Eastside MTA
Monthly Programs & Workshops
Monthly programs will be held in person at Newport Covenant Church for the 2025-2026
school year. Unless otherwise noted, workshops will be held from 10:30AM – 12:30PM, program speakers will be held from 10:30 – 11:30AM.
All Eastside MTA Workshops for are free of charge to EMTA members though the Dorothy Woodcock grant. Public is welcome to attend. Registration is required. The fee for the Workshops to nonmembers is $20 per workshop with the option to purchase a workshop pass for any three for $50.
EASTSIDE MTA
Eastside MTA Monthly Programs are presented each month by knowledgeable speakers at the general meetings.
Our first meeting of the new academic year. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your fellow colleagues. This will also be the time for you to learn about the coming events for the year and pick up your yearbook. Lunch will be provided.
Spencer Beus: Workshop
10AM-Noon
Topic: TBA
Sasha Starchevich: Workshop
Topic: TBA
Hanyan Zheng: ONLINE Speaker
Topic: Motivic development from Classical through Romantic genres
Explore the origin and evolution of motivic development across the Classical period and its transformation within the Romantic genre, with a particular focus on how Chopin synthesizes these techniques to form his musical identity—one deeply rooted in Classical traditions while simultaneously reforming a distinct Romantic expression.
Reid Wolch: ONLINE Speaker
Topic: Financial strategies specifically tailored to the unique careers of music educators – studio owners and employees alike.
● Solo 401(k): how this vehicle can allow self-employed music teachers to significantly boost their retirement savings, with the ability to contribute up to $70,000 annually (or $77,500 if age 50+).
● Roth IRA: how utilizing a ROTH IRA can enable tax-free growth and qualified withdrawals, enhancing their long- term flexibility by eliminating required minimum distributions and allowing tax-free asset transfer to heirs.
● Roth Conversions: how this strategy can position those with existing pre-tax retirement accounts to improve their financial standing by converting to a ROTH IRA, securing tax-free growth and withdrawals.
Sarah Silvia: Program Speaker
Topic: Clara Schumann: Romantic Trailblazer
Reminisce with Clara Schumann over her childhood journal. She will share about her upbringing, education, marriage to Robert and her career. Uncover the emotional cost and consequences of her family life and rigorous education. You will hear the tragedy in Clara’s music as her compositions are interspersed with pithy stories from her frequent travels. As Frau Schumann faced Robert’s illness she grappled with budgeting, mothering seven children and performing to make ends meet. Clara will share her heartache around her challenges but also her strong influence on other women composers in her circle. Leave understanding how Madame Schumann came to transcend gender and all its constraints in the nineteenth century.
Eastside MTA workshops
Eastside MTA
Eastside MTA Workshops are presented to provide teachers an opportunity for continuing education. Workshops will be both in person and online.
Stephen Beus
Described as “strikingly original… an interpretive voice all his own” (Fanfare Magazine), American pianist Stephen Beus is a concert artist and pedagogue of international renown. Within just four months, he garnered first prizes in both the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and the Vendome Prize International Competition (Lisbon), and was named the Max I. Allen Fellow of the American Pianists Association (Indianapolis).
Mr. Beus made his Carnegie Hall debut performing Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra under James DePreist, following his win in the Juilliard School Concerto Competition. Since then, he has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras including the Gulbenkian Symphony (Lisbon), Oxford Philomusica, Tivoli Symphony (Copenhagen), Tbilisi National Opera Orchestra, and numerous symphonies across the United States. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has performed in major venues such as Wigmore Hall, Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot (Paris), Teatro San Carlo (Naples), Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, and the Central Conservatory in Beijing. His concert tours have taken him to over 20 countries across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, with performances at notable festivals and series including the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago), the International Keyboard Institute and Festival (New York), and the Fazioli Piano Series.
