Back to AMA Festival Program
Hyeongji Choi
is this year's Clara Wells Senior Division Fellow, and she is currently enrolled in the DMA program at Arizona State University, where she
studies with Baruch Meir. A native of Korea, she
began studying piano at the age of 8 and she has now devoted 21 years to intensive musical
training. She received her undergraduate degree from Seoul National University under the guidance
of Prof. Aviram Reichert, and subsequently pursued her Master’s degree at Arizona State
with Dr. Meir. Alongside traditional performance experiences, including an
appearance at Carnegie Hall, she has been honored with a Bösendorfer Piano Competition
Special Award, as the winner of the MTNA Southwest Region Young Artist Performance Competition,
with the Burns Scholarship, and with the James Ruccolo Piano Scholarship at ASU.
Building upon these recognitions, she has increasingly devoted herself to designing curated recital
projects such as "Korean Cultural Soundscape," "Scent of Sound," and "Resonance of Words and
Notes." These concerts were intentionally created to move beyond technical display and instead
foster audience engagement, cultural dialogue, and emotional connection. Her goal has been to
offer performances that create a special memory and a sense of healing—inviting reflection,
participation, and shared experience.
Although she was not initially trained with direct knowledge of Tobias Matthay’s work, her pianistic
development has naturally aligned with many of his principles. Through disciplined study, she has now learned
to prioritize refined listening, balanced arm weight, and timing that feels breath-like and
natural rather than mechanical. Encountering Matthay’s writings later in her journey felt less like
adopting a new method and more like discovering a language which she had long been seeking, with
the ear as guide, the arm as an expressive mechanism, and coordinated movement as the
source of tonal beauty.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Hyeongji Choi
is this year's Clara Wells Senior Division Fellow, and she is currently enrolled in the DMA program at Arizona State University, where she
studies with Baruch Meir. A native of Korea, she
began studying piano at the age of 8 and she has now devoted 21 years to intensive musical
training. She received her undergraduate degree from Seoul National University under the guidance
of Prof. Aviram Reichert, and subsequently pursued her Master’s degree at Arizona State
with Dr. Meir. Alongside traditional performance experiences, including an
appearance at Carnegie Hall, she has been honored with a Bösendorfer Piano Competition
Special Award, as the winner of the MTNA Southwest Region Young Artist Performance Competition,
with the Burns Scholarship, and with the James Ruccolo Piano Scholarship at ASU.
Building upon these recognitions, she has increasingly devoted herself to designing curated recital
projects such as "Korean Cultural Soundscape," "Scent of Sound," and "Resonance of Words and
Notes." These concerts were intentionally created to move beyond technical display and instead
foster audience engagement, cultural dialogue, and emotional connection. Her goal has been to
offer performances that create a special memory and a sense of healing—inviting reflection,
participation, and shared experience.
Although she was not initially trained with direct knowledge of Tobias Matthay’s work, her pianistic
development has naturally aligned with many of his principles. Through disciplined study, she has now learned
to prioritize refined listening, balanced arm weight, and timing that feels breath-like and
natural rather than mechanical. Encountering Matthay’s writings later in her journey felt less like
adopting a new method and more like discovering a language which she had long been seeking, with
the ear as guide, the arm as an expressive mechanism, and coordinated movement as the
source of tonal beauty.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Wendy Freeland
is a Distinguished
Professor of
Music at Jacksonville State University. She completed degrees at the University of South Carolina and
Florida Atlantic University. She enjoys performing as soloist and collaborative artist, and has performed
at various universities and conferences. Recent performances include solo piano and chamber music by
Francis Poulenc at Shorter University, a program of solo works shared with Karen Walwyn at Albion
University, and a concert of eighteenth-century works for the Southeastern American Society for
Eighteenth-Century Studies Conference. At her university she has been the recipient of the "Faculty
Research Award" several times, and was honored to receive the Cleo and Carla Thomas Outstanding
Education/Service Award in 2022. She organizes the annual Foothills Piano Festival, directs the
JSU Music Academy, and is a Past President of the Alabama Music Teachers Association. She
currently serves as the Vice President for the American Matthay Association, and holds memberships
in Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Kappa Lambda, The American Matthay Association, the Music Teachers National
Association, the World Piano
Teachers Association, and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Wendy Freeland
is a Distinguished
Professor of
Music at Jacksonville State University. She completed degrees at the University of South Carolina and
Florida Atlantic University. She enjoys performing as soloist and collaborative artist, and has performed
at various universities and conferences. Recent performances include solo piano and chamber music by
Francis Poulenc at Shorter University, a program of solo works shared with Karen Walwyn at Albion
University, and a concert of eighteenth-century works for the Southeastern American Society for
Eighteenth-Century Studies Conference. At her university she has been the recipient of the "Faculty
Research Award" several times, and was honored to receive the Cleo and Carla Thomas Outstanding
Education/Service Award in 2022. She organizes the annual Foothills Piano Festival, directs the
JSU Music Academy, and is a Past President of the Alabama Music Teachers Association. She
currently serves as the Vice President for the American Matthay Association, and holds memberships
in Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Kappa Lambda, The American Matthay Association, the Music Teachers National
Association, the World Piano
Teachers Association, and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Robert Henry
has been hailed as "a consummate artist—brilliant, formidable, effortless, and the epitome of control and poise."
He is an internationally distinguished musician, winning universal acclaim as orchestral soloist, recitalist, accompanist, chamber musician, and choral director.
Career highlights include 2002 solo debut recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall, with critics praising his "flawless technique, smooth and limpid
phrasing, exciting programming." He has presented concert tours of the U.S., England, Nova Scotia, Russia, Italy, Czech-Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, and Poland. He has appeared
with such notable conductors as Robert Spano, Donald Runnicles, Michael Palmer, and Stefan Sanderling. He has presented recitals with the Pacifica Quartet, cellist Zuill Bailey,
soprano Mary Ann Hart, and tenor Sergio Blasquez. In response to Hurricane Katrina, he coordinated and performed in the 2006 "Pianists for New Orleans" tour of the United States,
raising more than $100,000 for the city.
Early in his career, Dr. Henry enjoyed phenomenal success, ultimately winning the Gold Medal in four International Piano Competitions. On three occasions, juries have spontaneously
created special prizes to honor his performances, including "Best Performance of a 20th-Century Work" and "Best Performance of a Commissioned Work."
In 2010, Dr. Henry released his debut recording, Twelve Nocturnes and a Waltz. The album is a collection of some of the world's best-loved melodies, including the world premiere of
Alexei Stanchinsky's forgotten Nocturne from 1907. Dr. Henry was also winner of two 2010 Telly Awards for the documentary about his recording experience. He is regularly heard on NPR's
Performance Today and The Atlanta Music Scene.
Dr. Henry produced the world premiere recording of Brahms's recently discovered "Albumblatt," available now on iTunes as a single. This track is included in the album As the Songbird
Sings: Music of Schubert and Brahms, released in 2016. Dr. Henry was joined by violinist Helen Kim in a world premiere recording of Romance and Dance by Chen Yi for Centaur Records.
He has also arranged and performed Faure's "Pie Jesu" for the Atlanta Boy Choir for the film Captain America: Civil War (2016). In 2022, he released a music video with The
Atlanta Boy Choir entitled America, the Beautiful: One Nation (2022). Dr. Henry released a live recording of Scarlatti, Schubert, and Rachmaninoff (2024) under the ACA Digital label.
Robert Henry
has been hailed as "a consummate artist—brilliant, formidable, effortless, and the epitome of control and poise."
He is an internationally distinguished musician, winning universal acclaim as orchestral soloist, recitalist, accompanist, chamber musician, and choral director.
