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multi-talented keyboard artist and composer, Phillip Keveren displays a
tremendous versatility in both his original works and concert performances. He
composes in a variety of genres, and is widely acclaimed for his piano
publications. Mr. Keveren is a prolific arranger, orchestrator and producer.
His work is featured in numerous instrumental recordings, church choral,
educational piano and Christian artist releases. His arrangements and
compositions appear on recent projects by Sandi Patty, Travis Cottrell, Sara
Groves and Ronan Tynan. Phillip is co-author, major composer and orchestrator
of the internationally acclaimed Hal Leonard Student Piano Library, a complete
method for young students. His unique piano arrangements are also featured in
the Phillip Keveren Series (Hal Leonard Publishing). Mr. Keveren holds a Bachelor
of Music in Composition from California State University, Northridge, and a
Master of Music in Composition from the University of Southern California. He
and his wife Lisa live in Brentwood, Tennessee and are parents of two children,
Lindsay and Sean.
Dr. Nicholas Phillips is Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he teaches applied and class piano. Active as a soloist and sought after as a collaborative artist, Phillips is quickly building a reputation for his innovative recital programming and engaging lecture-recitals. He also has an avid interest in introducing and reviving works and composers outside the mainstream repertoire. Upcoming performances include solo recitals in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana, and an engagement with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra to play Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto.
In his research, Phillips is committed to making music accessible and meaningful to audiences, striving to show how the piano and its repertoire fit into broader cultural contexts. This approach can be seen most recently in his dissertation, “Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words Revisited: Culture, Gender, Literature, and the Role of Domestic Piano Music in Victorian England,” and his paper presentation at the 2007 Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies Conference titled “The Influence of Technology in the Nineteenth Century on Piano Instruments, Technique, and Repertoire.” Current research interests include the music of nineteenth-century American composers and its place and reception in nineteenth-century America, with special focus on the piano music of Edward MacDowell.
A native of Indiana, Phillips began formal piano lessons at Indiana University at the age of ten. He holds degrees in piano performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music (Doctor of Musical Arts), Indiana University (Master of Music), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Bachelor of Music, summa cum laude). He has studied with internationally renowned pianists and pedagogues including Karen Taylor, Paul Barnes, Karen Shaw, and Robert Weirich, and has participated in master classes with Marvin Blickenstaff, Ruth Laredo, and Lars Vogt, among others. Phillips has received several awards for his teaching, including the 2007 MTNA Star Award and the 2006 Muriel McBrien Kauffman Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award from the UMKC Conservatory of Music.
Laura Smyczek
Laura Smyczek grew up surrounded by music. As a toddler, she would sit under the piano while her grandmother taught. As soon as she could reach the keyboard, she began taking lessons. Laura has received numerous music awards including First Place in the Dallas Symphonic Festival and being named Outstanding Senior Musician of the Year by the Dallas Music Teachers Association in 1987. Having taught piano for 14 years, Laura received her earliest inspiration from her grandmother, Beatrice Carney. Bea has taught piano for 50 years and has given workshops throughout her career. In 1976 she began Bea’s Music Teaching Aids, creating products that can inspire excitement in learning music. Then in 2006, she passed the business on to her granddaughter, Laura.
Arthur T. Johnson, D.M.A. is Associate Professor of Music at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he heads the piano performance major, teaching applied piano, piano pedagogy and literature, and accompanying; he also teaches music theory, music theory lab and class piano, and he accompanies the college choirs. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master of music at Brigham Young University.
Mr. Johnson has performed internationally, including in Europe, Australia, and the United States; recent engagements include solo performances with the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wind Ensemble. Students of Mr. Johnson are frequent award winners and have experienced success at various competitions including winning first prize in the Wisconsin State level of the Music Teachers National Association Senior Piano Competition, the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Young Artist Competition, and the Polish Fest Chopin Competition in Milwaukee and winning second place in the finals of the National Federation of Music Clubs Stillman-Kelly Audition.
Mr. Johnson has lectured on a wide variety of topics, including classical improvisation pedagogy, teaching techniques, the learning process, and the life and music of composer Andras Viski. He has given lectures at the College Music Society Great Lakes Region Annual Conference, the Michibago Music Teachers Association Membership Meeting, the Brigham Young University Piano Festival, and others. Mr. Johnson is also a much sought-after adjudicator and an active accompanist. He is the winner of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Concerto Competition and recipient of the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Local Member of the Year Award, and the Vilas Travel Grant, for which he traveled to Hungary to study classical-based improvisation.
Mary Van De Loo
Mary Van De Loo teaches piano pedagogy and coordinates the keyboard skills program at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, where she also maintains a studio of pre-college students. A member of MTNA, Ms. Van De Loo enjoys presenting workshops to teachers, and she has had articles published in Clavier and Keyboard Companion magazines. Prior to her position at Lawrence, she was Director of the Division of Preparatory Music at Indiana State University, where she taught piano and coordinated all activities for the pre-college piano program. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano from Lawrence University and a Master of Music degree in piano and piano pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma.
Susan Cooper
Susan Cooper has been teaching full-time group piano lessons for 17 years. The rewards of group teaching have prompted her to spread the word to teachers throughout the United States. She has presented workshops and seminars in over 12 states, helping teachers to understand and get excited about teaching in groups. She has even traveled around the world teaching adult group lessons on cruise ships in places like Tahiti, Hong King, Greenland, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico and England. Susan lives in Urbandale, Iowa and has two complete studios in her home including 11 Yamaha Clavinovas, where she and another teacher work with over 140 students per week. She has earned two degrees from Conco Teachers University in Seward, Nebraska: a B.A. in Music and a Christian Teaching Certification.
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