Born and raised on a farm in eastern Washington, Mr. Beus began piano lessons at age five and debuted with orchestra by age nine. His playing—praised for its effortless technique, tonal richness, and artistic individuality—has earned accolades throughout his career. Fanfare Magazine writes: “Beus doesn’t fit the mold of the typical competition winner… Above all, his playing is so natural as to seem effortless.” The Fort Worth Star-Telegram declared: “We had just about given up hope that America would ever again produce a great native-born pianist. Then… Stephen Beus stepped on stage to present a remarkable performance of one of the most beautiful and difficult works in the piano literature, Rachmaninov Concerto No. 3.”
In addition to his performance career, Mr. Beus is a passionate and highly sought-after teacher.
His students have achieved remarkable success, winning prizes at both national and international piano competitions. Many have gone on to perform around the world, gain admission to prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and the Eastman School of Music, and secure teaching positions at respected universities and conservatories.
Mr. Beus holds degrees from Whitman College, The Juilliard School, and Stony Brook University. His principal teachers include Leonard Richter, Robert McDonald, Gilbert Kalish, Christina Dahl, and Paulette Richards. He has recorded for Endeavor Classics, Harmonia Mundi, and Centaur Records, including a complete recording of the solo piano works of Samuel Barber. A Steinway Artist, Stephen Beus is Professor of Piano at Brigham Young University.
Outside of music, Mr. Beus enjoys exploring the outdoors of his home state of Utah with his wife, their five sons, and one daughter. He is an avid photographer and amateur bread baker, especially fond of making sourdough. More information can be found at
Stephen will be performing in the Nancy Drake Memorial Community Concert the Sunday prior to his speaker workshop.
Sasha Starcevich
Pianist Sasha Starcevich is currently enjoying a rewarding career as an international performer and teacher with his engaging performances and passionate teaching, both at home and around the globe.
As a recitalist, he has appeared in many renowned venues such as New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, and in London’s Wigmore Hall. His debut recital there was met with critical acclaim, and a review in the Musical Opinion stated: “The repertoire was brilliantly conceived; a thoroughly enjoyable recital at every level”. He has continued to thrill audiences with Concerto appearances, chamber, and solo recitals throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The past two decades have seen Starcevich tour Russia with the Samara Philharmonic Orchestra, appear at the Holders Season, Barbados and the Henley Festival in England, and release several solo and Concerto recordings in the United States and England.
His principal teachers have included Ilana Vered, Peter Frankl, Claude Frank, Boris Berman, Jane Allen and Donna Fishwick. His Doctoral and post-graduate degrees are from Yale University, and his undergraduate degree is from the Saint Louis Conservatory. In addition, Starcevich has worked with Dimitri Bashkirov at the Gnessin School in Moscow, and also with many other world renowned artists. He has been an affiliate professor of piano at the State University of New York-Purchase, and Department Chair of Music and professor of piano at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts. He has maintained highly successful private studios in New York City, New Canaan, Connecticut, and Vancouver, Canada. Currently, Starcevich has an extremely active and internationally recognized private studio in Bellevue, Washington, and gives masterclasses around the world.
In August of 2011, he joined the faculty of Musicfest Perugia in Italy. In conjunction with co-artistic director Ilana Vered, the festival has grown to be the largest event of its kind for young musicians in Italy. Additional appointments include serving on juries for international competitions in North America, and faculty appointments to some of the more noted festivals in the United States and Canada. Recently, he has given several highly successful lectures, master classes and public teaching sessions in Asia, at the 2018 Taipei International Piano Masters Festival, the 2018 Southeastern Music Festival, the John Perry Academy, the Minnesota e piano music festival, and most recently a visit for Master classes and private lessons in conjunction with the Shanghai Conservatory in China.
His students have established themselves as grand prize winners in national and international piano competitions such as the Gina Bachauer International, Cooper International, Young Concert Artists International, Piano E Competition, Yamaha and Bosendorfer International, in addition to many others. These students have gone on to pursue serious study at the world’s most renowned musical institutions, such as the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute, the Peabody Conservatory, the Yale School of Music, and the Royal Academy of Music in England, to name a few.
