished Tobias Picker and the excellent Michael Boustead. His piano performance of this music has been described by the Los Angeles Times critic as consistently absorbing, whether in lyrical repose or propulsive fury. He has earned raves from composers and critics alike for his compelling combination of pulverizing technical virtuosity and poetic piano artistry.

He has a recording of his performance of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto recorded live with the Pasadena Concert Series Orchestra.

His CD, by george, is an all Gershwin project including Rhapsody in Blue as well as newly arranged versions of songs from stage and screen. He had seven cds available.

He performs frequently in recital including performances at colleges, churches and performing arts venues throughout the world. He has performed for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. He gave a totally digital rendering of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 for Roland Instruments on their digital concert grand in Los Angeles and performed the same work with orchestra for the distinguished Lindenwood Concert Series in Memphis, Tennessee.

His performance of original compositions as well as classical pieces can be heard in major motion pictures starring such luminaries as Sir Anthony Hopkins, Chris Rock, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn.  Mr. Francis has composed music for television including the animated children’s series Extreme Dinosaurs. He is also the composer for the documentary The Age of Elegance and the mock-a- mentary Dogs. Mr. Francis was the recording pianist and celeste player for the Will Smith/Sony film Pursuit of Happyness released in December 2006.  He served as the recording pianist for films such as Elegy (Sir Ben Kingsley & Penelope Cruz) and the re-make of the hit FAME!

He is the composer for the smash hit musical BARK! which finished a two year run in Los Angeles in August 2006 and was the 3rd longest running production in Los Angeles intimate theatrical history.   BARK! has been selected critics’ choice by the Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune and has received over 30 critic’s pick or rave reviews. This musical comedy presented from a dog’s perspective has also received the endorsement of The Humane Society of The United States-the first time ever the society has endorsed a commercial entity.  It has played to sold out theaters from Brazil to Alaska.  

Harper, Jan has a Piano Performance degree from Wesleyan College, Macon, GA. She was taught by Eastman and Juilliard graduates and won three first place awards in high school and college. Specializing in classical music and preparing students to perform, she has been teaching piano since 1978. Jan also has many years of experience accompanying for church services, choirs, and ensembles.

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.

Andrea Heys, Mezzo-Soprano A newcomer to the Asheville area, Andrea Heys, mezzo-soprano, has appeared as a soloist with the Tanglewood Music Festival, New Orleans Opera Association, The Baton Rouge Opera Company, and others in such roles as Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Emilia in Otello, and Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen. She was a featured soloist on the PBS presentation of Leonard Bernstein’s 70th Birthday Celebration Gala. Equally at home in Opera and Operetta, Mrs. Heys has performed with the Baton Rouge Gilbert and Sullivan Theater and The Southeastern Savoyards in Atlanta. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Metropolitan Opera Audition award, a San Francisco Opera award, and a National Association of Teacher’s of Singing Artist Award. In frequent demand as a soloist, Mrs. Heys has appeared with many orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from the University of Mississippi, Cum Laude, with a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Louisiana State University, and is completing the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Georgia. Mrs. Heys is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Honorary, Sigma Alpha Iota, the National Association of Teacher’s of Singing, the Music Teachers National Association, and the Asheville Area Piano Forum. Before relocating to Beaufort, SC in 2004, Mrs. Heys was a member of the voice faculty at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. She has maintained an active private piano and voice studio for over 25 years. Many of her students participate with honors in NATS student auditions and NFMC Festivals. Mrs. Heys has helped prepare numerous students for college music school auditions and professional careers. She resides in Weaverville with her husband Fred, and son John. Their two daughters, Megan and Madelyn Johnson, attend college in South Carolina.

Mary Johnson taught piano for 40 years before retiring from teaching. Now, she enjoys gigs playing with jazz groups for various occasions. She also can be seen/heard playing keyboard/piano with the Buddy K Band. For more about that band, you can go to www.buddykband.com. Call if you are needing a jazz pianist to accompany an ensemble!

Kicklighter, Sammy was born and reared in South Georgia where he grew up on a farm. His county had no music, but he chose to major in voice and church music, and spent twenty plus years in church music. Sammy learned to tune pianos in college, thirty years ago. He moved to Brevard and now tunes, moves, rents, and sells used pianos and a new line of pianos.

