Pianist, Music Instructor, and Online Lesson Specialist
Musical Beginnings in the SF Bay Area
Hailing from California, pianist and music instructor Anton Achondoa studied with Hans Boepple at Santa Clara University where he graduated in 2013 with a B.A. in Music. During his youth in Sunnyvale, he was regularly immersed in music, exposed to a broad spectrum of genres as both his parents were afficionados. His formative years studying classical piano were spent with Nina Kouchnir who inspired him to eventually pursue a career in music.
Further Explorations as a Pianist and Teacher in California
Over the last decade and a half, Anton has performed with the Santa Clara University Orchestra, The Santa Clara University Choir, and has provided music o for events throughout the Silicon Valley. In 2016, he started his M.M. in Keyboard Studies at San Jose State University, working with Frank Lévy. During this time, he served as a pianist for Catholic parishes in the Diocese of San Jose and managed his own private piano studio.
Piano Graduate School in Edmonton
Anton relocated to Canada in 2018 to pursue his DMus at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Jacques Després. His academic work centered on the study of early piano recordings and how they represent a style of playing characterized by more flexible and personal readings of musical scores. Anton hopes that stimulating a new appreciation for these idiosyncratic historical recordings by the likes of Rachmaninoff, Cortot, Hofmann, et al. can breathe new life into modern piano interpretation, which, in his view, tends to be constrained and homogenized by a globally prevalent academic viewpoint.
Anton’s recent performances at the UofA include a lecture recital, “Beyond Urtexts,” discussing the topic of interpreting works by Liszt, a solo recital featuring pieces by Mozart, Liszt, Prokofiev, Debussy, and Chopin as well as a chamber recital with works by Rachmaninoff and Brahms. He was also one of the 2020 recipients of the Strauss Foundation Scholarship and his project was to study with Jacques Rouvier at the Salzburg Mozarteum Summer Program which unfortunately could not take place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Discovering Online Piano Lessons
Throughout his years in graduate school, Anton did extensive work teaching at the university level. He served as an instructor for a keyboard fundamentals course, a lecturer for an introduction to western musical notation, and taught private piano lessons as a studio assistant as well as the principal instructor for non music major students. During the 2020 lockdowns, Anton worked diligently to ensure the highest quality for zoom music instruction for university undergraduates. It was at this time that he discovered the untapped potential of online piano lessons through zoom. Since then, Anton has consistently had online students and intermittently hosted group piano workshops.
As a mentor, Anton believes his role is to provide a supportive and inspiring environment that stimulates artistic growth and makes space for curiosity and dialogue between student and teacher. At a more practical level, the numerous musical and mechanical challenges at the keyboard are terribly daunting, and he priotizes demystifying the work at the piano bench with clear, step-by-step practice strategies and probing questions that lead students to get in touch with their inner interpretive voice. His years as a piano instructor - both online and in person - a performer, and a researcher offer a unique blend of skills and insights especially suited to working with aspiring adult pianists seeking a coach to mentor them on their musical journey.