Expert Piano Teacher
The Art of Piano teacher, Dr. Maria Horváth has taught piano professionally for over thirty-five years, to students of all ages, from the beginner to the graduate level. In addition to teaching privately, she has taught at Illinois State University, Millikin University, Louisiana State University, the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, and Lincoln Land Community College. Her students have won numerous auditions, scholarships, prizes, and honors over the years.
Education
Dr. Horváth was awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts (D. M. A) degree in Piano Performance from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Illinois State University, and an Artist-Teacher Diploma from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music/University of Musical Arts in Budapest, Hungary. Subsequently, she also earned a M. S. degree in Arts Technology from Illinois State University. Her teachers included Dr. Jack Guerry (LSU), Gellért Módos (ISU), Márta Gulyás, Edit Hambalkó and Gyöngyi Keveházi (F. Liszt Academy). During her studies, she also participated in numerous masterclasses and mastercourses with world-renowned artists, and received prestigious scholarships to the Conservatoire Américain in Fontainebleau, France, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York city.
Performance
As a performer, Horváth appeared at a wide range of venues as a soloist and orchestra soloist in France, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the USA. She has also performed in a variety of chamber ensembles and orchestras and accompanied singers, instrumentalists, choirs, opera, and musical theater productions. For fifteen years, she served as Principal Keyboard (piano, celesta, harpsichord, portative organ, and synthesizer player) of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra.
Pedagogy
Maria’s performance studies included in-depth training in piano pedagogy, and she's been continually refining her methods ever since. She is a frequent adjudicator (at state, district, and local competitions), master class clinician, and lecturer. Her article The Whole Piano is Mine! Keeping Today's Beginners Engaged Through Attractive and Motivational Repertoire was published in the Clavier Companion (retitled The Piano Magazine,) the flagship magazine for piano teachers and enthusiasts. She was selected Teacher of the Year by the Decatur Area Music Teachers Association and Teacher of the Year runner-up by the Illinois State Music Teachers Association in 2017. The year prior, she received both the Teacher of the Year and the Member of the Year awards from DAMTA.
Historically Informed Performance
Years after her university studies, Maria developed a keen interest in early keyboard instruments, especially the fortepiano, and historically informed performance. This resulted in fortepiano studies with Malcolm Bilson in several intensive, week-long mastercourses in Hungary, private lessons with Bart van Oort in the Netherlands, and a materclass with Alexei Lubimov at the Forte/Piano Festival at Cornell University. Her replica of a five-octave Walter fortepiano from Mozart/George Washington's time (built by Ron Regier in 2015) has become a source of renewed inspiration, and allowed her to share her passion for early pianos with a variety of audiences.
Professional Organizations
Maria is a member of several professional organizations, including the Music Teachers National Association, Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies, Early Music America, Historical Keyboard Society of North America, and the National Federation of Music Clubs.