Hwa-Jin Kim began piano at 5, performed at MBC Television Station in Daegu, South Korea at 7, and appeared as a soloist with the Daegu Symphony Orchestra at 14. She has won numerous competitions. She graduated from Seoul National University, and later received Master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Manhattan School of Music, where she also taught. She has performed in Korea, Italy, and the U.S., including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. After moving to the Asheville/Hendersonville area with her husband, Dr. Paul S. Kim (MD) and their two children, Grace and Kristie, Dr. Kim has been featured as a soloist in many concert series. She joined the music faculty at UNCA in January 2003.

Mary Luna, originally from the small town of Ellendale, North Dakota, is a recent transplant to Asheville. She obtained her Bachelor of Music Education in vocal and instrumental music (with primary concentrations in voice and piano) from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She then moved on to receive her Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Desiring to move to an area that is family friendly and has enthusiasm for the arts, Mary and her husband moved to Asheville.

Mary has taught students from five years of age through the elderly. She taught lessons privately in Aberdeen and in Las Vegas for twelve years. She taught public elementary school music and middle school choir in Las Vegas for five years, and has taught voice, piano, and music theory at the collegiate level as well.

Mary welcomes all styles of music. While her greatest musical love is everything classical, she enjoys singing and teaching a mixture of music, including musical theatre, sacred/contemporary Christian, country, pop, etc. Music reading and theory is always included, with the opportunity to extend lessons to include extra time in these areas if desired.

Mary has performed in many festivals around the United States and made her European debut in 2006 while at the prestigious American Institute for Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Mary’s most notable operatic roles include Donna Elvira from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Nella in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. While in Las Vegas, Mary enjoyed working with the group Vegas Voices as well as singing in local churches. While in Asheville, Mary wishes to continue teaching and performing.

Nussbaum-Borden, Ruth E. currently maintains a private studio in Asheville and is the NCMTA Mars Hill/Asheville District Contest Chair. She has a BM from Wittenberg University (WU) in piano performance, and has studied with Janet Lehman, Sara Estrada Fletcher, William Walters, Robert Howat, Robert Wynne, and Gabriel Chodos. She was on the faculty of the Center for Musical Development, and staff accompanist for the School of Music at WU. Ruth has also served as rehearsal pianist/coach for the Springfield Civic Opera Company and has performed widely in the US. She was piano instructor and duo coach of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, as well as in the Extension Division (Adults) from 1985-1996.

Shane Owenby is a registered piano technician, member of the Piano Technicians Guild, musician, former music teacher, and a collector of vintage and antique pianos. He grew up playing an organ in his living room and trombone in the school band. By the time he reached college, he had a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After Shane received his BM he and a friend opened a music school in Cary, NC, near Raleigh. When heand his wife had a son, they decided to move back to their hometown of Asheville, where their families live. Searching for a change, Shane sought out a nationally recognized piano technician and apprenticed for two years, learning piano restoration, refinishing and repair that his mentor had acquired over several decades.

Reese, Vance studied the Robert Pace method and Keyboard Arts method from his piano teacher, Lois Goeltz, in Knoxville before studying organ. He has three degrees in organ, the last one being a doctoral degree from Indiana University in 1997. Dr. Reese plays organ, double bass, and harpsichord. He mostly accompanies and/or collaborates on piano, though he has a few students. Vance lives with this wife Jean and son Jonathan in Westwood, West Asheville.

Catherine H Riley teaches piano, folk guitar, and pre-school music. She is certified in the Orff-Schulwerk music approach, and utilizes this with young beginners, to make the teaching of music basics more enjoyable.Singing and songwriting are also musical focuses, and she encourages her students to create their own compositions to make music more immediate and personal. 

Cathy has created choral works for Womansong and has directed sacred choirs showcasing her own sacred choral music as well as that of other local song-writers.She enjoys commissions to write music, and has written music for 3 of  Lisa Sturz' Red Herring Puppets productions.

