Our teachers and staff have been trained professioanlly in the music industry. We love what we do, with passion and compassion. We work dilligently and professionally to provide the best qualitied musical education to our students.

Welcome new teachers: Mr. Ben Meyer (Guitar) and Ms. Bo Liu (Voice & piano)

Dr. Sha Wang Luangkesorn

As the founder and director of Pittsburgh Piano Academy, Dr. Wang has a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati and has been teaching piano professionally for the past 20 years. Dr. Wang was the first prize winner at the 16th International Young Artist Piano Competition, Washington, D.C. and advanced into the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition, the Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the Honens International Piano Competition. In the recent years, she became the winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Audition, the 2^nd prize winner of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in 2009, and the alternate finalist at the 2009 Seattle International Piano Competition.  Her New York debut took place at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in Manhattan in spring 2006.

Dr. Wang has performed at the Kosciuszko Foundation Auditorium in NYC in 2009. In 2010, she was also the featured soloist at the Bank of America-Dame Myra Hess Concert Series at the Chicago Cultural Center. The concert was broadcasted on Chicago classical radio station (WFMT 98.7). She was also featured in a concert for the late U.S. President Gerald Ford. As a collaborative pianist, she has performed with artists such as pianist Lang Lang, violinist Kun Dong (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra), soprano Tamara Wilson (Houston Grand Opera) and with members of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

As a theorist and professor, she has presented a theoretical paper at the Royal Music Association Conference in London, U.K. and taught students who have gone on to such schools as the Juilliard School of Music and Yale University School of Music. Dr. Wang’s teachers include Karen Knecht, John Perry, and Richard Fields, Frank Weinstock. Dr. Wang is currently a tenured associate professor at Geneva College, PA. And she is also the director of Geneva College Summer Piano Festival, as well as the chairperson for the Pittsburgh Piano Teachers Association Senior Solo Competition in 2014. For her official site, please visit: www.shawang.net.

Sha Wang is a Yamaha Artist.

Dr. Hyunjoo Park

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hyun Joo Park is pursuing Artist Diploma at Duquesne University, studying with David Allen Wehr. She earned her doctoral degree in Piano Performance and her master’s in Piano Performance and Pedagogy with a full scholarship at Penn State University. She received her bachelor of music degree with the highest honor from Sookmyung Women’s University in Korea. Since Hyun Joo made a debut with the Seoul National Orchestra in Korea, she has appeared as an active performer. She gave recitals in several prestigious venues in Korea, France and the USA. She was selected as a young artist at Kumho Art Hall, Youngsan Art Hall, and Buam Art Hall in Korea. She was also invited to perform at Ecole Nationale de Musique d'Evian and Courchevel in France. She performed in the President’s Concert at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and gave a solo recital at Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary, PA. Hyun Joo has won numbers of awards in competitions, including the first prize at the Piano Academy of Korea, 2002 and the first prize at the Seoul National Orchestra Concerto Competition, 2004. She was the winner of the Collegiate Competition of the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association in 2008. She was also the winner of the prestigious Annual Concerto Competition at Sookmyung University (2005), Pennsylvania University (2012), Duquesne University (2014), and performed with each University Orchestra. She was selected as a New Artist by the classic music magazine, ‘Eumagchunchu’ in 2006. She was also selected as an honorable artist and received a scholarship from the Embassy of South Korea in the United States in 2013. In addition to her career as a performer, Hyun Joo has branched out to give piano and music theory lessons. She taught numbers of students from age 4 to adult in Korea. She taught undergraduate Class Piano for both major and non-major students and Applied Lessons at Penn State University as a teaching assistant. She also gave lectures at the Honors Music Institute in Penn State for middle and high school students. Hyun Joo is also an active accompanist. She participated in several competitions including Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association (PMTA), and Pittsburgh Concert Society as an accompanist. She has formerly served as a staff accompanist at Duquesne University and St. Regis church.   

