Nancy (Schaaf) Bortosky received her formal education from Webster University, with a BM Ed. in Music Education and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. She has studied with Gail Delente of Washington D.C. and Jules Gentil from the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris; and has taken workshops with accompanists Nancy Revzen and John Wustman from U. of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She has worked as a freelance accompanist for 25 years in the St. Louis and Chicago metropolitan areas for many fine soloists, having also professionally worked with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis Chamber Chorus, Windfire- flute and percussion with John and Paula Kasica, and the St. Louis Conservatory and Webster University as staff accompanist. Ms. Schaaf’s work with children has included choir direction and music teaching at a school for gifted children in Chicago and she has taught piano privately for 20 years, developing students to college level. As part of her function as Music Director of New Covenant Church, she led choirs and orchestras, writing and arranging music for various settings, including several musicals. Since 1992 she has worked as Director of DaySpring School of the Arts, having been a founder of the school. She continues to perform and teach piano & musical theater, having been on the piano faculty of the Masterworks Festival of the Performing Arts in Houghton, NY in 2000. In her involvement in the piano teaching community she has been Vice president of programming for SLAMTA for 4 years and is state treasurer of MMTA. She has been a founding member of the Maryland Hgts. Arts Commission, and has served as chairperson for 2 years. She lives in St. Louis with her 3 awesome children.

​Huiyun Liang is a D.M.A. candidate in Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina (USC), and holds a master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She was a recipient of a full graduate assistantship in teaching class piano and accompanying at USC from 2013-2016. She also taught piano lessons and group classes for students of all ages and levels at the USC community music program. Her students have received outstanding results in the South Carolina Music Teachers Association’ district and state auditions and Royal Conservatory Music examinations. She served as a vice president of MTNA Collegiate Chapter at USC from 2016-2017. Huiyun has studied piano with Dr. Janice Wenger and Dr. Joseph Rackers, and chamber music with Prof. Phillip Bush.

Formerly involved in the production of numerous TV programs and concerts in China, Huiyun moved to the United States to pursue her dream of becoming a musician in 2011. She has established herself as a pianist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Huiyun has given solo recitals in the U.S. as well as in her hometown, Wuhan, China. As a chamber musician, she performed at the 2017 Vianden Festival in Luxembourg. Featured as “Emerging Piano Pedagogue” by Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Huiyun is also actively presenting at American national conferences, including Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Conference, National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), and Piano Pedagogy Symposium. Her pedagogical article on music memory has been awarded and published by Clavier Companion in 2015. Aimed to maximize students’ learning outcomes, her dissertation focuses on video modeling in piano teaching. Huiyun is very motivated to share her passion and experience with the music community in St. Louis.

A music teacher for 19 years, Dr. Sharla Bender has a passion for mentoring students of all ages and skill levels in piano and violin. Her introduction to formal music began with violin lessons in 5 th grade and continued through several degrees, including a Bachelor of Music from Huntingdon College, a Master of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Alabama. During graduate school she studied with the late Amanda Penick who was the 2008 National Music Teacher of the Year as well as the host of a 28-year-long series called The Pianist at Work by Alabama Public Television. Sharla believes that music is meant to be shared and enjoyed. She partners with her students so that they can fully develop their musical talents.
Sharla most recently served as a music professor at Urshan College in Florissant, MO from Spring 2014 - Spring 2019, where she taught private piano lessons and music classes such as Ear Training and Sight Singing, Class Piano, Music Appreciation, Piano Literature, and Piano Pedagogy. She continues to serve as an adjunct professor of piano there. Sharla has a variety of experience, including her years as an instructor of the Academy of Performing Arts, an adjunct professor of music at Faulkner University, as well as successfully running her own private studio in her home states of Alabama and Missouri. She has also performed in the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, as a featured soprano soloist with the Urshan College Chamber Choir, and in recitals around the community. Sharla became a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) in April 2019.

Journee Carter received her Masters of Music from Shenandoah Conservatory and her Bachelors of Music from Webster University both specializing in vocal performance, specifically opera. Since completing her Master’s program she has been actively participating in St. Louis based productions both on and off stage.

​Doris Lam was born in Hong Kong and began playing the piano at age of 6. She has recevied her BA (Hons) in music with emphasis in music theory and analysis in 1999, from the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). She has earned certifications of Grade 8 Piano and Music theory from Royal School of Music (ABRSM) and Trinity Guildhall (ATCL). After she graduated, she kept her piano study with Mr. Khong Wing-Yin. Her passion of music motivated her to get involved in different music activities. While she was still in Hong Kong, she earned first runner-up in high school music competition. She has been a piano accompanist in churches for their choir’s. She was a choir member of HKBU, and earned awards from international choir competitions in Europe. She conducted a children’s choir and church choir for a couple years after she graduated.

​Lydia grew up as a Missionary Kid in Papua New Guinea. She began playing piano at the age of 8 and clarinet when she was 10 as part of a band program at a mission based international school. She continued playing and singing in an active music program there until she finished high school and taught piano her last two years of high school before moving back to the United States to attend college. She graduated from Taylor University in Indiana with a B.M. in Music Performance in Clarinet, studying under Dr. Christopher Bade, and a piano minor under the direction of Kathy Grile. In 2008 she was awarded the Presser Scholarship in recognition of music and academic excellence. Lydia has been teaching piano and clarinet privately in the St. Louis area for over 10 years. She enjoys playing with community bands and ensembles in church and around St. Louis. She has a great love and interest in music from around the world and enjoys incorporating that diversity wherever possible.

Ann Ahrens earned a Master of Arts in Music from Webster University in 2001, and a PhD in Christian Worship from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2017. Ann has taught music and worship arts at Urshan College in Wentzville, MO for 25 years where she currently serves as Professor of Music and Worship Studies. In addition to her service at the college level, Ann has taught private and group piano at The Community Music School of Webster University (2002-2006) and Missouri Baptist University (2006-2008). Ann has studied piano with Daniel Schene, Cathy Benton, and Ruth Price. In addition to teaching piano, theory, and history, Ann’s areas of interest include the function of music in the corporate church worship service.