Career highlights include 2002 solo debut recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall, with critics praising his "flawless technique, smooth and limpid
phrasing, exciting programming." He has presented concert tours of the U.S., England, Nova Scotia, Russia, Italy, Czech-Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, and Poland. He has appeared
with such notable conductors as Robert Spano, Donald Runnicles, Michael Palmer, and Stefan Sanderling. He has presented recitals with the Pacifica Quartet, cellist Zuill Bailey,
soprano Mary Ann Hart, and tenor Sergio Blasquez. In response to Hurricane Katrina, he coordinated and performed in the 2006 "Pianists for New Orleans" tour of the United States,
raising more than $100,000 for the city.
Early in his career, Dr. Henry enjoyed phenomenal success, ultimately winning the Gold Medal in four International Piano Competitions. On three occasions, juries have spontaneously
created special prizes to honor his performances, including "Best Performance of a 20th-Century Work" and "Best Performance of a Commissioned Work."
In 2010, Dr. Henry released his debut recording, Twelve Nocturnes and a Waltz. The album is a collection of some of the world's best-loved melodies, including the world premiere of
Alexei Stanchinsky's forgotten Nocturne from 1907. Dr. Henry was also winner of two 2010 Telly Awards for the documentary about his recording experience. He is regularly heard on NPR's
Performance Today and The Atlanta Music Scene.
Dr. Henry produced the world premiere recording of Brahms's recently discovered "Albumblatt," available now on iTunes as a single. This track is included in the album As the Songbird
Sings: Music of Schubert and Brahms, released in 2016. Dr. Henry was joined by violinist Helen Kim in a world premiere recording of Romance and Dance by Chen Yi for Centaur Records.
He has also arranged and performed Faure's "Pie Jesu" for the Atlanta Boy Choir for the film Captain America: Civil War (2016). In 2022, he released a music video with The
Atlanta Boy Choir entitled America, the Beautiful: One Nation (2022). Dr. Henry released a live recording of Scarlatti, Schubert, and Rachmaninoff (2024) under the ACA Digital label.
Alongside his contributions as pianist and educator, Dr. Henry's multifaceted career includes much choral and vocal work, as well as many decades of service to
the liturgical arts. He attended the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts and eventually double-majored in piano and voice at Kennesaw State University, where he studied with
David Watkins.
Since then, he has performed with numerous choirs around the world, both as director and accompanist. In 1997, Dr. Henry began his relationship with the Grammy award-winning Atlanta Boy
Choir, serving as Assistant Director and Accompanist to the choir's founding director, Maestro Fletcher Wolfe. In 2019, Dr. Henry was appointed Artistic Director of The Atlanta Boy Choir.
Dr. Henry earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland, where he stiudied with the late Anne Koscielny, and pursued additional studies at the Cleveland Institute
of Music and the Glinka Conservatory in St. Petersburg,
Russia. As an educator and pedagogue, Dr. Henry presents lectures, masterclasses, residencies, and youth concerts at universities and conservatories around the world, and he has been featured
in The American Music Teacher, Gramophone, and Clavier. He has served as recitalist, clinician, and juror for state, regional, and national MTNA conventions and competitions.
He proudly
serves as a tenured professor of Music and Coordinator of the Piano Area at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, GA. In 2023, Dr. Henry joined the faculty of the Adamant Music School, a summer
music festival in Vermont.
He is a founding member of the Summit Piano Trio. Now in their eighteenth season, the Summit Piano Trio made their Carnegie Hall debut in December, 2025.
Robert lives in historic Marietta, GA with his wife (Melissa) and his son (Lucas). A Steinway artist, he is represented by Parker Artists, New York, and his website is roberthenry.org.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Dora Yuru Jin
is a pianist and emerging pedagogue currently completing the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas. Her research centers
on performer-centered analysis and pianistic technique, with particular focus on Clara
Schumann's four-hand arrangement of Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet, Op. 44,
examining authorship, collaborative embodiment, and pedagogical implications.
Jin has taught applied piano, group piano, and hybrid remote pedagogy using Yamaha
Disklavier technology under Dr. Scott McBride Smith. She is the founder of Jin Piano
Academy, where she has mentored over 100 students internationally. As both performer and
scholar, she integrates technical analysis, historical awareness, and collaborative
musicianship into her pedagogical approach.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Dora Yuru Jin
is a pianist and emerging pedagogue currently completing the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas. Her research centers
on performer-centered analysis and pianistic technique, with particular focus on Clara
Schumann's four-hand arrangement of Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet, Op. 44,
examining authorship, collaborative embodiment, and pedagogical implications.
Jin has taught applied piano, group piano, and hybrid remote pedagogy using Yamaha
Disklavier technology under Dr. Scott McBride Smith. She is the founder of Jin Piano
Academy, where she has mentored over 100 students internationally. As both performer and
scholar, she integrates technical analysis, historical awareness, and collaborative
musicianship into her pedagogical approach.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Thomas Lanners
has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist and clinician throughout the U.S. and abroad, presenting his
New York solo debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2004. His performances have been broadcast nationally and internationally on programs such as American Public Media's Performance
Today, BBC3 in London and RTé Radio 1's Sunday Miscellany in Ireland, among many others. He was designated the 2014 Distinguished Music Teacher by the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association and
was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in 2021.
Thomas has performed, presented master classes, and given lectures on various musical topics as a guest artist throughout the United States, in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia. In recent
summers he has served on the faculties of the Shanghai International Piano Festival and Institute (in both 2018 and 2023), the Conero and AmiCaFest Piano Festivals in Italy, the 2025 OpusOne
International Music Festival in California, and the 2024 International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival in Colorado. Within the past five years, he's performed and/or presented master classes at
Rice University, Florida State University, the University of Washington, at Yonsei University in Seoul, in China at the Sichuan, Shanghai and Zhejiang Conservatories, the Shanghai Conservatory
Middle School, and East China and Beijing Normal Universities, and in Mexico at the Unidad Académica de Artes de la Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas. Thomas served as a performer, teacher, and
adjudicator at the Lee University International Piano Festival and Competition in Tennessee in 2021, having also been one of the three guest artists in 2012. He gave a master class on the NYU
Steinhardt School of Music's Piano Artist Master Class Series in 2012.
Other institutions he has visited as a guest artist include the Eastman School of Music, the Universities of Texas-Austin, Colorado-Boulder, North Texas, Miami, South Carolina, Oklahoma,
Western Ontario (Canada), and Iowa; Northwestern, Syracuse, Louisiana State, Southern Methodist, and Baylor Universities.
His latest recording, Ned Rorem: Piano Works, Volume 2, was released worldwide by Centaur Records. The disc received great critical praise, including this from the Cleveland Plain
Dealer:
"Thomas Lanners brings exceptional detail and urgency to the repertoire, taking as much care with inner voices as he does with arching statements. Grade: A." An American Record Guide
review of
Thomas's previous CD, Ned Rorem: The Three Piano Sonatas, read: "Anyone who cares about mainstream 20th-Century piano music should seek out this superlative recording." Links to three
tracks on
the recording were included in Sunday New York Times articles in 2018 and 2022, on the occasion of Rorem's 95th birthday and then as a tribute soon after his death. In a review of Lanners's
recording of Leonard Bernstein's solo piano works, Jed Distler wrote for ClassicsToday.com: "All told, Lanners' loving mastery easily holds its own in any company. Warmly recommended." His
championing of American piano music was the topic of an interview article in a 2010 issue of Fanfare.
Thomas Lanners
has appeared as a solo and collaborative pianist and clinician throughout the U.S. and abroad, presenting his
New York solo debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2004. His performances have been broadcast nationally and internationally on programs such as American Public Media's Performance
Today, BBC3 in London and RTé Radio 1's Sunday Miscellany in Ireland, among many others. He was designated the 2014 Distinguished Music Teacher by the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association and
was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in 2021.