Over the past 2 years (2011-2012), she has been going into the Asheville area schools with an African-American senior, Ms Lucille Ray, to share their mutual love of the old time African- American spirituals. They teach these powerful songs, using them as a spring-board to talk about slavery, segregation, integration, racism, diversity, tolerance. A final assembly includes the singing of 3 or 4 of these songs (sometimes with Orff accompaniment), and the inclusion of local African-American seniors singing the old spirituals and talking of how much these songs have meant to them in their communities and in their lives.Web site: www.life-o-riley.com

Robertson, Donna Nagey, professor emerita of keyboard and theory at Mars Hill College, is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the Eastman School of Music, and is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists. She was on the founding board for the International League of Women Composers and was a founder of the former Mars Hill-Hinshaw choral series. Donna, an active concert organist, accompanist, and chamber pianist, is also a published composer,published by Cantica Nova Publications, TAP, Oceanna, Lorenz, Northwest Publications, Alry and Wayne Leupold. She is pianist with the Andoin Piano Trio.

Judith Rodwell, pianist and vocalist, has a degree in Musicology and has spent three decades teaching piano and voice to students of all ages in New England and WNC. Combining Suzuki techniques and repertoire with traditional pedagogy, she particularly enjoys teaching piano to students of all ages. Judith teaches at Asheville Music School and in homes in the Asheville and Hendersonville area and serves as President of the Board of Directors of the AAPF. She has taught preschool music, as well as K-8 music in the public schools, and has accompanied and directed church choirs. A soprano soloist, choral singer, and accompanist, she has given piano and lieder recitals and enjoys performing jazz standards with her husband, Robert.

Anne Rogers is a graduate of MS State College for Women with a Mus.Ed. degree, piano emphasis.  From 1977-2008 she maintained a private piano studio in downtown Asheville, taught Kindermusik from 1992-2003 and is now teaching piano in her home in north Asheville.  Students of all ages and levels are welcome for interviews and a few lesson times are currently available.  One of the founding members of AAPF, Anne is also a founding member of the Asheville Choral Society, and has sung with the chorus since 1977.

SoliClassica, Asheville's Classical and Instructional Music Store, offers a wide range of print music for pianists, singers, wind, brass, percussion, string players, and organists. We stock all standard methods of instruction, both Suzuki and traditional. In addition, we have classical music for students (beginner through advanced) as well as professional musicians. We carry some popular and religious selections as well, and are happy to order music to meet our customers' needs. In addition to music, we have a large classical CD collection, instrumental supplies from music stands and metronomes to reeds, strings, and rosin, and also offer many musical gift items such as jewelry and note cards.

We specialize in helping all our customers find what they are looking for, whether music for a student, music to return to playing or singing after a long absence, or talking through possible repertoire for an upcoming performance. As professional performers and teachers, we enjoy working with other musicians to meet their needs. We hope you'll come in soon to browse through our extensive collection.

SoliClassica is also the home of the new non-profit organization, SoliClassica Music Academy, offering Chamber Music, Music Theory, and Performance Workshops and Recitals to students throughout the area. For more information on this Academy, please go to www.SoliClassicaMusicAcademy.org

Schroeder, Gail Ann began piano at 6 and has in the past 10 years started sharing her love of piano by teaching children and amateur adults. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the U. of MI and a "First Prize" and "Higher Diploma" from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Brussels, Belgium. Renowned as an expert on the early string instrument viola da gamba, she has just returned from 25 years performing and teaching throughout Europe. Her teaching experience includes 14 years at the Brussels Conservatory as assistant professor of viola da gamba, director of the viol consort and professor of pedagogy. Gail teaches piano and viola da gamba in her East Asheville studio and is training to become a practitioner of the Alexander Technique.

Suzanne Sena, an accomplished pianist, was fortunate to be born into a musical family, and music has been an integral part of her entire life. She first performed in a community variety show at the age of five, singing “Never Hit Your Grandma With a Shovel” 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 principal, degree from Florida State University School of Music. She began her professional career as a high school choral director in Springfield, Georgia, and then taught piano for many years, maintaining a studio with forty-five students. Suzanne established a community theatre in Effingham County, Georgia where she produced and directed “Lil’ Abner” and “You Can’t Take It With You.” She was organist and choir director for St. Johns Lutheran Church in “Rincon, Georgia for twenty-seven Years. Interestingly, Suzanne became a volunteer firefighter after an arsonist set fire to her church. In 1993, Suzanne and her husband, Russell M. Sena, a retired music educator and well-known trumpeter and jazz musician, moved to Hendersonville, NC. Suzanne was a child protective service social worker for a total of twenty-five years in Georgia and North Carolina, working with abused and neglected children and their families. She currently is the Assistant to the Cantor at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, NC, where she plays organ and p9iano, conducts, and directs the youth musicals. The Senas’ musical talents have extended to their two children. Their older son, Craig Sena, is an accomplished trumpeter and artist. Scott Sena, their other son, is a music composer and arranger for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circuses and several Walt Disney venues.

