Oxana Khramova, Piano, Founder & Artistic Director
A native of Russia, Oxana Khramova began her musical career at the age of seven. She attended Nizhny Novgorod Music College and Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory. During her studies, Oxana played many solo and chamber music recitals and was a prize winner at the All Russian Piano Competition in 1996. During her studies at Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory from 2002 to 2005, Oxana taught children at the Conservatory Preparatory School. After that, from 2005 to 2009, she worked as an assistant to her professor, teaching piano performance students at the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory. Also, from 2006 to 2010, Oxana maintained her own piano studio in Russia. Oxana moved to the USA in 2010, where she completed her Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. She is continuing her graduate studies at UW-Madison, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. Currently, besides teaching at Farley’s House of Pianos, Oxana also teaches at the UW-Madison School of Music as part of the Piano Pioneers program. More information at www.oxanakhramova.wix.com/oxana-khramova
John Holloway, Piano, Guest Artist
John Holloway of Louisville, Kentucky, maintains a full studio at the Community School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is Coordinator of the Piano Department. He is also Assistant Director of Southeastern Piano Festival at the University of South Carolina. As founder of Exploring Chamber Music at the University of Northern Iowa, John believes collaboration should be an essential part of the beginning piano curriculum and has commissioned over twenty works to utilize collaboration at the earliest level of one's music education. In 2012, he completed an at-home supplement for Piano Adventures, promoting efficient practice and intense parental involvement. Active in MTNA, John was appointed to the Planning Committee for the National Conference in Anaheim, CA (2013).
Tatiana Zueva, Violin, Guest Artist
Jessica Johnson, Faculty Superviser
Photo by Katrin Talbot
Jessica Johnson serves on the piano faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as Associate Professor of Piano and Director of Graduate Studies in Piano Pedagogy. In 2006, she was the recipient of UW-Madison's prestigious Emil Steiger Distinguished Teaching Award for excellence in teaching. Johnson has formerly been on the faculties of Augustana College (Illinois), Sterling College, and the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts.In addition to her love for the standard keyboard repertoire, Johnson frequently commissions and programs contemporary solo and chamber works. Recent performances include Frederic Rzewski's monumental The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, William Albright's Five Chromatic Dances and Olivier Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen for two pianos, with Midori Koga. She regularly performs withSole Nero, a piano and percussion duo with Anthony Di Sanza, percussion. In an effort to contribute to the repertoire of this diverse medium, the duo has engaged in an extensive commissioning project resulting in many new works by composers such as Dave Hollinden, Joel Naumann, Joseph Koykkar, Serra Hwang and Michael Kallstrom. Sole Nero has performed extensively in the United States and recently appeared in Shenyang and Beijing, China. In 2004, the duo released its first compact disc recording on the Equilibrium label titled Music per Due. Recent performance venues include the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Society of Composers National Conference, the MTNA National Conference and multiple performances in the U.S.An active clinician, she has given workshops and presentations at the European Piano Teachers Association International Conference (Portugal and Serbia), the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, five featured presentations at MTNA National Conferences, as well as held residencies at major universities and colleges throughout the United States, and in Canada and China. Johnson has articles published in American Music Teacher, Piano Journal of the European Piano Teachers Association, Keyboard Companion, Piano Pedagogy Forum and Piano Adventures Teacher Newsletter. In 2007, she was the recipient of the National Article of the Year Award for "The Art of Listening with Depth, Understanding, Flow and Imagery" (in collaboration with Midori Koga, University of Toronto). Johnson received her MM in Piano Performance and DMA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Michigan, where she was the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including the "Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award" for the entire university, and a graduate merit fellowship. She holds the BM in Piano Performance, magna cum laude, from East Carolina University. Her principal teachers include Arthur Greene, Charles Fisher, Donna Coleman, and piano pedagogy studies with Joanne Smith and Kerry Carlin.
Photo by Pavel Bizyukov
Jason Kutz is in his first year as a Master's of Piano Performance student studying Solo Classical under Dr. Martha Fischer, Jazz under Dr. Johannes Wallmann, and Chamber Music under Mr. Parry Karp. He graduated in 2012 from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh with a degree in Recording Technology/Music Industry. There he studied under Dr. Eli Kalman. His interests in music spread beyond Jazz and Classical and into soundtrack music (video games and film), improvisation, and musical theater. Jason's Honors and Awards include: Concerto Competition winner at UWO in 2011; Concerto Competition winner at Rocky Ridge Music Center in 2012; Honors Recitalist at UWO in 2008/2012; Gertrude Cunningham Campbell & John Ray Campbell, Jr. Scholarship recipient at UW - Madison, 2014; Project Assistant under Martha Fischer, 2014. Some of his most recent compositions can be found at www.soundcloud.com/jasonkutz.
Jason Kutz, Composer in Residence
Tatiana Zueva, a native of Russia, graduated from the St.-Petersburg Conservatory in 2007. During her studies at the Conservatory, she played in several chamber groups, participated in numerous festivals in Germany and in the Orchestra Summer Academy in Netherlands. She also appeared on stage as a soloist, and a violin concerto by a young composer A. Stepanov with Saint-Petersburg Court Capella Symphony Orchestra is among her performances. After moving to the USA, Tatiana got her Master’s degree at the University of Northern Iowa, where she was awarded a full scholarship and assistantship. In 2009 she won a concerto competition at UNI and performed Gipsy airs by P. Sarasate with the UNI Symphony Orchestra directed by Jonathan Girard. Currently, Tatiana is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Michigan State University, where she has a MSU Scholarship. Also, she is a violinist of Midland, Traverce, West Michigan, and Battle Creek Symphony Orchestras. Tatiana’s teaching experience as a violin instructor, chamber, and string ensemble coach includes students of different ages and from various countries, including Russia, South Korea, and US. Her recent activities include participation in the Summit Festival in New-York, Southampton Art Festival in 2013, and Festival Cello Plus in 2014.