About

CC0U6473u

When I was eight I began formal piano lessons, but it wasn’t until I was 11 and discovered the music of Frederic Chopin that I really fell in love with the piano.  I listened to every LP of his music that my parents owned and spent most of my money on scores at the music store down the street.  At a time when LPs were still somewhat available, I loaded up on as many of Chopin’s music and the music of other composers for the piano that I could get my hands on.  My parents never once had to tell me to practice again and would yell from the kitchen over my playing in order to get me to come for dinner.

Before I was 17 I had won competitions in the Hartford area while studying with Margreet Francis at the Hartt School Community Division.  I went on to study at Bowdoin College, where I earned a BA in Music, studying with Joyce Moulton.  For my junior year, I had the incredible fortune to study abroad in Vienna, Austria.  It was an amazing experience and left an indelible impression on me.  There I studied piano with Gerald Stofsky and chamber music with Barbara Górzyńska, and performed great chamber music of Viennese masters Brahms and Schubert.  In the spring of 2003, my chamber music group won the IES Vienna Best Chamber Music Performance prize.

While in Vienna, I discovered an amazing approach to playing and teaching piano called the Taubman Approach.  It wasn’t until after college that I was able to start studying it, but in 2004, I began lessons in New York with Robert Durso, Senior Faculty Member of the Golandsky Institute.  The Taubman Approach has dramatically improved my playing and understanding of the piano and its challenges.  Never before had I encountered such a clear and organized body of knowledge related to playing the piano, from basic alignment issues to deep layers of musical sophistication and nuance.  It continues to fascinate me and guide me towards mastery of the piano to this day.

In 2007, I returned to the Hartt School for my MM in Piano Performance, during which I studied with both Mr. Durso and David Westfall.  The recipient of the WM Vincent Scholarship, I graduated in 2009, and was asked to join the piano faculty of the Hartt School Community Division.

As a performer, I have played abroad and in the U.S. as both soloist and collaborative artist.  I also have competed internationally and have performed in masterclasses for world-class pianists including Ilya Itin, Paul Roberts, Dorian Leljak, Robert Wyatt, and Yael Weiss.  After having taught for the Hartt School Community Division for many years, I now split my time between teaching at home and performing as a soloist and chamber musician.

In May of 2018, I became a Golandsky Institute Certified Instructor of the Taubman Approach and currently maintain a private studio at my home in Bloomfield, CT.  Every week I travel to New York to continue my studies with my incredible mentor and teacher, Robert Durso.  His understanding of piano playing is profound, and I am deeply grateful for the expertise that he shares and for the artistic possibilities he helps me to realize.