Thomas has performed, presented master classes, and given lectures on various musical topics as a guest artist throughout the United States, in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia. In recent
summers he has served on the faculties of the Shanghai International Piano Festival and Institute (in both 2018 and 2023), the Conero and AmiCaFest Piano Festivals in Italy, the 2025 OpusOne
International Music Festival in California, and the 2024 International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival in Colorado. Within the past five years, he's performed and/or presented master classes at
Rice University, Florida State University, the University of Washington, at Yonsei University in Seoul, in China at the Sichuan, Shanghai and Zhejiang Conservatories, the Shanghai Conservatory
Middle School, and East China and Beijing Normal Universities, and in Mexico at the Unidad Académica de Artes de la Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas. Thomas served as a performer, teacher, and
adjudicator at the Lee University International Piano Festival and Competition in Tennessee in 2021, having also been one of the three guest artists in 2012. He gave a master class on the NYU
Steinhardt School of Music's Piano Artist Master Class Series in 2012.
Other institutions he has visited as a guest artist include the Eastman School of Music, the Universities of Texas-Austin, Colorado-Boulder, North Texas, Miami, South Carolina, Oklahoma,
Western Ontario (Canada), and Iowa; Northwestern, Syracuse, Louisiana State, Southern Methodist, and Baylor Universities.
His latest recording, Ned Rorem: Piano Works, Volume 2, was released worldwide by Centaur Records. The disc received great critical praise, including this from the Cleveland Plain
Dealer:
"Thomas Lanners brings exceptional detail and urgency to the repertoire, taking as much care with inner voices as he does with arching statements. Grade: A." An American Record Guide
review of
Thomas's previous CD, Ned Rorem: The Three Piano Sonatas, read: "Anyone who cares about mainstream 20th-Century piano music should seek out this superlative recording." Links to three
tracks on
the recording were included in Sunday New York Times articles in 2018 and 2022, on the occasion of Rorem's 95th birthday and then as a tribute soon after his death. In a review of Lanners's
recording of Leonard Bernstein's solo piano works, Jed Distler wrote for ClassicsToday.com: "All told, Lanners' loving mastery easily holds its own in any company. Warmly recommended." His
championing of American piano music was the topic of an interview article in a 2010 issue of Fanfare.
Thomas is an active writer on musical topics, with several feature articles, column contributions and reviews published in The American Music Teacher, most recently in 2024. His writing has also
been published in Piano Magazine, with a feature article appearing in the Winter 2024 issue, Clavier and Canadian Music Teacher, among others. Always in demand as a clinician,
he has presented
many sessions at national and international conferences, including six appearances at the Music Teachers National Association (most recently in 2025) and three at the China International Piano
Pedagogy Conference, hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory, which boasted 850,000 online attendees in 2021. Thomas has served as a juror in state, division, and national MTNA competitions, and
for numerous international piano competitions based in North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
Lanners's students have been accepted into graduate piano performance degree programs at the Eastman School of Music, the Universities of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Southern California,
Washington, Kansas, Missouri-Kansas City, Minnesota, the Manhattan and Mannes Schools of Music, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. They have had success in numerous competitions,
winning Oklahoma Music Teachers Association Collegiate competitions (including 16 first place winners and numerous runners-up), 6 state winners in the MTNA Senior Artist competitions, 3 MTNA
Young Artist winners (plus a national finalist in the String Chamber Music category), and 2 MTNA Junior winners. His students were named Alternate (Second Place) for the South Central Division
four times since 2017. Seven of his students have won the OSU Symphony Orchestra's annual Concerto Competition in the past four years alone.
Lanners was the 2021 recipient of the Wise-Diggs-Berry Endowed Award for excellence in the visual, performance or written arts at OSU, and a 2022 recipient of the OSU Regents Distinguished
Research Award, presented each year to one arts and humanities faculty member at the university.
Thomas received his Master's and Doctoral degrees from the Eastman School as a student of Barry Snyder. He earned his Bachelor of Music
degree summa cum laude as a student of Leonidas
Lipovetsky at Florida State University, where he won the Brautlecht Award as the School's Outstanding Rising Senior. He also studied under John Perry at the Aspen Music Festival and Jerome
Lowenthal at the Music Academy of the West. He is Professor Emeritus of Piano at Oklahoma State University.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Jim Lees
has had a long but interrupted affiliation
with the Matthay Association. In 1971, while a student of Donald Hageman, he was the recipient of the first Clara Wells
award. He was awarded the prize again in 1974. For the next ten years or so, Jim was active in the Association's annual
festivals, and highlights for him included playing recitals in Toronto and San Jose. In 1976 he became the principal
pianist for the San Francisco Ballet which gave him opportunities to perform as a piano soloist at numerous venues including
Wolf Trap, Blossom Center, the Edinburgh Festival, and the White House. However, in the mid-80's he went through a period of
disillusionment with the music "business" and abruptly decided to move to Las Vegas to become a poker dealer. After a few years,
though, he hit an emotional and spiritual bottom. The silver lining, though, is that he became a believer in Jesus Christ. This
newfound faith became the impetus for him to return to the piano seriously about 30 years later, around 2014, in Chattanooga,
Tennessee. In that endeavor he has been helped greatly by the piano teachers Steven Wilber, Cahill Smith, and currently, Lynn
Worcester Jones. In 2018 he had the great privilege of presenting a recital at the Matthay festival in Jackson, Tennessee. He has been
active since and is sincerely grateful to be back. He has been employed as a waiter at St. John's Restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. for the past 20 years.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Jim Lees
has had a long but interrupted affiliation
with the Matthay Association. In 1971, while a student of Donald Hageman, he was the recipient of the first Clara Wells
award. He was awarded the prize again in 1974. For the next ten years or so, Jim was active in the Association's annual
festivals, and highlights for him included playing recitals in Toronto and San Jose. In 1976 he became the principal
pianist for the San Francisco Ballet which gave him opportunities to perform as a piano soloist at numerous venues including
Wolf Trap, Blossom Center, the Edinburgh Festival, and the White House. However, in the mid-80's he went through a period of
disillusionment with the music "business" and abruptly decided to move to Las Vegas to become a poker dealer. After a few years,
though, he hit an emotional and spiritual bottom. The silver lining, though, is that he became a believer in Jesus Christ. This
newfound faith became the impetus for him to return to the piano seriously about 30 years later, around 2014, in Chattanooga,
Tennessee. In that endeavor he has been helped greatly by the piano teachers Steven Wilber, Cahill Smith, and currently, Lynn
Worcester Jones. In 2018 he had the great privilege of presenting a recital at the Matthay festival in Jackson, Tennessee. He has been
active since and is sincerely grateful to be back. He has been employed as a waiter at St. John's Restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. for the past 20 years.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Tiantian Liang
is a pianist, organist, harpsichordist, and educator whose work bridges performance,
scholarship, and advocacy. An active proponent of contemporary music and diverse composers, her performances and presentations embrace both established and underrepresented voices.
As a scholar and educator, Liang engages varied audiences through lecture-recitals and presentations that explore repertoire, pedagogy, and artistic practice. Her work has been
featured at national and regional conferences. Upcoming presentations include exploring works by underrepresented composers for the 2026 MTNA National Conference, as well as a session on the use of online platforms in piano teaching at the 2025 National Conference of The College Music Society.
