Teacher Info

Cancellation Policy

Each month’s lesson payment is due on the first scheduled lesson of the month. 24-hours notice is needed to cancel a lesson with the exception of family emergencies or illness. Make-up lessons will be offered during my normal teaching hours based upon studio availability. Missed/cancelled lessons cannot be refunded except in extreme circumstances. I will inform you of my travel plans and schedule conflicts – you will not be charged for lessons I miss. Lessons missed due to my illness will be made up or refunded. Please cancel lessons if you are sick.

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Curtis Pavey, is a pianist, harpsichordist, and educator in the Cincinnati area. With over ten years of teaching experience, including at the collegiate level, Curtis has a passion for helping musicians of all ages to achieve high levels of musical performance. His studio at Willis Music Kenwood includes students of many backgrounds and ages including adults. In his teaching, Curtis helps students establish long term goals and develops their skills with appropriate repertoire, technique, and music theory instruction.

Currently, Curtis is in the final stages of completing a doctorate in Piano Performance with specialization in Piano Pedagogy and Harpsichord under the tutelage of Professor Emeritus James Tocco and Dr. Michael Unger at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). In 2018, he graduated from the master’s program at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where he majored in Piano Performance and Early Music Harpsichord. He worked with international performers including: Edward Auer, Elisabeth Wright, Evelyne Brancart, and Lee Phillips.

Curtis enjoys an active teaching career. While working on his doctorate, Curtis has held the Graduate Assistantship in Secondary Piano at CCM, teaching private and group piano lessons to undergraduate and graduate music majors and non-majors. Additionally, Curtis is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, regularly presenting at local and national conferences. He served as the 2020-2021 Co-President of the CCM MTNA Chapter. Curtis previously taught music theory as an Associate Instructor at Indiana University, where he taught all of the first year classes in written and aural theory. Additionally, he taught piano at Indiana University Young Pianists, a pre-college program based in Bloomington, Indiana. Curtis’ students are active performers in the community and at local competitions. One of his students won the 2011 Douglas County Stars of Tomorrow Elementary Division in Colorado, claiming $500. Curtis’ studio also includes retirees and adults who take lessons for the joy of playing music.

As a pianist, Curtis has been featured in numerous performances around the country. Curtis gave his debut solo recital at the Oklahoma Mozart Festival in 2012, and was invited back in 2013. He also studied at a summer program held at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he won the 2012 Concerto Competition. In 2016, Curtis had the distinct privilege of performing the Schumann Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 as a winner of the EASPW Chamber Music Competition. In 2017, Curtis was chosen as a winner of the EASPW Solo Competition – Senior Division. In February 2019, Curtis was chosen to perform amongst CCM faculty pianists James Tocco and Dr. Dror Biran in a performance of Stravinsky’s Les Noces. He has performed in master classes for renowned pianists including Julian Martin, Emile Naoumoff, Su Bin, Bruce Brubaker, Olga Kern, and Malcolm Bislon.  He has also privately worked with Jerome Lowenthal, Peter Bithell, Jon Nakamatsu, Crystal Lee, and Amy Yang.

Curtis is also passionate about early music through his harpsichord studies. Curtis was recently accepted to compete in the 2020 Jurow International Harpsichord Competition (currently planned to take place in August 2021).  In May 2017, Curtis opened the Bloomington Early Music Festival with a solo harpsichord recital as the festival’s “Emerging Artist.” In a review of the performance, Peter Jacobi of the Herald Times described him as “an artist of considerable finish and even more promise.” In 2018, Curtis performed Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in A Major with the IU Baroque Orchestra and attended the Berwick Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival in 2018 and 2019. He has coached with many distinguished early music specialists including Elisabeth Wright, Jacques Ogg, Wilbert Hazlezet, Alexander Weimann, John Butt, Debra Nagy, Dana Marsh, Stanley Ritchie, and Bruce Dickey.

Learn more at www.curtispavey.com or listen on YouTube at https://bit.ly/3tT9qPG

Tuition is $30 per half hour lesson. All lessons for a given month must be paid at the first lesson of the month.

Recomendations

“Curtis was a fantastic piano teacher for my daughter! He was patient, fun, diligent and amazingly knowledgeable! He really concentrated for the entire lesson on making her a better piano player and each lesson was completely worthwhile!” – Molly B.

“Exceptional professionalism, always attentive to the needs of the student and willing to adapt based on the student’s learning style and goals.” – Inna K.

“Curtis is an incredibly talented pianist. Not only is he a great instructor, he has patience, is flexible, and has a good demeanor.” – Jennifer R.

“Curtis has been a wonderful teacher for my son. The progress that my son made over the past year with Curtis was phenomenal. They both interacted well and Curtis knew exactly what my son liked and steered him towards that and at the same time encouraged him to learn other genres as well. Curtis and my son developed a great connection which I hope continues in future. Curtis is a positive and passionate piano teacher.” – Jayasree S.