Susie Shaw has taught piano lessons since she graduated from the University of Georgia in 1976, receiving the Master of Fine Arts degree in piano performance, and the Bachelor of Music degree in 1974.  She is organist at Grace Baptist Church in West Asheville, where she also assists with children's choirs.  A trained Kindermusik educator, she teaches piano at Grace Baptist, and at Emmanuel Lutheran School. Susie has been a staff accompanist for Warren Wilson College and has accompanied the Asheville Choral Society.  She lives in West Asheville with her husband, Chris, and their two children.

Nathan Shirley has received one national and five international awards for his compositions beginning at age 21 when Music for Strings and Marimba was selected in the Andrzej Panufnik International Composers' Competition in Poland. He has performed his music and heard it performed in eastern and western Europe, and on both coasts of the US. In adolescence Nathan discovered classical recordings and spent countless hours improvising at the piano. Though he received lessons at age 10, he is heavily self-taught. As a teenager he was very fortunate to have been mentored in composition by Olga Harris, the last student of Khachaturian. At age 17 he received a composition scholarship, but after three years abandoned academic composition, devoting himself to the study of classical composition as he envisioned it. Mr. Shirley's musical tastes and influences are very broad, from Vivaldi, Chopin, and Prokofiev, to music of Eurasia, Latin America, and Africa. Nathan Shirley lives in the Mountains of North Carolina with his wife and children. He works as a freelance composer, accepting commissions for new music, and he performs his compositions in the composer-pianist tradition.

Shulman, Richard is a keyboardist, composer and recording artist. Bringing beauty into the world is his passion. Richard has performed at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital 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 Europe. He tours doing solo and group concerts and has produced twenty-one albums on his label, RichHeart Music. His COVR award-winning orchestral recording, "Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled" is based on the fulfillment of dreams of the heart. His best-selling album, "Light Music: To Clear and Align the Chakras" is recommended for massage, healing and relaxation. His latest CD is "Music of Peace," reflecting the peace within.

Smithey, Pamela is an Allen Organ Representative and a Steinway Piano Representative for Case Brothers of Spartanburg. She is Organist for Bethel UMC of Spartanburg and is a free-lance accompanist. Pamela was a Staff Accompanist for Gardner-Webb University for six years and taught piano and organ lessons for twenty years. She has served as an adjudicator for piano competitions and festivals throughout the Carolinas. Her degrees include a B.M. in Piano Performance from Mars Hill College and a M.M. in Piano Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina. A member of AGO and the Spartanburg Philharmonic Music Club, Pamela enjoys sharing her talents and praises God for the gift of music.

I am a resident of  Mars Hill.  I taught piano for 3 years in Mars Hill, 2 years in Morehead, KY and 4 years in Tallahassee, FL.  I would like to continue teaching  beginning, intermediate  and pre-advanced level adults.   I teach piano in the student's home.

My educational background includes earning a B.M.E from Mars Hill College, a Master's of Music Degree from  Morehead State University and an Education Specialist Degree  in Special Education from Florida State University.  Along with teaching piano, I would like to work as  a vocal, choral or instrumental accompanist and as a substitute pianist for churches. 