Liang is Assistant Teaching Professor of Piano at Northern Arizona University. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, along with additional degrees from Indiana University, Rice University, and Concordia College.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Tiantian Liang
is a pianist, organist, harpsichordist, and educator whose work bridges performance, scholarship, and advocacy. An active proponent of contemporary music and diverse composers, her performances and presentations embrace both established and underrepresented voices. As a scholar and educator, Liang engages varied audiences through lecture-recitals and presentations that explore repertoire, pedagogy, and artistic practice. Her work has been featured at national and regional conferences. Upcoming presentations include exploring works by underrepresented composers for the 2026 MTNA National Conference, as well as a session on the use of online platforms in piano teaching at the 2025 National Conference of The College Music Society. Liang is Assistant Teaching Professor of Piano at Northern Arizona University. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, along with additional degrees from Indiana University, Rice University, and Concordia College.Back to AMA Festival Program
Terry McRoberts
is a past President of the American Matthay Association for Piano, a former
editor of the Matthay News, and currently serves as the Association's Secretary. A native of Ohio, he retired from teaching at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, in 2024, and resides in Denton, Texas. He taught piano, organ, and related courses, and served as University Organist, University Carilloneur, Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, and Coordinator of Concerts and Recitals. Previously, he taught at Blue Mountain Christian University. He holds degrees from Manchester, Youngstown State, and Ball State universities. He was principal pianist with the Jackson Symphony for 20 years, and served Presbyterian and United Methodist churches as organist. Currently he remains active by performing, adjudicating, and substituting in churches.
McRoberts has been active in the American Matthay Association for piano for 40 years, and in addition to his services as an office holder, he has presented sessions on a variety of topics at numerous festivals. He served as president of the Southern Chapter of the College Music Society, and Tennessee Music Teachers Association, received the Distinguished Service Award from TMTA and the Matthay Association, and Teacher of the Year from TMTA.
He has made presentations for various other professional organizations including Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, Society for American Music, Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations on various topics including the use of silence in music, Chinese piano music, the Second Year of Pilgrimage by Liszt, Chen Yi, Heinrich Pfitzner, Harriet Cohen, and the teaching of Tobias Matthay.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Gordon Marsh
received his B.M. in piano from the Eastman School of Music, his M.F.A. in composition
from the University of California, Irvine, and his Ph.D. in composition from the University of Chicago. Originally from Southern California, he studied piano with Lucille
Straub and composition with the late Roy Harris. In 1976, he was a recipient of the Los Angeles Young Artists Foundation Scholarship and was a finalist for the Debut Award.
While at Eastman, he received both the José Echaniz Prize and the Ethel Lannin Prize for his performances, studying with Frank Glazer and Cécile Genhart. At Chicago, his
composition teachers included John Eaton, Shulamit Ran, and Ralph Shapey. In 1996, Dr. Marsh joined the faculty of the Fine Arts Department at Roanoke College, where he
has offered various courses in theory, composition, music history, world music, and the humanities. He spent his 2003–2004 sabbatical in residency at the Cité Internationale des
Arts in Paris, during which time he completed professional training workshops in computer music at IRCAM; he was subsequently selected to return for a summer residency in 2007.
In 2005, he offered Roanoke College's first course in computer music and also taught two Max/MSP courses. Installations of his sound art have been exhibited in France, Germany,
and the United States. Marsh is a member of ASCAP and currently serves on the board of the American Matthay Association. As a member of the College Music Society,
he has presented his instrumental compositions at the CMS Mid-Atlantic regional conference. His article, "Shapey at the Piano: Evolution of a Style," appeared in the Winter
2015 issue of American Music, and his "Schnittke's Polystylistic Schemata: Textural Progression in the Concerti Grossi" appeared in Schnittke Studies (2017). His recent research,
which focuses on the application of statistical and transformational analyses to the phenomenology of recorded Chopin performances, will be forthcoming in the proceedings of the
Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music's "Translating Music #1: The Idea of a Musical Work and Its Transformations" conference in Lodz, Poland.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Terry McRoberts
is a past President of the American Matthay Association for Piano, a former editor of the Matthay News, and currently serves as the Association's Secretary. A native of Ohio, he retired from teaching at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, in 2024, and resides in Denton, Texas. He taught piano, organ, and related courses, and served as University Organist, University Carilloneur, Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, and Coordinator of Concerts and Recitals. Previously, he taught at Blue Mountain Christian University. He holds degrees from Manchester, Youngstown State, and Ball State universities. He was principal pianist with the Jackson Symphony for 20 years, and served Presbyterian and United Methodist churches as organist. Currently he remains active by performing, adjudicating, and substituting in churches. McRoberts has been active in the American Matthay Association for piano for 40 years, and in addition to his services as an office holder, he has presented sessions on a variety of topics at numerous festivals. He served as president of the Southern Chapter of the College Music Society, and Tennessee Music Teachers Association, received the Distinguished Service Award from TMTA and the Matthay Association, and Teacher of the Year from TMTA. He has made presentations for various other professional organizations including Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, Society for American Music, Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations on various topics including the use of silence in music, Chinese piano music, the Second Year of Pilgrimage by Liszt, Chen Yi, Heinrich Pfitzner, Harriet Cohen, and the teaching of Tobias Matthay.Back to AMA Festival Program
Gordon Marsh
received his B.M. in piano from the Eastman School of Music, his M.F.A. in composition
from the University of California, Irvine, and his Ph.D. in composition from the University of Chicago. Originally from Southern California, he studied piano with Lucille
Straub and composition with the late Roy Harris. In 1976, he was a recipient of the Los Angeles Young Artists Foundation Scholarship and was a finalist for the Debut Award.
While at Eastman, he received both the José Echaniz Prize and the Ethel Lannin Prize for his performances, studying with Frank Glazer and Cécile Genhart. At Chicago, his
composition teachers included John Eaton, Shulamit Ran, and Ralph Shapey. In 1996, Dr. Marsh joined the faculty of the Fine Arts Department at Roanoke College, where he
has offered various courses in theory, composition, music history, world music, and the humanities. He spent his 2003–2004 sabbatical in residency at the Cité Internationale des
Arts in Paris, during which time he completed professional training workshops in computer music at IRCAM; he was subsequently selected to return for a summer residency in 2007.
In 2005, he offered Roanoke College's first course in computer music and also taught two Max/MSP courses. Installations of his sound art have been exhibited in France, Germany,
and the United States. Marsh is a member of ASCAP and currently serves on the board of the American Matthay Association. As a member of the College Music Society,
he has presented his instrumental compositions at the CMS Mid-Atlantic regional conference. His article, "Shapey at the Piano: Evolution of a Style," appeared in the Winter
2015 issue of American Music, and his "Schnittke's Polystylistic Schemata: Textural Progression in the Concerti Grossi" appeared in Schnittke Studies (2017). His recent research,
which focuses on the application of statistical and transformational analyses to the phenomenology of recorded Chopin performances, will be forthcoming in the proceedings of the
Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music's "Translating Music #1: The Idea of a Musical Work and Its Transformations" conference in Lodz, Poland.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Gordon Marsh
received his B.M. in piano from the Eastman School of Music, his M.F.A. in composition from the University of California, Irvine, and his Ph.D. in composition from the University of Chicago. Originally from Southern California, he studied piano with Lucille Straub and composition with the late Roy Harris. In 1976, he was a recipient of the Los Angeles Young Artists Foundation Scholarship and was a finalist for the Debut Award. While at Eastman, he received both the José Echaniz Prize and the Ethel Lannin Prize for his performances, studying with Frank Glazer and Cécile Genhart. At Chicago, his composition teachers included John Eaton, Shulamit Ran, and Ralph Shapey. In 1996, Dr. Marsh joined the faculty of the Fine Arts Department at Roanoke College, where he has offered various courses in theory, composition, music history, world music, and the humanities. He spent his 2003–2004 sabbatical in residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, during which time he completed professional training workshops in computer music at IRCAM; he was subsequently selected to return for a summer residency in 2007. In 2005, he offered Roanoke College's first course in computer music and also taught two Max/MSP courses. Installations of his sound art have been exhibited in France, Germany, and the United States. Marsh is a member of ASCAP and currently serves on the board of the American Matthay Association. As a member of the College Music Society, he has presented his instrumental compositions at the CMS Mid-Atlantic regional conference. His article, "Shapey at the Piano: Evolution of a Style," appeared in the Winter 2015 issue of American Music, and his "Schnittke's Polystylistic Schemata: Textural Progression in the Concerti Grossi" appeared in Schnittke Studies (2017). His recent research, which focuses on the application of statistical and transformational analyses to the phenomenology of recorded Chopin performances, will be forthcoming in the proceedings of the Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music's "Translating Music #1: The Idea of a Musical Work and Its Transformations" conference in Lodz, Poland.Back to AMA Festival Program
Joshua Painter
is a versatile pianist who specializes in rare music by composers such as
Leo Ornstein, Alexei Stanchinsky, Josef Suk, Max Reger, and Maurice Emmanuel. With recital
programs balancing obscure works with better-known repertoire, Mr. Painter sheds light on
music off the beaten path that deserves to be heard alongside the classics. He recently performed
Leo Ornstein's Nocturne No. 1, which has one extant recording, and premiered two movements
from composer Cody Raymes's piano suite Ruminations.