“Curtis Pavey is the greatest piano teacher I have ever had in my life. He is sweet and caring and makes you love playing the piano. He is so considerate about everything and truly wants you to succeed and help you in any way that he can. You would be the luckiest person if you could have him as a teacher.” – David B.

“Very professional and articulating. Great help for adult beginner students.” – Hailing B.

Teacher Info

Helena Hyesoo Kim is a Korean-Canadian pianist who enjoys connecting with communities through her performances, teaching, and outreach. Her performances have been acclaimed as “sensitive”, “charming” and “noble.” At the age of eleven, she performed with the Poland Chamber Orchestra in So

Cancellation Policy

• 24 hours’ notice is needed to cancel a lesson with the exception of family emergency or illness • Make-up lessons will be offered during my normal teaching hours based upon studio availability • Missed/cancelled lessons cannot be refunded except in extreme circumstances • I will inform you in advance of my travel plans and schedule conflicts – you will not be charged for lessons during these weeks • Lessons missed due to my illness will be made up or refunded Please understand that your regular weekly lesson time serves as an appointment, reserving my time. In addition to my time, I pay studio rental fees monthly for each slot that I have registered – tuition must be paid regularly in order to maintain your reservation.

Missed Lesson Policy

Please notify 48 hours before if you wish to reschedule them. Only exceptions will be medical problems and family emergency to be considered for rescheduling without 48 hours notice. There is no refund unless teacher cancels it.

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Helena Hyesoo Kim is a Korean-Canadian pianist who enjoys connecting with communities through her performances, teaching, and outreach. Her performances have been acclaimed as “sensitive”, “charming” and “noble.” At the age of eleven, she performed with the Poland Chamber Orchestra in South Korea. She has performed solo and chamber recitals in Russia, Chile, Holland, France, Canada, and the United States. She has been performed a recitals presenting works by underrepresented Soviet female composers in the twentieth century.  The recitals featured works of Nikolai Roslavets and Sofia Gubaidulina, and Galina Ustvolskaya demonstrating her passion for the discovery of unfamiliar works of highly artistic composers.

After studying at the Specialized Music High School of the Saint-Petersburg Conservatory, named after Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, she decided to explore a different area of discipline. Helena graduated with a dual degree in Science (Physiology and Psychology) and Music (Piano Performance) from the University of British Columbia. After graduating from her dual degree program, she started working for a contemporary music concert organization, Music on Main, and taught at the Mozart School of Music in Vancouver, B.C. During this two year working period, she rediscovered her passion for performing and set out to pursue a Master’s in Piano Performance at McGill University.

She is also an enthusiastic and experienced teacher who has been teaching piano students for fifteen years. She has taught students at various levels across all age groups. Helena has taken many piano pedagogy classes in different schools gaining various perspectives. Many of her students have won prizes in festivals and entered to prestigious music programs in Canada. Helena taught privately and worked in the Mozart School of Music at Vancouver and Linda School of Music at Montreal. Also, she has taught at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati for piano literature and a group piano class. She is currently teaching at Willis Music in Kenwood, Ohio.  Helena also presented in many piano pedagogy conferences, including Florida State Teachers’ Associations, OMTA MTNA National Conference and NCKP Piano Conference. 

Helena has actively performed recitals and chamber music at international music festivals, including the Gijon International Music Festival, the Holland International Music Sessions, and the Orford Music Festival. She has competed in numerous national and international competitions. She won the second prize in Vancouver Women’s Musical Society, first prize at the Russian International Music Festival, among several others at Korean national competitions. She reached the semi-finals in the Prix d’Europe (Montreal) and the Seattle International Competition, and finalist at Beardsley Piano Competition at Indiana.

Collaborating with different musicians and artists is a significant part of her career. Helena has played with numerous instrumentalists and singers at College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati as collaborative graduate assistant. Also, she has performed in various ensemble settings, including piano trios, woodwind quintets, and contemporary ensemble. In addition to her chamber music studies, she participated in Orford Piano Trio workshop and Vancouver International Song Institute.  She also has played in big ensembles. She played in both University of British Columbia Orchestra, and the Contemporary Music Ensembles at both McGill and University of British Columbia, being broadcasted by CBC national radio.

In addition to teaching and performing activities, she builds artistic communities through concert series. She organized a benefit concert for the Canadian Cancer Society and worked at Music on Main, a contemporary and multi-cultural concert organization as an intern for marketing and artist relations. She has volunteered as a Music Director for Costal Mental Health. 

Helena has studied with various teachers, including Eugene Skovorodnikov in British Columbia, Kyoko Hashimoto at Mcgill University, and privately with Mark Anderson, Ian Parker, Paul Stewart and Joya Sapiton.  She has also completed masterclasses with worldwide musicians and great pedagogues, including Mihail Verskrensky, Ronan O’Hora, Pascal Nemirovsky, Ewa Kupiec, Logan Skelton, Jose Mendez, Jean Sauliner, James Giles, Alon Goldstein, and Griffin Trio.  She is finishing her doctorate in Cincinnati, Helena studies with Ran Dank and chamber music with James Tocco at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.