Over the past 40 years Pianist/Composer Michael Jefry Stevens has been associated with some of the most important figures in modern jazz. Beginning with his first CD release in 1991 as a member of Mark Whitecage's Liquid Time Group, Mr. Stevens has been in the forefront of the NYC and international improvised music scene. Between 1988-1990 he co-led the now legendary "Mosaic Sextet" with Dave Douglas. This group included Mark Feldman on violin, Michael Rabinowitz on bassoon, and the rhythm section of Harvey Sorgen on drums and Joe Fonda on bass. Their "Today This Moment" CD release on Konnex Records and re-release on GM Recordings is considered one of the classic modern jazz recordings of the 1990’s and was recently voted one of the best 1000 jazz recordings by the Penguin Guide to Jazz. This rhythm section went on to become the nucleus for Mr. Stevens working quartet the Fonda/Stevens Group. Since the quartet's inception in 1992, the Fonda/Stevens Group has released 10 cds, repeatedly toured Europe and is one of the premier working modern jazz groups on the international scene. Mr. Stevens also began a very fruitful and fulfilling relationship with Leo Records with his duo "Haiku" CD release in 1994, featuring Mark Feldman on violin. These piano/violin improvisations proved to be a pivotal link between Mr. Stevens work in both the composed and improvised music worlds. Mr. Stevens has currently released nine cd’s on Leo Records, including "Elements" with bassist Dominic Duval, and "Twelve Improvisations" with the Fonda/Stevens Group. To date he has released over 70 cds.


 Michael Jefry Stevens has composed over 400 works for various ensembles, including big band, string quartet, music for voice, music for solo instruments and various small group compositions. Mr. Stevens was the Margaret Lee Crofts Fellow at "The MacDowell Colony" in the summer of 2000, received 2nd prize in the prestigious Monaco International Jazz Composition in 1998, and was a composer fellow at the Centrum Arts Colony in Port Townsend, WA in June 2005. In 2007 he received a “Professional Development Support Grant” from the Tennesee Art's Commission. He has been Composer-in-Residence at Virginia Intermont College (1999) where he scored music in collaboration with the dance department and was composer –in–residence at the Oxford Music Academy Summer workshop in 2002. In 2009 Mr. Stevens was named a “Steinway” Performing Artist (the first ever for the City of Memphis). He is currently resides in Asheville, NC and is artist-in-residence every November at the jazz workshop at EMU in La Plata, Argentina. He has been on the performing artist roster of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since 1998. 

In 1999 Mr. Stevens began the Conference Call Quartet, featuring his partner of many years, bassist Joe Fonda, in collaboration with German saxophonist Gebhard Ullmann and George Schuller on drums. This quartet has released 6 cd's, including their latest CD "What About ...???" on the Polish "Nottwo" Record Label (2011). The Conference Call Quartet has appeared in recent years at the Bolzano Jazz Festival in Italy, the Nattjazz festival in Norway, the Braga Jazz Festival in Portugal, the Discover US Jazz Festival in Berlin, Germany and most recently the NOEWA Jazz Workshop Series in Hungary. 
 
A proponent of the philosophy that there are only 2 kinds of music "good and bad", Mr. Stevens has also been working in a standard jazz piano trio setting for the past 20 years. His collaborative trio "Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson" has released 6 cd's and toured Europe and the United States continuously for the past two decades. They have worked with such jazz luminaries as Steve Turre, Cecil Bridgewater and Valery Ponamerev. 
 His Swiss "In Transit" Quartet, featuring drummer Dieter Ulrich, Bassist Daniel Studer and saxophonist Juerg Solothurnmann was recently recorded by Swiss Radio in Zurich and released on Unit Records in Switzerland. Their latest CD "Moving Stills" was released in 2011 on Konnex Records. Since 2005 he has released 3 cds on the Polish Nottwo Record Label: Decade featuring the Sorgen-Rust-Stevens Trio and most recently the Fonda/Stevens Group "TRIO" CD. Other new projects include a duo with Serbian violist Szilard Mezei, the quartet project "Eastern Boundary" featuring Hungarian drummer Balazs Bagyi and Hungarian saxophonist Mihaly Borbely, and most recently a Quintet project with Danish guitarist Jon Hemmersam featuring Dave Liebman on saxophone. Upcoming collaborations include concerts with Finnish saxophonist Esa Pietela and a new Polish Quintet Project with several young Polish musicians. Michael Jefry Stevens is truly a believer in the global music community and a vocal exponent of an international music. He is a member of the IASJ (International Association of Schools of Jazz), ISIM (International Society of Impovised Music) and JEN (Jazz Educators Network).

