Margaret Wacyk- Founder of the Pianoforte School
Born into a musical family, Margaret Wacyk’s talents first attracted attention at the age of seven, when she began her musical studies. She made her public concert debut at the age of ten and after receiving consecutive gold medals in the Music Educators Association Annual Competitions, went on the pursue further musical education in Europe and completed her studies at New York University, supplemented her studies at the Juilliard School and names acclaimed pianist Mordecai Shehori as her most influential teacher.
In addition to her work as a pianist, Miss Wacyk has been an actve composer. She has had her compositions performed by the Juilliard Student Orchestra and her music is featured on the soundtrack of the film The Lesson.
As a soloist, Miss Wacyk has concretized in the United States and Europe. Highlights of recent seasons included her New York City concert debut in Carnegie Recital Hall in the Spring of 2000, recitals in Steinway Hall and a return to Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in June 2004. She has released two solo recordings on the Romeo Records Label and has had her latest CD chosen in June 2005 as Gramophone Magazine’s “Best New Releases from North America”. This recording has also been recently featured on WQXR’s radio program “Reflections from the Keyboard.”
Miss Wacyk has developed a thriving teaching practice with her dynamic personality and unique approach to teaching piano in an exciting way. She takes each student’s unique talents and personalities into consideration and makes the goal of keeping their love of music engaged and growing as her personal credo. After having had a successful private teaching practice in Manhattan and having been on the piano and theory faculty of the Diller Quaile School of Music in NYC, she has fulfilled her long time dream of starting her own school. She hopes that her Pianoforte School will share instill the inspiration that comes from music with others.
Jan Mullen - Violin Lessons
Jan Mullen will be heading the violin program. She graduated from the Juilliard School, studied with the legendary virtuoso David Nadien and has performed with the New York City Opera, Queens Symphony, Long Island Philharmonic. In addition she is a prolific studio performer featured on countless popular CD's ranging from Phantom of the Opera to Aida.
Jan will be teaching on Thursday afternoons from 2:00-7:00. Students of all levels are open to enroll-- ages 5 years and up. SLOTS ARE LIMITED!!! PLEASE CALL TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT FOR THE FALL. There will be one group class at 4:00-4:40 for young beginners (4 students maximum) and the rest of the classes are private.
Jessica Parker- Voice Lessons
Jessica Myriah Parker completed her Master’s of Music in Vocal Arts at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where she was named Outstanding Graduate of the Vocal Arts Department and Pi Kappa Lambda Graduate of the Year. During her time there, she maintained a private voice studio and taught beginning and intermediate voice classes. Jessica had the opportunity to work with conductor Brent McMunn and director Ken Cazan when she portrayed the role of Noémie in the Thornton Opera production of Massenet’s Cendrillon, and performed with the scenes program as Juliet in the world premier of the Tomb Scene from Lee Hoiby’s Romeo and Juliet. Jessica graduated summa cum laudae with a Bachelor’s degree in Voice Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. There she performed the role of Amy in Mark Adamo’s Little Women. She was also fortunate to coach extensively with J.J. Penna, Dalton Baldwin, and José Meléndez. As a member of the Westminster and Symphonic Choirs, Jessica sang under Joseph Flummerfelt, Zdenek Macal, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Neville Marriner, Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilford, Lorin Maazel, and Sir Colin Davis, and performed in several opera choruses at Spoleto Festival USA. Jessica has been heard at various venues in Europe, and has participated in the Florence Voice Seminar in Italy, the International Vocal Institute in Hvar, Croatia and, most recently, Tyrolean Opera Program in Maurach am Achensee, Austria, where her primary focus was the study and performance the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor. In the Spring of 2007 she performed in Philadelphia in the American premier of Il Racconto d’Inverno by Troy Herion. Jessica is currently teaching, auditioning, and performing in the tri-state area.
Hong Kiew Kim, Biography
Mr. Kim is a passion driven musician, recently acclaimed for his transcriptions, as the modern Liszt. His performances have been characterized as "full of spirit", "highly unique" and "determined". His playing has been broadcasted with an interviewed on Swedish Radio. He was among the winners of the B&B International Piano Competition leading to a performance in Carnegie hall.
He has participated in Piano Festivals in Canada and Sweden, and master classes given by Dang Tai Son, Byron Janis,Leif Ove Andsnes, Per Tengstrand, Ilya Itin and others. He is now in the Masters Program for Piano at the Manhattan School of Music. He is also the conductor and music director of the German Choir of Southern New Jersey. As a teacher, he believes in implementing an approach that is finely tailored to the individual student. He considers passion, patience and personalization to be his key tools of teaching.
Julia Hatamyar, Biography
Julia Hatamyar is excited to bring her philosophy of teaching to the Pianoforte School this semester. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree of Music in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music, graduating with distinction, and her high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy, where she graduated with honors. She began teaching at the age of 14, and has taught beginning and intermediate students professionally during her high-school and college careers. She has also been accompanying professionally since a young age, working at institutions such as the Interlochen Arts Camp, and Oklahoma City University.
Under the tutelage of Barry Snyder at the Eastman School, Julia developed her own unique vision of the piano and it’s capabilities, which is founded on a philosophy of open-mindedness, patience, and genuine effort. This philosophy is reflected in Julia’s pedagogical method. Rather than strictly following a general format or universal lesson plan, Julia strives to create lessons that are as individual as her students. “I like to really get to know my student musically in order to tailor what they will learn to their own personality. Some methods and tools work well with some people, but not others. Once I know how a student learns, what they respond to, and what reaches them musically, then I can teach them in the way that they will learn best.”
Julia’s concert appearances include solo recitals in Oklahoma City and Rochester, NY and recital appearances at Anderson Hall in Wolfeboro, NH, and in Glasgow, Scotland. She has attended such festivals as the Interlochen Arts Camp, the International Piano Festival in Glasgow, and the Heifetz Institute. She was a semi-finalist in the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and at the Glasgow International Piano Competition. Former teachers include Barry Snyder, Rose Grace, and Thomas Lymenstull. She has also worked with Victor Rosenbaum, Natalya Antonova, Thomas Lanners, John Levin, Martino Tirimo, Rudolf Meister, Philip Jenkins, and Claudia Carroll.
