my technical skill grew exponentially, as did my ability to convey musical ideas. I know that this is because of her patient, hands-on approach to teaching. She gently guided me on the road from the fundamental building blocks of technique toward the goal of independent problem solving; I now understand the direct relationship between proper technique and eloquent musical expression, and my music sounds the way that I intend it to. Brenna supported me through the college audition process, and because of her, I will be able to attend the conservatory of my dreams. Brenna has helped me to realize that musical success, from the smallest detail to the largest performance, is dependent upon knowledge and the diligence to apply it.”
The Atom Collective plays jazz as a trio, quartet, and quintet across Colorado’s front range. The group features Adisa Nickerson on trumpet, Todd VanSelus on bass, Tobin Munsat on drums, and Kyle Banker on piano. Kyle has studied Taubman technique with Brenna Berman for many years now. Tobin and Todd also perform in the local bands Zizania and Groove Holiday. Adisa is a sought-after jazz trumpeter in the Denver area and serves on the board of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts.
Cordelia Zars (She/Her/Hers) Cordelia is a classically-trained pianist, vocalist, and composer. She studied piano with Alla Latchininsky as a child, Mana Tokuno at the New England Conservatory in high school, and George Lopez at Bowdoin College. She combines her passion for music with ten years of radio-broadcast journalism to create stories for the stage that explore timely social and environmental issues.
Elizabeth Mueller Grace, NCTM, enjoys a multi-faceted career as performer, teacher, clinician and adjudicator. An award-winning pianist, her performances have been praised for their “depth of sound, intelligent interpretation and fluid technique.” ~Omaha World Herald
Susan Hong is a pianist, artist, and educator teaching in San Antonio, Texas. She specializes in group teaching and is passionate about sharing the joy of music. When not teaching, Susan loves to garden and travel.
Michelle has spent the last twenty years teaching youth of all ages in both private and public schools. She holds both a Master of Education (2009) from Pace University and a Master of Dispute Resolution from UMass Boston (2005). Michelle rekindled her love of playing classical music as an adult and realized that teaching piano was the perfect marriage between her two passions. Michelle is thrilled to be part of the teacher certification program and on the board as the vice president of EAM. Michelle currently lives in Lafayette, CO with her husband, two children Avery & Eben and their adorable dog, Charo.
Ms. Berman is a Certified Master Teacher of The Taubman Approach, Executive Director and founder of Effortless Artistry Music nonprofit, and holds an Associate Faculty position with The Golandsky Institute. She has studied with the most highly acclaimed experts in the field: Robert Durso, Edna Golandsky, John Bloomfield, and Dorothy Taubman. She holds Piano Performance degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Hunter College.
Barbara Banacos has studied with Robert Durso of the Golandsky Institute since 1997. She is certified at the Associate level, is adjunct faculty with the Golandsky Institute and has led their support groups for many years. She has presented lectures on piano technique at the Golandsky Institute Boston Workshops and was invited to teach at the Danilo Pérez Foundation in Panama, assisting Edna Golandsky.
Ron Stabinsky received his first musical lessons at the age of five from Michael Hoysock, his grandfather. Since 2000, Ron has been studying the Taubman Approach to piano playing with Edna Golandsky in New York City. He has also benefited greatly from additional study of classical repertoire with concert pianist Ilya Itin. His mentors in the art of free improvisation have included Bill Dixon and Joel Futterman. His study of jazz has been through the correspondence course work of Charlie Banacos. In January 2007, he began presenting a series of music performances in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area of Pennsylvania by local musicians and guest artists from around the world, primarily but not exclusively focused on improvisation. He received Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Project Grants annually from 2007-2009 for this series. Ron was also the 2008 recipient of the F. Lammot Belin Arts Scholarship. Each July, Ron presents a series of workshops demonstrating to jazz pianists the practical application of the Taubman Approach to piano playing at the Golandsky Institute, an annual symposium held at Princeton University. In addition to continuing to pursue an ongoing interest in solo piano improvisation, he enjoys working on music in a stylistically diverse array of situations throughout the United States and Europe with many other musicians and ensembles, including freeimprovising saxophonist Jack Wright, bass trombone virtuoso Dave Taylor, Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood, and NEA Jazz Master David Liebman. Recent festival appearances include Newport Jazz Festival (USA), North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Moers Festival (Germany), and Jazz and More Festival Sibiu (Romania). He is currently a member of the band Mostly Other People Do the Killing, the new music ensemble Relâche, the Charles Evans Quartet, and the Peter Evans Quartet, Quintet, and Octet.
Robert Durso attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music, obtained his bachelor of music degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and received his master of music degree from Temple University. His principal teachers were Enrica Cavallo-Gulli, Harvey Wedeen, Edna Golandsky, Dorothy Taubman, and Rosalyn Tureck.
It is an honor to help EAM capture captivating images to help their programs and cause. Backed by over thirty years experience in both the non-profit and photographic industries, Kevin
Darren Wirth was a semi-finalist in the International Piano Odyssiad Competition, a finalist in the Symphony in the Valley Concerto Competition, a winner in the International Duo Piano Competition, a Silver Medalist at the Seattle International Piano Competition Virtuoso Festival, and a winner of the Derek H. Jones, MD Piano Concerto Competition. His compositions have won awards and performances around the world, including in New York, Minnesota, Greece, Austria, the Netherlands, and Singapore. He has studied the Taubman Approach with Brenna Berman since 2015.
Nancy Seller is a dedicated professional performer and teacher with an unending lifetime obsession with the piano. She has long been on a quest for innovation, inspiration, and exhilaration. In this journey, she discovered The Taubman Approach. She further fueled her curiosity with Brenna Berman, an associate faculty member of the Golandsky Institute, and later expanded this exploration by sharing in a Taubman conference in London this past February.
Sonja Toutenhoofd has enthusiastically studied the Taubman Approach with Brenna Berman since 2010. After attending Interlochen Arts Academy for visual arts, she studied biology and physics while taking music lessons at Carnegie-Mellon. Sonja studied medicine and received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Mayo Clinic. During her research years, she also rediscovered piano. She currently teaches piano and mathematics and science at her private studio and online. Sonja is a founding member of Effortless Artistry Music.