Gabrielle Tee, piano teacher, guitar teacher, and music therapist, has a passion for creating and teaching music. She started piano lessons at age 6, and began composing original songs at age 10. While her peers were playing dress-up, she was playing 'piano teacher,' and would recruit any willing family member and friends to be her students. She officially began teaching piano lessons through her church at age 16, and ran her own independent music studio for 5 years in Kansas City. She relocated to Asheville in 2011, to be closer to her family. Gabrielle teaches out of Asheville Music School downtown and west location. She especially enjoy working with students who are interested in contemporary music styles such as pop, rock, and jazz. Her ultimate goal is that each student will leave lessons inspired to practice, and be given the tools to be successful and truly enjoy creating music.

Fran Thielman double majored in English Literature and Music at Wheaton College, IL. She moved to Montreat in September, 2010, and has since enjoyed accompanying singers, playing for church services, and performing solo. She is also a piano teacher and welcomes new students of all ages. In addition to her career as a pianist, she works part time at the Montreat Conference Center and sings in the Asheville Choral Society. Though she is always enthusiastic about opportunities to perform solo, she particularly loves to play in groups, duets, and ensembles.

Leslie Thomas has been a dedicated pianist for over 20 years.  She has enjoyed being a pupil of Roger Shields for the majority of her piano studies.  In addition to engaging in musical performance throughout her life, Ms. Thomas earned consecutive degrees in music, starting with a Bachelor of Music from Northern Illinois University while studying with Dr. Bill Koehler.  She then earned a Master of Music and a Professional Artist Certificate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, in the studio of Eric Larsen.  Ms. Thomas is enthusiastic about performing a wide range of musical repertoire, from Early music to Contemporary compositions.

Thorpe, Paul, born and raised in St. Louis, began learning piano at age 6. While in Junior High, he became a church choir accompanist and later, a church organist in high school. After receiving his B.S. in Music Education from the University of Missouri, he taught band (grades 5-12) outside of St. Louis. From there he went to Arizona State for a Masters in Music Education, which led to his teaching high school band in Boulder for four years. Upon moving to Asheville, Paul taught strings in the Roberson district and for the KIPP Academy. Eight years ago he acquired the Asheville Music School, where he currently teaches piano. He is excited about the new location for the school, behind the Orange Peel in downtown Asheville. www.ashevillemusic.org

Brian Turner is quickly rising as one of the most popular and versatile pianists in the US. A performer and recording artist, Brian has shared the stage and rocked out with many great international artists and bands including: Michael Bolton, Warren Haynes, Cliff Williams (AC/DC), Bobby McFerrin, Gene Bertoncini, Allen Vizzutti, John Fedchock, Mac Arnold, Bernie Worrell, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jeff Sipe, Jim Riggs, Spencer Bohren, Dino Kartsonakis, Vassar Clements, Eric Whitacre, and Umphrey's McGee and has performed for many distinguished patrons including: Actress Andie MacDowell, Boston Pops Maestro Keith Lockhart, Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Rock stars Eric Clapton, Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane), and Artimus Pyle (Lynard Skynard), Singer/songwriter Eddy Arnold, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, and numerous State Governors. Brian's original music has reached a massive audience through internet, radio play, podcasts, and was selected for the official iOS New Age Piano app which features the top 10 new age piano artists and has reached several hundred thousand downloads worldwide. He has composed music for children's productions by Walt Disney, Jim Henson and Lucasfilms puppeteer Lisa Sturz and BBC puppeteer/Teletubbies creator Robin Stevens and competed in the 2010 International Blues Challenge Semi-Finals in Memphis, TN. Brian runs a private piano studio and is pianist/organist at Higgins United Methodist Church. Brian did his undergrad and graduate work in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Ohio University. Brian’s music is for sale at iTunes and all of the major online music distribution stores and more info is at www.brianturnermusic.com.

The tranquil call of the Blue Ridge Mountains beckoning Lisha to return home could not be ignored, however exciting and creative the atmosphere was in Nashville, TN.  Full of inspiration from her musical collaborations and experiences in Music City, Lisha recently returned to the Asheville area to be closer to family where she is currently teaching music lessons (piano, voice, theory, harmony/ear-training).  She is also continuing fervently with her songwriting, arranging and performing and serves as the Assistant Organizer and an active member for Asheville Songwriters, Lyricists and Composers Meetup.  Lisha has a son who is the light and joy of her life.  Together, this enthusiastic, harmonious educator and her spunky little sidekick enjoy being back home in Western North Carolina!