                                                         
                                      Mr. Andrés Alejo         

A passionate educator and talented piano performer, Andrés Alejo has been an active teacher to students of all ages for the past eight years, teaching both privately and at institutions such as the Institute of Culture and Arts (ICA) in the Dominican Republic and the Carnegie Mellon preparatory division, where he currently serves as piano faculty. Additionally, he has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as El Gran Teatro del Cibao and El Gran Teatro Nacional in Dominican Republic, the Lincoln Center in the United States, and other national and international venues. His most recent performances include featuring the performances in Perugia, Italy as well as performing the music of Louis Andreissen as part of the New Music Festival at The Boston Conservatory, a festival dedicated to the living composer.

 He received his Bachelor of Music with Cum Laude distinctions and studied pedagogy as a student of Max Levison and Hanna Wu Li at the Boston Conservatory and prior to that began his studies at the Institute of Culture and Arts (ICA) in Santiago, Dominican Republic under Hilda Melis, while simultaneously studying Theory and Music History with Mercedes Machín. As a student of Carnegie Mellon University, Andrés is finalizing his Master of Music under the tutelage of Steinway artist Sergey Schepkin.

https://www.andresalejo.com/bio

                         Mr. Andrija Andjelic

Mr. Andrija Andelic, is an active concert pianist, chamber musician and conductor. Originally from Serbia, Ms. Andelic has performed through Europe and the United States. He is the first prize winner of the Verbania Competition in Italy, the first prize winner of the International Piano Competition in Serbia, as well as prize winner of other prominent competitions throughout the United States. As a truly talented musician, Mr. Andelic’s musical endeavor takes him from the bench to the podium. He has served as the assistant conductor for the Mercyhurst Concert Choir, an organist at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, a member and guest conductor of the Erie Renaissance Singers and a member and guest conductor of the Chautauqua Chamber Singers in Jamestown, NY. He has appears on WQLN radio in Erie, Pa. Mr. Andelic holds a Bachelor degree in Music from Mercyhurst University and is pursuing a graduate degree at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.



Mr. Ben Meyer

Ben Meyer, master of music performance (guitar) from Duquesne University is a member of the Pittsburgh Classical Guitar Society. As a performer, Meyer played for Duquesne’s new President, Ken Gormley, at a pre-­‐dinner reception and performed for members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at a Tea Hour. Meyer has also done some accompanying work, assisting other students on their degree
recitals at Duquesne, as well as playing at various weddings and other events in the Pittsburgh area. In addition to his performances, Meyer is teaching students in all areas of Guitar studies including the Guitar for Music Education and Guitar for Music Therapy classes at
Duquesne University. Most recently, he was given the opportunity to work with the visually impaired community members transcribing their original work and notating it for submission in a music competition.



Mr. Ethan Ludwick

Mr. Ethan Ludwick holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance (piano) and a minor in Englishfrom University of Valley Forge. He has received several awards and honors which include placing in the top ten at the National Fine Arts Festival, receiving the Young Musician’s Award, receiving multiple music scholarships from his alma mater, and performing during the University of Valley Forge’s Baccalaureate service his graduating year. Ethan also received several years of training in guitar and voice while in college. He works with young children on regular basis. Ethan is the newest member of PPA and is looking forward to working with the students.



                              Ms. Grace Burn

A musician with widely ranging interests, Grace Burns is equally comfortable with standard piano repertoire as she is with experimental music. Her musical experience continues to be enhanced by her work with living composers, chamber ensembles, and combining the disciplines of art, music, and theater into unique performances.

Ms. Burns received her Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado - Boulder, where she studied with Dr. David Korevaar and was a graduate assistant for the collaborative piano department. Previously, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rice University with a degree in Piano Performance, where she studied under Jeanne Kierman Fischer.  She has had the privilege of playing in solo and chamber masterclasses for Richard Goode, John Perry, Paul Kantor, and Howard Karp, among others.  As a soloist, Ms. Burns has performed in a wide variety of concerts and venues, ranging everywhere from informal house concerts to Carnegie Hall.Ms. Burns is very involved in new music. She is a co-founder and pianist for the Meraki Trio, a contemporary ensemble committed to commissioning and performing new works for the piano-flute-viola ensemble. Recent new music performances include premieres on the Pendulum New Music concert series, and a Cleveland residency with the Meraki Trio.