As soloist, he has performed in masterclasses for esteemed artists including Kenneth
Broberg, Sean Chen, Martin Katz, and Asaf Zohar. He also won 1st and 2nd prizes at the Texas
Music Teachers Association competition for five consecutive years. In addition to his solo
endeavors, Mr. Painter is an adept collaborator. He served as a graduate assistant in collaborative
piano for three years including one season with University of South Carolina's opera program as
staging pianist and orchestra keyboardist. For his exemplary work, he was presented with the
school of music's ensemble accompanying award.
Mr. Painter currently teaches music theory and aural skills as a graduate assistant at the
University of South Carolina where he is about to enter the final year of his DMA in piano
performance under the tutelage of Dr. Nicholas Susi. He received his MM from Baylor
University, where he studied with Dr. Terry Lynn Hudson, and his BM from University of
Houston, where he studied with Nancy Weems and Dr. Andrew Staupe.
An interesting fact about Mr. Painter is that he experiences grapheme-color synesthesia, a
neurological phenomenon that causes letters, numbers, musical notation, and piano keys to
trigger specific colors in his mind's eye, making his last name slightly less ironic for a musician.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Joshua Painter
is a versatile pianist who specializes in rare music by composers such as Leo Ornstein, Alexei Stanchinsky, Josef Suk, Max Reger, and Maurice Emmanuel. With recital programs balancing obscure works with better-known repertoire, Mr. Painter sheds light on music off the beaten path that deserves to be heard alongside the classics. He recently performed Leo Ornstein's Nocturne No. 1, which has one extant recording, and premiered two movements from composer Cody Raymes's piano suite Ruminations. As soloist, he has performed in masterclasses for esteemed artists including Kenneth Broberg, Sean Chen, Martin Katz, and Asaf Zohar. He also won 1st and 2nd prizes at the Texas Music Teachers Association competition for five consecutive years. In addition to his solo endeavors, Mr. Painter is an adept collaborator. He served as a graduate assistant in collaborative piano for three years including one season with University of South Carolina's opera program as staging pianist and orchestra keyboardist. For his exemplary work, he was presented with the school of music's ensemble accompanying award. Mr. Painter currently teaches music theory and aural skills as a graduate assistant at the University of South Carolina where he is about to enter the final year of his DMA in piano performance under the tutelage of Dr. Nicholas Susi. He received his MM from Baylor University, where he studied with Dr. Terry Lynn Hudson, and his BM from University of Houston, where he studied with Nancy Weems and Dr. Andrew Staupe. An interesting fact about Mr. Painter is that he experiences grapheme-color synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that causes letters, numbers, musical notation, and piano keys to trigger specific colors in his mind's eye, making his last name slightly less ironic for a musician.Back to AMA Festival Program
Mary Pendleton-Hoffer
has performed solo recitals, with chamber ensembles and with orchestras in the U.S., Europe and Mexico. She began playing the piano at the age of two, studying with her father,
and made her piano debut at Wigmore Hall in London. During 20 years as Orchestral Keyboardist with the Phoenix Symphony and the Florida Orchestra, she performed solo concerti on piano,
harpsichord, and fortepiano, major orchestral and oratorio literature, jazz, and even the music of Frank Zappa. Her discography includes five recordings with those orchestras.
Mary's chamber music experiences include performances with clarinetist David Shifrin and friends, with the Phoenix Chamber Music Society Winter Festivals. In Arizona, she has been a
member of Bach West, Bel Canto Piano Trio, the Bel Canto Players and, in Florida, with the Phoenix Ensemble, The Florida Orchestra Chamber Players, and the Myakka River Piano Trio; the
latter group recorded music by Haydn, Gaspar Cassadó, Gwenneth Walker and Astor Piazzolla. Festival appearances have included Chamber Music Sedona, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and
Park City International Chamber Music Festival. Mary also enjoys accompanying singers in art song; for thirty years she performed recitals with her husband, tenor Warren Hoffer, who
specialized in the British song.
Mary holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Texas Tech University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from ASU. Her dissertation, The Orchestral Keyboard, a guide for
pianists, is based on her experience. She earned performance diplomas from both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, London. She has taught at Texas Tech University,
Arizona State University, and in the Maricopa Community College District. She is also an Earth and Planetary Geologist, holding a Master of Science degree from the School of Earth and Space
Exploration at ASU. Her thesis examined aeolian features on the surface of Mars, using data from the NASA Spirit Rover. She is a former President of the American Matthay Association for Piano
(2015-2018), and is the current Editor of The Matthay News. In her most recent incarnation, she is working toward a Master of Music degree in organ performance, studying at ASU with
world-renowned concert organist and music historian, Dr. Kimberly Marshall.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Mary Pendleton-Hoffer
has performed solo recitals, with chamber ensembles and with orchestras in the U.S., Europe and Mexico. She began playing the piano at the age of two, studying with her father, and made her piano debut at Wigmore Hall in London. During 20 years as Orchestral Keyboardist with the Phoenix Symphony and the Florida Orchestra, she performed solo concerti on piano, harpsichord, and fortepiano, major orchestral and oratorio literature, jazz, and even the music of Frank Zappa. Her discography includes five recordings with those orchestras. Mary's chamber music experiences include performances with clarinetist David Shifrin and friends, with the Phoenix Chamber Music Society Winter Festivals. In Arizona, she has been a member of Bach West, Bel Canto Piano Trio, the Bel Canto Players and, in Florida, with the Phoenix Ensemble, The Florida Orchestra Chamber Players, and the Myakka River Piano Trio; the latter group recorded music by Haydn, Gaspar Cassadó, Gwenneth Walker and Astor Piazzolla. Festival appearances have included Chamber Music Sedona, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and Park City International Chamber Music Festival. Mary also enjoys accompanying singers in art song; for thirty years she performed recitals with her husband, tenor Warren Hoffer, who specialized in the British song. Mary holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Texas Tech University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from ASU. Her dissertation, The Orchestral Keyboard, a guide for pianists, is based on her experience. She earned performance diplomas from both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, London. She has taught at Texas Tech University, Arizona State University, and in the Maricopa Community College District. She is also an Earth and Planetary Geologist, holding a Master of Science degree from the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU. Her thesis examined aeolian features on the surface of Mars, using data from the NASA Spirit Rover. She is a former President of the American Matthay Association for Piano (2015-2018), and is the current Editor of The Matthay News. In her most recent incarnation, she is working toward a Master of Music degree in organ performance, studying at ASU with world-renowned concert organist and music historian, Dr. Kimberly Marshall.Back to AMA Festival Program
Fredrica Phillips
began her piano studies at the age of 2 with her mother, Evelyn
McCann Prior, in the Eastman School Preparatory Department in Rochester, NY. Ms.