Hanyan Zheng
Pianist Hanyan Zheng began her musical journey at the age of four, studying under her father. Her repertoire, which showcases her virtuosity in solo and chamber performances across the United States, Europe, and China, has established her as a remarkable and accomplished artist. Her accolades include first prize at the Faszlo Spezzaferri Italy International Music Competition in 2021, the Charleston Spring Music Competition in 2022, and the Northern Lights Piano Festival in 2023. Additionally, she earned third place at the WPTA Finland International Piano Competition in 2021. In June 2022, Hanyan took the stage with the Seattle PhilharmoniaNorthwest to perform Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, following her second prize in the 2019 University of Washington Concerto Competition. In May 2023, she performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595, with the Seattle Eastside Symphony.
Hanyan obtained her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the China Conservatory and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied under the renowned American pianist Christopher Harding. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Washington, under the mentorship of the esteemed American artist Robin McCabe. https://hanyanpiano.art/
Reid Wolch
Pianist Reid Wolch’s performances are described as “polished and graceful” (Igor Lipinski), “ravishing” (Peter Takács), and possessing “unaffected yet elegant musicianship” (Marina Lomazov). Reid is an accomplished soloist and collaborative musician who has received recognition on the regional and international stage, most recently at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, the Stecher and Horowitz Two Piano Competition, and the MTNA Young Artist Competition. Reid’s continues to perform and collaborate at events such as the Beijing International Music Festival, Icicle Creek Winter Piano Festival, and Colorado Public Radio’s ‘Spotlight Series.’ Reid earned his Masters of Piano Performance in 2022 under the tutelage of Dr. Steven Mayer at the Lamont School of Music, where he also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Prior to his graduate studies, he studied under the instruction of Dr. Oksana Ejokina at Pacific Lutheran University while also earning his Bachelor of Economics.
As a teacher, Reid is committed to helping his students achieve their highest potential. Reid encourages individual creativity and artistic expression, while maintaining a steadfast dedication to ensuring his students have mastered the fundamentals. Prior to the Chopin Academy of Music, Reid served as an instructor at Miller School of Music and Kaleidoscope School of Music.
Reid is a passionate collaborative musician. Along with his partner Jennie Liú, Reid founded a two-piano ensemble, ‘Rocky Mountain Duo’, which has received recognition nationally and internationally. Reid frequently puts on collaborative recitals with his family, all of whom play different instruments. Outside of Reid’s musical interests, he enjoys keeping up with financial markets, finding new hiking trails to explore, and drinking all types of coffee.
Sarah Silvia
At a time when more students are diagnosed with learning challenges than ever before, we can all improve as teachers when we lean into the growth mindset. Sarah Silvia’s teaching focuses on communication, connection, and relationship in her studio. She’s taught students ages 3 to 72, often with an assortment of exceptionalities. Her studio includes English language learners as well as others who experience focus & energy issues ranging from ADHD, to challenges with executive function, or developmental delays. Many of her students benefit from extra support in their musical studies with more explicit directions in practice assignments. Silvia believes in her students, and she sees them as whole and complete.
Silvia holds a Master of Music degree from University of Washington and has taught at the Bainbridge Island Music Guild and John Stanford International School. Her article on beginning to teach online was published in The Clarion in April 2020, she has presented on teaching rhythm online at the Edmonds MTA, as well as an Imagination Masterclass. She looks for the divine spark in each person she teaches and sets them up to surpass expectations.
Eastside MTA workshops
REGISTRATION
All Eastside MTA Workshops for are free of charge to EMTA members though the Dorothy Woodcock grant. Public is welcome to attend. Registration is required. The fee for the Workshops to nonmembers is $20 per workshop with the option to purchase a workshop pass for all three for $50.
general info & inquiry
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