Meet the Piano Teachers - 鋼琴老師

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President - Spotlight Arts and Culture Foundation 

Director and Teacher -  Spotlight Piano School

Kawai Medallion Educator  

Rice University DMA 

Indiana University MM 

Oberlin Conservatory BM

Dr. Zhang has more than 25 years of teaching, and two decades of performance experiences.  The culmination of her unique background led her to become one of the most sought after piano teachers in Houston, TX.  Dr. Zhang is highly skilled in teaching piano students of all ages, many of her students are award winners on local, national, and international stages.  In 2023, she has been awarded Top Piano Teachers by Steinway & Sons. Prior to founding the Spotlight Piano School in 2009, She has been on the faculty of the Alvin Community College, Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.  She also served as teaching assistant at Oberlin Conservatory and at Indiana University.  Inspired by her participations with full scholarships in many of the world's most prestigious Summer Music Festivals, such as Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Summer Piano Festival SUNY New Paltz, and the Las Vegas International Summer Music Festival, Dr. Zhang founded the Spotlight Arts and Culture Foundation to help young musicians to become better performers, and to organize outreach music events to build strong connections between performers and their audiences. She also volunteers to help other music organizations such as Mika Hasler Competition year after year.  Her most recent project is working as the co-producer for “Heart Moved by Piano” and Southern “Chopin” International Piano Competition, It is a cultural exchange program between students of China and the U.S.A..    

钢琴家張莹博士擁有超過20年的教學以及演奏經驗。目前她是德克薩斯州休斯敦最受歡迎的鋼琴老師之一。張莹博士在教授各個年齡段的鋼琴學生方面都非常有经验，尤其是很精通培养对音乐特别有天分的学生，及发觉每位学生热爱音乐的潜能。也应如此，她的許多學生都是本地，國家和國際舞台上的獲獎者。2023年，施坦威将最佳钢琴老师奖授予张莹博士。在2009年張瑩亮點鋼琴學校之前，她曾在Rice大學任教預科钢琴老师，還曾在Oberlin音樂學院和印第安納大學擔任钢琴助教。張莹博士不但从事教学及表演，还非常热心的带领学生们参与和组织各项音乐活动，幫助年輕的音樂家成為未来更好的表演者。 2021年张莹博士创办了亮点艺术文化基金会，成功的举办了亮点国际钢琴大赛，2024年此大赛已经迎来了30多个国家，数百国际钢琴选手参与。

Piano Instructor 

Kayla Henderson began studying piano at age six, first in Korea and continued later after emigrating to the United States. While studying under Dr. Rachel Park, an associate professor at Jacksonville State University, Kayla placed second at FWMTA Piano solo contest in Fort Worth, Texas, and began pursuing a career as a pianist. Kayla later received a bachelor's degree in piano performance from the University of Houston, under the tutelage of Timothy Hester and Dr. Tali Morgulis. With over ten years of teaching, Kayla has extensive experience accompanying recitals and competitions, including UIL, Solo, and Ensemble. Kayla primarily performs for charity organizations, churches and refugee centers, places where people may not usually be able to afford or attend piano performances. She hopes to provide young students instruction on how to work and play piano as a means of self-expression and enjoyment, sharing in the beauty of music.

Piano Teacher 

Born in Minsk, Belarus, Anna Yukho started playing piano at age six under the tutelage of her mother, Irina Lazareva. In 1999 she made her debut with the Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra performing Piano Concerto No. 5 by J. S. Bach.  Prizewinner of the International Piano Competition in Memory of Arthur Rubinstein in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Anna received her first award at the age of ten as a winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Antonin, Poland. In 2003, she became a prizewinner of the International Piano Competition “Music of Hope” in Gomel, Belarus. In 2015, she won the Pianist’s Award of the isa15 – International Summer Academy of the mdw in Reichenau, Austria.  During her career, Anna has appeared at important venues such as Weill Recital Hall – Carnegie Hall and Klavierhaus in New York during the Mannes Sounds Festival, and Flagey Radio and Concert Hall in Belgium. Anna has participated in international festivals such as Vladimir’s Spivakov’s charity festival “Moscow Meets Friends”, Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival. She has also given performances in Belgium, Italy, Austria, Holland, Poland, and Russia. As a soloist, Anna has performed several times with the Belarusian State Chamber and Symphony Orchestra.  Anna’s numerous scholarships and awards include Tuition Scholarship from Mannes School of Music in New York, the Marian Marcus Wahl Memorial Award, the Woods Chandler Scholarship and the Henry & Lucy Moses Fellowship from the Yale School of Music, the Musical Club of Hartford Scholarship, and The Marilyn G. Lummis Prize from Rice University, Shepherd School of Music.  Anna Yukho is currently studying with Dr. Robert Roux at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University as an Artist Diploma candidate. From early childhood, Anna attended the Republican Gymnasium-College under the Belarusian State Academy of Music, a music school for gifted children, in her native Minsk, Belarus. In 2013, she graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk where she studied with Professor Igor Olovnikov. Anna graduated with a Master’s Degree from the Mannes School of Music in 2015 where she studied with the legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman. In 2017 she graduated with a Master of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music where she studied with Boris Berman and Peter Frankl.