Phillips received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman
School of Music. Her artist teachers have included Frank Glazer, Ozan Marsh, and
Patricia Benkman Marsh, and she also coached with Alfred Mouledous and John Perry.
At Eastman, Fredrica was awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate, and she was a
winner of Eastman's concerto competition. As the winner of the 1975 Young Artists in
Recital Piano Competition, she played in recital at Carnegie Recital Hall (now Weill
Recital Hall). She has played recitals, chamber music concerts and performed concertos
with orchestras in Rochester, New York City, Dallas, Atlanta, Michigan, Chicago, and
other cities, performing repertoire such as the Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto,
Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 and Prokofiev Concerto No. 2. Fredrica maintained a
private piano studio in Plano, TX for many years, and was an active member of the Plano
Music Teachers Association, Texas MTA, MTNA, and the American Liszt Society.
Fredrica was honored as a Texas Distinguished Teacher in 2019 and Teacher of the Year
in 2020 by Texas MTA and was named an MTNA Foundation Fellow in 2022. She
currently serves as treasurer for the American Matthay Association. Fredrica also
received an MBA degree from the University of Connecticut. She now lives in the
Boston area after retiring from teaching, with her husband Paul and two cats.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Fredrica Phillips
began her piano studies at the age of 2 with her mother, Evelyn McCann Prior, in the Eastman School Preparatory Department in Rochester, NY. Ms. Phillips received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music. Her artist teachers have included Frank Glazer, Ozan Marsh, and Patricia Benkman Marsh, and she also coached with Alfred Mouledous and John Perry. At Eastman, Fredrica was awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate, and she was a winner of Eastman's concerto competition. As the winner of the 1975 Young Artists in Recital Piano Competition, she played in recital at Carnegie Recital Hall (now Weill Recital Hall). She has played recitals, chamber music concerts and performed concertos with orchestras in Rochester, New York City, Dallas, Atlanta, Michigan, Chicago, and other cities, performing repertoire such as the Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto, Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2 and Prokofiev Concerto No. 2. Fredrica maintained a private piano studio in Plano, TX for many years, and was an active member of the Plano Music Teachers Association, Texas MTA, MTNA, and the American Liszt Society. Fredrica was honored as a Texas Distinguished Teacher in 2019 and Teacher of the Year in 2020 by Texas MTA and was named an MTNA Foundation Fellow in 2022. She currently serves as treasurer for the American Matthay Association. Fredrica also received an MBA degree from the University of Connecticut. She now lives in the Boston area after retiring from teaching, with her husband Paul and two cats.Back to AMA Festival Program
Stephen Siek
is a past President
of the American Matthay Association.
His biography of Matthay, England's Piano Sage:
The Life and Teachings of Tobias Matthay, was published by
Scarecrow Press in December of 2011, and the paperback and Kindle versions were published by the H. W. Marston Press in December of 2020. His highly acclaimed
A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist
was published by Rowman & Littlefield in November 2016, and that imprint has now been absorbed by Bloomsbury.
He has studied with Stewart Gordon,
Donald Hageman,
Frank Mannheimer,
and Denise Lassimonne. He has concertized extensively throughout North
America and in 1986 he performed the 24 preludes of Rachmaninoff in New
York's Lincoln Center. He made his London debut in 1988. His numerous
articles have appeared in such journals as the American Music Teacher, the
Piano
Quarterly, and International Piano, and in the summer 1993 issue of American Music he presented new research
concerning musical figures active in
post-Revolutionary Philadelphia. He is also a
contributor to the Revised New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the new edition of the Grove Dictionary of American Music,
and
his other articles include pieces for the American Musical Instrument Society
Journal,
Symposium (the journal of the College Music Society), the Piano Journal of the European Piano Teachers' Association, and Emeritus Voices, a journal published by Arizona State University.
He has also recently annotated a series of CDs for APR
commemorating Matthay's pupils including Harriet Cohen, Irene Scharrer,
Myra Hess, Bartlett & Robertson, and an extensive collection of rare discs featuring Matthay's own recordings. For the Hyperion label, he has also
annotated Garrick Ohlsson's highly praised disc of the solo works
of Charles Griffes, and he has annotated numerous discs commemorating historic pianists for
for the Deutsche Grammophon and Decca labels, as well as two early collections devoted to Wilhelm Kempff: a set
of electrical recordings for APR (fall 2021), and a 3-CD set of all the pianist's acoustical recordings for
Marston Records (fall 2022).
His own acclaimed recording of
The Philadelphia
Sonatas of Alexander Reinagle (c.1750-1809) was released on the
Titanic label in 1998. A professor emeritus of music
at Wittenberg University in Ohio,
he has also taught numerous courses for Arizona State University, and presently serves as the
Director of ASU's Emeritus College Academy for Continued Learning. He holds
the B. Mus.
and the M. Mus. degrees from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. from the
College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. In May of 2019, he was named an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
He maintains a studio in Tempe, Arizona, and his website is
www.pianosage.net
Back to AMA Festival Program
Stephen Siek
is a past President of the American Matthay Association. His biography of Matthay, England's Piano Sage: The Life and Teachings of Tobias Matthay, was published by Scarecrow Press in December of 2011, and the paperback and Kindle versions were published by the H. W. Marston Press in December of 2020. His highly acclaimed A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist was published by Rowman & Littlefield in November 2016, and that imprint has now been absorbed by Bloomsbury. He has studied with Stewart Gordon, Donald Hageman, Frank Mannheimer, and Denise Lassimonne. He has concertized extensively throughout North America and in 1986 he performed the 24 preludes of Rachmaninoff in New York's Lincoln Center. He made his London debut in 1988. His numerous articles have appeared in such journals as the American Music Teacher, the Piano Quarterly, and International Piano, and in the summer 1993 issue of American Music he presented new research concerning musical figures active in post-Revolutionary Philadelphia. He is also a contributor to the Revised New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the new edition of the Grove Dictionary of American Music, and his other articles include pieces for the American Musical Instrument Society Journal, Symposium (the journal of the College Music Society), the Piano Journal of the European Piano Teachers' Association, and Emeritus Voices, a journal published by Arizona State University. He has also recently annotated a series of CDs for APR commemorating Matthay's pupils including Harriet Cohen, Irene Scharrer, Myra Hess, Bartlett & Robertson, and an extensive collection of rare discs featuring Matthay's own recordings. For the Hyperion label, he has also annotated Garrick Ohlsson's highly praised disc of the solo works of Charles Griffes, and he has annotated numerous discs commemorating historic pianists for for the Deutsche Grammophon and Decca labels, as well as two early collections devoted to Wilhelm Kempff: a set of electrical recordings for APR (fall 2021), and a 3-CD set of all the pianist's acoustical recordings for Marston Records (fall 2022). His own acclaimed recording of The Philadelphia Sonatas of Alexander Reinagle (c.1750-1809) was released on the Titanic label in 1998. A professor emeritus of music at Wittenberg University in Ohio, he has also taught numerous courses for Arizona State University, and presently serves as the Director of ASU's Emeritus College Academy for Continued Learning. He holds the B. Mus. and the M. Mus. degrees from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. In May of 2019, he was named an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London. He maintains a studio in Tempe, Arizona, and his website is www.pianosage.netBack to AMA Festival Program
Ivy Lu Wang
thrives on the versatility of her musical career. As a performing pianist, chamber musician, piano pedagogue, and entrepreneurial leader, she embraces every opportunity to
share her passion for music. She currently serves as an assistant professor of practice in piano pedagogy at the University of Kansas and an adjunct piano professor at Ottawa University.
She studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith at the University of Kansas and graduated in 2019 with honors for her doctoral dissertation, Applying the Rotation Principle to Avoid Injury in
Piano Practice.
Wang's research centers on scientific and healthy approaches to piano technique. This focus was shaped by her personal experience recovering from a left-hand injury in 2013, which
inspired her lifelong commitment to helping injured musicians return to performance. Her scholarly work dates back to her master's studies at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, where
she collaborated with medical researchers on the project How Pianists Coexist with Tenosynovitis, recognized as an honored program at the conservatory and supported by national research
funding. In 2023, she was invited to write a front-page article in Music Weekly, one of China's leading music publications.
In recent years, Wang has been highly active in academic leadership and pedagogy. In 2025, she presented at the national conference of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and
the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). In 2024, she led a workshop on injury prevention at Washburn University and presented at the 66th Matthay Piano Festival. Since 2022,
she has frequently served as an adjudicator for competitions including MMTA, KMTA, KSHSA, and KCMTA.
Prior to her hand injury, Wang won numerous prizes in major international and national competitions. In 2011, she received First Prize in the Professional Division of the Zhong-Sin
International Music Competition in Singapore; her interpretation of Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 109, was praised for its "fluid, seamless touch." Between 2008 and 2012, she earned multiple
provincial First Prizes at China's Yangtze River National Piano Competition and the Blüthner International Piano Competition.
As a performer, she has appeared in China, the United States, Singapore, Italy, and Israel in solo, chamber, and concerto settings, with interests ranging from Baroque harpsichord
performance to contemporary premieres. A visionary leader in piano education, she founded the International Piano Professionals Association (IPPA) in 2019, which now connects thousands
of young pianists and educators across more than thirty countries through competitions, festivals, conferences, and online programs. At heart an idealist, she finds her greatest
fulfillment in inspiring students and shaping the future of piano pedagogy.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Ivy Lu Wang
thrives on the versatility of her musical career. As a performing pianist, chamber musician, piano pedagogue, and entrepreneurial leader, she embraces every opportunity to share her passion for music. She currently serves as an assistant professor of practice in piano pedagogy at the University of Kansas and an adjunct piano professor at Ottawa University. She studied with Dr. Scott McBride Smith at the University of Kansas and graduated in 2019 with honors for her doctoral dissertation, Applying the Rotation Principle to Avoid Injury in Piano Practice. Wang's research centers on scientific and healthy approaches to piano technique. This focus was shaped by her personal experience recovering from a left-hand injury in 2013, which inspired her lifelong commitment to helping injured musicians return to performance. Her scholarly work dates back to her master's studies at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, where she collaborated with medical researchers on the project How Pianists Coexist with Tenosynovitis, recognized as an honored program at the conservatory and supported by national research funding. In 2023, she was invited to write a front-page article in Music Weekly, one of China's leading music publications. In recent years, Wang has been highly active in academic leadership and pedagogy. In 2025, she presented at the national conference of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP). In 2024, she led a workshop on injury prevention at Washburn University and presented at the 66th Matthay Piano Festival. Since 2022, she has frequently served as an adjudicator for competitions including MMTA, KMTA, KSHSA, and KCMTA. Prior to her hand injury, Wang won numerous prizes in major international and national competitions. In 2011, she received First Prize in the Professional Division of the Zhong-Sin International Music Competition in Singapore; her interpretation of Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 109, was praised for its "fluid, seamless touch." Between 2008 and 2012, she earned multiple provincial First Prizes at China's Yangtze River National Piano Competition and the Blüthner International Piano Competition. As a performer, she has appeared in China, the United States, Singapore, Italy, and Israel in solo, chamber, and concerto settings, with interests ranging from Baroque harpsichord performance to contemporary premieres. A visionary leader in piano education, she founded the International Piano Professionals Association (IPPA) in 2019, which now connects thousands of young pianists and educators across more than thirty countries through competitions, festivals, conferences, and online programs. At heart an idealist, she finds her greatest fulfillment in inspiring students and shaping the future of piano pedagogy.Back to AMA Festival Program
Wenqing Wang
is a pianist and piano pedagogue whose work bridges performance, pedagogy, and scholarly research. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from China, which has given her
extensive experience teaching high school music classes. This early training shaped her long-standing interest in curriculum design, technical development, and accessible musical instruction.
She later earned a Master's degree in Piano Performance from the Mannes School of Music, where her studies deepened her engagement with interpretive analysis and pianistic technique. She is
currently pursuing doctoral studies in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Kansas, with additional certification work in Collaborative Piano, integrating performance practice
with research-based teaching methodology.
Her scholarly interests include Franz Liszt's literary influences—particularly the relationship between Liszt's works and the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine—as well as Béla Bartok's
pedagogical and ethnomusicological perspectives. Her research examines how structural, poetic, and folk elements inform technical construction, tone production, and coordinated movement
in piano performance, and how these insights can be translated into practical teaching strategies.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Wenqing Wang
is a pianist and piano pedagogue whose work bridges performance, pedagogy, and scholarly research. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from China, which has given her extensive experience teaching high school music classes. This early training shaped her long-standing interest in curriculum design, technical development, and accessible musical instruction. She later earned a Master's degree in Piano Performance from the Mannes School of Music, where her studies deepened her engagement with interpretive analysis and pianistic technique. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Kansas, with additional certification work in Collaborative Piano, integrating performance practice with research-based teaching methodology. Her scholarly interests include Franz Liszt's literary influences—particularly the relationship between Liszt's works and the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine—as well as Béla Bartok's pedagogical and ethnomusicological perspectives. Her research examines how structural, poetic, and folk elements inform technical construction, tone production, and coordinated movement in piano performance, and how these insights can be translated into practical teaching strategies.Back to AMA Festival Program
Yaqi Wang
is a distinguished pianist, educator, and arts administrator who earned her Doctor
of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Kansas. She also
holds a Graduate Professional Diploma from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, a
Master of Music from Temple University, and a Bachelor of Music from the Tianjin
Conservatory of Music.
An accomplished performer, Dr. Wang has appeared at prestigious venues including Carnegie
Hall, the Curtis Theatre, and the ICMA Music Festival at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Following her Carnegie Hall concert in October 2025, she will participate in a post-concert
conference at Columbia University and perform in an ethnomusicology concert at Cornell
University, where she also serves as an Associate Editor of the Analytical Approaches to World
Music (AAWM) Journal.
A passionate scholar, Dr. Wang has presented at national and international academic conferences
such as the MTNA National Conference, the Matthay Piano Festival, and research forums
associated with the AAWM Conference, sharing her work on piano pedagogy and performance
practice. In May 2025, she was accepted as a Good Standing Member of the American Matthay
Association (AMA), further affirming her active engagement in the piano pedagogy community.
As a dedicated educator, Dr. Wang directs her own piano studio in California, where she
develops curricula for exam preparation, group instruction, and mentorship for young teachers.
She is also recognized as a Steinway & Sons Teacher and Educational Partner.
Her leadership extends to the nonprofit sector. She serves as Vice President of the International
Classical Music Alliance (ICMA) and is the Founder and CEO of Concert Star Organization,
through which she curates global artistic projects including the Clarity Recital in Los Angeles
and the Carnegie Hall International Award Ceremony.
