The first time I touched the keys of a piano, I knew I had discovered a captivating new world to explore. I was 10 years old, young enough to possess the eagerness to learn, yet old enough to understand the value of music and the passion that must go into learning an instrument. I was intrigued; I immediately knew I had found my life’s purpose.
The first song I learned was “The Rose” by Bette Midler, taught to me by an old family friend who happened to be visiting when I first gained interest in the piano. The second piece I learned was Mozart’s Sonata in C major, which I picked up from my mom playing. It was at this point that my mom decided it was time to get me a piano teacher. I have been constantly learning and advancing in the art of piano ever since.
Growing up I had a variety of teachers, but never quite found the right mentor for me until I began studying with the late Larry Elliott when I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. I was his student for 7 years, up until the day I moved to California and we were forced to part ways. He was an incredibly accomplished musician and artist who played for the Madison Symphony Orchestra when he was 16 years old. He was able to train me in a way that ignited my passion for music and helped me grow into the musician I am today. I strive to be the mentor to my students that Larry was to me.
Over the past several years, I have studied advanced piano, applied music, and piano ensemble under the expert guidance of Dr. Kirill Gliadkovsky at Saddleback College, and recently earned two Associate in Arts degrees in Music and Liberal Studies. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor of Music as a Piano Performance major at California State University, Fullerton.
My current repertoire of completed solo piano works includes pieces such as Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 in C minor, Chopin’s Étude Op. 25 No. 2 in F minor, Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu, Chopin’s Waltz Op. 34 No. 2 in A Minor, Chopin’s Preludes Op. 28 No. 4 in E minor and No. 15 in D-flat major, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (1st and 3rd movements), Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata (1st movement), Mozart’s Sonata K. 570 in B-flat major (complete), Mozart’s Sonata K. 333 in B-flat major (1st movement), Haydn’s Sonata Hob. XVI: 28 in E-flat major (1st and 2nd movements), Bach’s Prelude and Fugue WTC II in D minor, Bach’s Two-Part Inventions No. 1, No. 4, and No. 8, Bach’s Sinfonia No. 2 in C minor, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 in G-sharp Minor, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 in C-sharp Minor, Prokofiev’s Montagues and the Capulets, among many others. The pieces I am currently studying for my senior recital include Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, Chopin’s Preludes Op. 28 No. 1 in C major and No. 24 in D minor, Bach’s French Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, Brahms’s Intermezzos Op. 118 No. 1 and No. 2, Soler’s Sonata SR 117 in D minor, Debussy’s La Sérénade Interrompue, and Rodrigo’s A l’ombre de torre bermeja and Serenata Española. I have also learned and performed many piano duet/duo pieces and intrumental/vocal ensemble works, such as Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos K. 448 in D major (1st movement), Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances Op. 46 No. 7 in C minor and Op. 72 No. 2 in E minor, Saint-Saëns’s Aquarium, The Swan, and Finale from Carnival of the Animals, Tchaikovsky’s Chinese Dance from the Nutcracker Suite, and Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez (2nd movement).
My career in teaching began in December of 2014, and I have been teaching students of my own privately since March of 2016. Currently, I have students from all over Orange County, from age 4 to adult. I am a recently-joined member of the Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC), and I am now able to offer the Certificate of Merit program to my more advanced students.
I would love nothing more than to share my love for and knowledge of music with you and guide you in your journey to becoming a skilled pianist.
— Miss Cassie