Prior to her time in Tennessee where she taught at her private studio and at Jan Williams School of Music, Lisha taught music lessons  in North Carolina from 1995 to 2010.  She also taught one year of general music at Rocky Mount Academy to students in Pre-K through Eighth grades.  With a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music/Vocal Performance from the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, Lisha decided to study Music Therapy at East Carolina University in 1996, which included a practicum at Pitt Memorial Hospital and research in the effects of Music Therapy with clients presenting with autism spectrum disorders.  From east to west, she continued her journey through various North Carolina towns and cities teaching music, directing church music,  playing piano and volunteering her musical skills at nursing homes, church services and events.  Lisha also had the privilege of singing solos and harmony in several vocal ensembles, choruses and a professional touring group called The Victorian Carolers based in Raleigh, whose performance highlight was with Walt Disney Company for the Christmas Carol Train Tour in 2009. 

Lisha is currently enrolling new students at her private studio location.  In addition to traditional piano and vocal methods, she offers coaching in areas of singing, harmony, music-reading, piano, songwriting, composition and choral conducting/choir-leading.  Lisha welcomes students of all ages five and up (including adults) and of all abilities in voice, and beginners to early-advanced in piano.  She also encourages individuals with autism spectrum disorders to enroll.  She has a very student-focused teaching method whereby she customizes each lesson to meet the unique learning styles and musical tastes of her students.  Lisha's twenty-two years of experience in music education and direction have given her a keen intuition for allowing the inner-musician to surface naturally from her students instead of guiding them all under one instructional model.

The chord-approach for piano has been largely learned and appreciated by many of Lisha's students, including teenagers, adults and novice church pianists, due to the simplistic breakdown of how to read music in chord clusters/triads rather than note-by-note.  This method has proven to be a preference for most current and aspiring songwriters who have studied with Lisha as well.  For students younger than ten, the note-by-note/reading method or the Suzuki method may be preferred.  Whatever the manner in which Lisha's students choose to make music in their lessons, they leave her studio, WNChords & Keys, with a sense of accomplishment, joy and eagerness to learn more.  For more information, please visit www.wnchordsandkeys.com.

Jane Weaver offers instruction in classical and vernacular styles for piano, violin, and cello in her Weaverville private studio. She offers seminars in harmonics and geometry, performs chamber music for weddings and celebrations, and addresses learning blockages. Jane has been Instructor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy under Frances Clark, New School for Music Study and on the music faculty at Princeton University and Westminster Choir College Conservatory. Mother of two home-schooled daughters, she is a Certified Brain Gym Consultant, swing/contradance fiddler for Reel Magnolias, and a quilter. Jane's photo was taken on the deck of the summer home of Louise Goss and Frances Clark, noted piano pedagogues.

Daniel Weiser, piano, has a Doctorate in Piano/Chamber Music from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Samuel Sanders and Robert MacDonald and won the Richard Franko Goldman prize for outstanding contribution to musical and education life. He has performed on many great stages, including the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago. He has also concertized around the world, including Israel, Thailand, Holland, and France and was the 1996 U.S. Artistic Ambassador Abroad, for which he performed on an eleven-country tour of the Middle East and Asia. He has been on the music faculty of Dartmouth College and the prestigious St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH.

He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Classicopia, a chamber music organization based in New Hampshire and now expanded to North Carolina, for which he also directed a summer music camp. He was also a founding member of the Adirondack Ensemble, which won a Chamber Music America award for inventive programming and outreach. He has participated in the New Hampshire Music Festival, Musicorda, and the Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival and has been the Music Director of the Da Corneta Opera Ensemble, the Opera North Young Artist program, and Opera New England. A phi beta kappa graduate of Columbia University with a degree in American History, he also spent a year at Harvard Law School and was a classmate of President Obama. A native of Buffalo, NY, he recently moved from Vermont to Asheville, NC where he lives with his wife, Dr. Kisha Weiser and their six-year old twin daughters, Emma and Sophie.