Through her integrated work in performance, pedagogy, research, and arts leadership, Dr. Yaqi
Wang continues to inspire the next generation of musicians while expanding the global reach of classical music.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Yaqi Wang
is a distinguished pianist, educator, and arts administrator who earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Kansas. She also holds a Graduate Professional Diploma from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, a Master of Music from Temple University, and a Bachelor of Music from the Tianjin Conservatory of Music. An accomplished performer, Dr. Wang has appeared at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, the Curtis Theatre, and the ICMA Music Festival at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Following her Carnegie Hall concert in October 2025, she will participate in a post-concert conference at Columbia University and perform in an ethnomusicology concert at Cornell University, where she also serves as an Associate Editor of the Analytical Approaches to World Music (AAWM) Journal. A passionate scholar, Dr. Wang has presented at national and international academic conferences such as the MTNA National Conference, the Matthay Piano Festival, and research forums associated with the AAWM Conference, sharing her work on piano pedagogy and performance practice. In May 2025, she was accepted as a Good Standing Member of the American Matthay Association (AMA), further affirming her active engagement in the piano pedagogy community. As a dedicated educator, Dr. Wang directs her own piano studio in California, where she develops curricula for exam preparation, group instruction, and mentorship for young teachers. She is also recognized as a Steinway & Sons Teacher and Educational Partner. Her leadership extends to the nonprofit sector. She serves as Vice President of the International Classical Music Alliance (ICMA) and is the Founder and CEO of Concert Star Organization, through which she curates global artistic projects including the Clarity Recital in Los Angeles and the Carnegie Hall International Award Ceremony. Through her integrated work in performance, pedagogy, research, and arts leadership, Dr. Yaqi Wang continues to inspire the next generation of musicians while expanding the global reach of classical music.Back to AMA Festival Program
Peiyao Yu
is a formidable keyboard artist with a rare mastery of the piano, organ, and carillon, who has been hailed as "a firecracker at the console." Her international footprint spans China,
Italy, and the United States, with solo and collaborative performances on major stages in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.
An active performer and dedicated advocate for new music, she has given world premieres for composers Eve Beglarian and Lori Laitman. She has appeared as a featured artist at the "SHE"
Festival and New Music on the Point, and formerly served as Creative Advisor for the Asian Classical Music Initiative.
As an organist, Dr. Yu frequently engages in specialized performance projects. Her notable appearances include the French Organ Festival and the Bach in Bales conference at the University
of Kansas. Her commitment to historical repertoire is further highlighted by an extensive Bach project completed during her graduate studies, as well as her role as a featured soloist for
the Reuter Organ Company's 105th Anniversary.
An in-demand collaborator, Dr. Yu works regularly with Opera Italia in Los Angeles. She is also a core member of the Almost Quintet, a chamber ensemble that has performed in New York and
Los Angeles and completed a successful concert tour across Kansas.
A laureate of competitions in Charleston and Italy, Dr. Yu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano and a Master of Music in Church Music (Organ) from the University of Kansas. She earned
a Master of Music from the University of Michigan with a double major in Piano and Chamber Music, having studied under luminaries including Olivier Latry, Jack Winerock, and Arthur Greene.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Peiyao Yu
is a formidable keyboard artist with a rare mastery of the piano, organ, and carillon, who has been hailed as "a firecracker at the console." Her international footprint spans China, Italy, and the United States, with solo and collaborative performances on major stages in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. An active performer and dedicated advocate for new music, she has given world premieres for composers Eve Beglarian and Lori Laitman. She has appeared as a featured artist at the "SHE" Festival and New Music on the Point, and formerly served as Creative Advisor for the Asian Classical Music Initiative. As an organist, Dr. Yu frequently engages in specialized performance projects. Her notable appearances include the French Organ Festival and the Bach in Bales conference at the University of Kansas. Her commitment to historical repertoire is further highlighted by an extensive Bach project completed during her graduate studies, as well as her role as a featured soloist for the Reuter Organ Company's 105th Anniversary. An in-demand collaborator, Dr. Yu works regularly with Opera Italia in Los Angeles. She is also a core member of the Almost Quintet, a chamber ensemble that has performed in New York and Los Angeles and completed a successful concert tour across Kansas. A laureate of competitions in Charleston and Italy, Dr. Yu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano and a Master of Music in Church Music (Organ) from the University of Kansas. She earned a Master of Music from the University of Michigan with a double major in Piano and Chamber Music, having studied under luminaries including Olivier Latry, Jack Winerock, and Arthur Greene.Back to AMA Festival Program
Siyang Yu
is a young British pianist and composer. And now she is UCL Choir Conductor. She holds Master's degrees in Music Performance Science and Music Education, from the Royal College of Music and
the University of Southampton respectively. She studied under professor George Waddell and Professor Rosie Perkins at the Royal College of Music. She has also studied with Professor
Nigel Clayton with piano.
Yu has held concerts in Shanghai, Xi'an, Hefei, Chengdu, London, Oxford and Manchester.
She is the founder of the AI Music Interaction Design Community and "Half lecture half concert".
She is committed to creating a platform that allows music scholars, musicians and music lovers from around the world to freely exchange ideas and communicate. In the
summer of 2025, she will be bringing together musicians, music scholars and music lovers from the Half lecture half concert at the Julian Jacobson music education conference,
the Red Cedar Society academic conference, the IPPA international piano teaching method conference and the MTTA piano teaching association.
She will now be bringing together musicians, music scholars and music lovers from the Rhythm and Practice and AI Music Interaction community to explore new potential and possibilities
in music across cultures and disciplines.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Siyang Yu
is a young British pianist and composer. And now she is UCL Choir Conductor. She holds Master's degrees in Music Performance Science and Music Education, from the Royal College of Music and the University of Southampton respectively. She studied under professor George Waddell and Professor Rosie Perkins at the Royal College of Music. She has also studied with Professor Nigel Clayton with piano. Yu has held concerts in Shanghai, Xi'an, Hefei, Chengdu, London, Oxford and Manchester. She is the founder of the AI Music Interaction Design Community and "Half lecture half concert". She is committed to creating a platform that allows music scholars, musicians and music lovers from around the world to freely exchange ideas and communicate. In the summer of 2025, she will be bringing together musicians, music scholars and music lovers from the Half lecture half concert at the Julian Jacobson music education conference, the Red Cedar Society academic conference, the IPPA international piano teaching method conference and the MTTA piano teaching association. She will now be bringing together musicians, music scholars and music lovers from the Rhythm and Practice and AI Music Interaction community to explore new potential and possibilities in music across cultures and disciplines.Back to AMA Festival Program
Elsha Zhu
is this year's Clara Wells Junior Division Fellow, and now 16, she currently studies with Fabio Bidini at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles.
A native of China, she began her studies working with Jian Wang at the Wuhan Conservatory of Music
and gave her first performance at the age of 8 in Nanchang with the Jiangxi Symphony Orchestra Band. Later she worked with Anaihit Tchaouchian at The Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK. and over
the years she has received many honors, including a full
scholarship (as the youngest student) to the Schaffhauser Master Classes in Switzerland in February 2025.
Her other awards have included Second Prize in the London
International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in 2025 (First Prize withheld), First Prize in the Salzburg International Music Competition in 2024,
and the Silver Prize in the Conero International Piano Competition in Recanati, Italy, in 2021.
Back to AMA Festival Program
Elsha Zhu
is this year's Clara Wells Junior Division Fellow, and now 16, she currently studies with Fabio Bidini at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. A native of China, she began her studies working with Jian Wang at the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and gave her first performance at the age of 8 in Nanchang with the Jiangxi Symphony Orchestra Band. Later she worked with Anaihit Tchaouchian at The Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK. and over the years she has received many honors, including a full scholarship (as the youngest student) to the Schaffhauser Master Classes in Switzerland in February 2025. Her other awards have included Second Prize in the London International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in 2025 (First Prize withheld), First Prize in the Salzburg International Music Competition in 2024, and the Silver Prize in the Conero International Piano Competition in Recanati, Italy, in 2021.Back to AMA Festival Program