Teacher Info

Cancellation Policy

Students wishing to permanently cancel their lessons must do so in writing 30 days in advance. No prior payment will be refunded.

Missed Lesson Policy

• Lessons canceled by the instructor will be made up by the end of the semester. (This includes lessons that may be canceled because of weather.) • If UC is closed because of weather then lessons are canceled. If UC opens by the time of your lesson then lessons will proceed. • Lessons canceled by the student are forfeited. (The only exception is a death in the family.)

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Christopher L. Koon began playing piano at the age of 6. He has been serving churches as organist and conductor for over 35 years. From 2001-2008 he was the associate director at Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati. He is the substitute organist at Isaac M. Wise Plum Street Temple. Over the years he has accompanied amateur and professional choirs throughout the Eastern U.S. Performance venues include the Toledo Museum of Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, Wells Cathedral (England) in addition to many churches and university concert halls. He has performed with members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Opera. He is currently Director of Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport. He is on the faculty at the UC College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department where he serves as Instructor of Organ and Piano. He is a former assistant professor (adjunct) of piano at Northern Kentucky University. He was also pianist at Vito’s Café in Ft. Thomas, where he accompanied the singing servers. He is the former organist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He earned the Bachelor of Music and the Master of Music degrees from Ohio University. He also earned the graduate Certificate in Organ and Church Music from the Indiana University School of Music. He has completed all course work for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at CCM. He has 30 years of experience as a private teacher. Mr. Koon studied photography at Ohio University and the Art Academy of Cincinnati and has been an avid photographer for many years. He recently started a photography business specialising in headshots for musicians.

Tuition is $30 per lesson

Teacher Info

Teacher Info

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation Policy

• 24 hours’ notice is needed to cancel a lesson with the exception of family emergency or illness • Make-up lessons will be offered during my normal teaching hours based upon studio availability

• Missed/cancelled lessons cannot be refunded except in extreme circumstances

• If the lesson is canceled due to my illness, make-up lesson will be offered during my normal teaching hours based upon studio availability

• In rare situation, if I have schedule conflict on certain day during the semester, I will inform you in advance – make-up lesson will be offered based upon studio availability; if the schedule doesn’t permit the make-up lesson, refund will be offered

• If I will be away for longer period (over two weeks,) I will in inform you in advance – you will not be charged for lessons during these weeks

• Please understand that your regular weekly lesson time serves as an appointment, reserving my time. In addition to my time, I pay studio rental fees monthly for each slot that I have registered – tuition must be paid regularly in order to maintain your reservation.

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Yuan Zhuang is an active pianist, organist, chamber music performer and teacher. She has performed in the prestige venues in the Tri-state area and the East Coast, such as Werner Hall in Cincinnati, Trinity Episcopal Church in Covington, Kentucky, Weil Recital Hall in New York, Sanders Theatre at Harvard University and Jordan Hall in Boston. She participated as the soloist in the Lisztmania, the series concerts celebrating Franz Liszt’s bicentenary at Jordan Hall in Boston and collaborated with other musicians in the beneficent concert series Music for Food in great Boston area from 2015 to 2017.

Yuan’s repertoire includes the works from wide range of periods. As an avid promoter of the contemporary music, she performed the piano quintet Slide Stride by the British composer Mark Turnager in Prelude series concerts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Geroge Crumb’s Vox Balaenae in Tuesday Night Contemporary series concerts at New England Conservatory. While Yuan is working on her doctoral degree at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM,) she conducts research on and performs the solo piano works by British composer Thomas Adès.

Yuan has been teaching piano over ten years. Her students range from different age groups and levels. The core of her teaching philosophy is to understand each student’s strength, weakness and needs and lead the students to achieve their goals in the music learning process. She taught at the Merry Melody Music Academy in Westwood, MA when she was in Boston and Angel’s House of Music in Milford, OH for three years. She is working on the Piano Pedagogy as her cognate area for her doctoral degree at CCM and is serving as teaching assistant for the group piano class and applied lesson of the Secondary Piano program at UC.

Originally born in Fuzhou China, Yuan entered the Middle School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory, one of the most prestigious music institutions in China, and started professional musical training at the age of eleven. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree major in Piano Performance at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the concert pianist Dr. Ran Dank’s tutelage. She came to the United States in 2010 and obtained Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance at New England Conservatory where she studied with Gabriel Chodos, Hung-Kuan Chen and Meng-Chieh Liu. Yuan has participated in world-famous music festivals such as the Piano Program at Chautauqua Institution and Bowdoin Music Festival. She performed at the masterclass taught by the prominent pianists and pedagogues, including Natalya Antonova, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Nicola Melville, John Milbauer, Jon Nakamatsu, Anton Nel and Asaf Zohar.