Asher Severini

Hello all!

My name is Asher Severini! I’m a classical solo and collaborative pianist. I’m completing my doctorate in collaborative and solo piano performance right now at University of California, Santa Barbara. and I love all things music and piano! I have degrees from New England Conservatory, and Westminster Choir College in theory, performance, and pedagogy. I’ve studied with high profile teachers such as Russell Sherman, the artist in residence at NEC and Gabriel Chodos and Wha Kyung Byon. I’ve studied collaborative piano with Robert Koenig, the accompanist for Sarah Chang and Esther Yoo. I’ve played in masterclasses for teachers such as Joseph Kalichstein, Steven Spooner and Anne Epperson and the Tokyo String Quartet. As a performer I have performed around the world in Europe and the Americas. Among the many awards and prizes I have won are the Princeton Festival piano competition and the Richard Tang Yuk prize for artistic achievement, as well as the Regents Fellowship Award of California. I am an avid performer of all classical music and I have a talent for performing contemporary classical music as well. A high profile concert I gave was a program of the work of Elliott Carter in Boston years ago for his Centennial celebration.

I have experience teaching piano to all ages and I have a knowledge of the most cutting edge pedagogical resources which can help beginners set a firm foundation for their technique and musicality. For more advanced players I can help break through barriers and plateaus. I have extensive training in the Taubman Piano Technique which is a body of information allowing the student to reach their full technical potential and protect against injury. I believe in the value of a multidisciplinary approach and I provide music theory training and encourage and help students to develop their analytical mind when it comes to musical interpretation. I believe that you can tap into your own artistry and my goal is to help all students enjoy music and the process of learning.

Feel free to ask any questions that come to mind! I’m friendly, and down to earth :)

My teaching style varies from student to student depending on age, level of playing, personality, and learning styles. My goal as a teacher is to help a student develop as efficiently as possible without creating any roadblocks. As a pianist, I know all the bad habits that I've had to undue and all the training that I missed out on growing up. I'm here to offer what I believe to be proper technical training which will serve you well for your whole life. Musicality should be taught right from the beginning so that the language of music is not neglected. This language, in order to be properly engrained takes practice, a good ear, and ones personal enthusiasm for music. If the student is motivated there are no limits. Music theory serves as one tool to understanding the language of music which is all about tension, release, color, and motion. These work together to create a story; your own story which you will learn to create with your hands. I firmly believe in the power of demonstration so I always demonstrate what I teach. For young students my goal is to encourage personal artistic develop and set a firm foundation for technique and also reading. For a classical pianist, the ability to read music well is an ability which is extremely useful. Once a student learns how to read and becomes somewhat advanced I encourage sight reading as part of the curriculum.