Tess
Piano
About Tess
I am a professional pianist, who teaches piano in addition to regularly performing as an accompanist and soloist. My personal repertoire has a primary focus on Classical music, but I have maintained a vast repertoire of classical, jazz, pop, and contemporary pieces. As a private instructor, I work with students of all ages and skill levels, from toddlers to adult seniors. I delight in working with students to help them realize their educational, performing and musical goals, tailored to their priorities. When not teaching, I perform regularly as a staff accompanist with the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
Q&A with Tess
Which musician would you like to play with?
Anyone from Snarky Puppy
Which musician has influenced you the most?
Glenn Gould
What can you teach me better on your instrument than any other teacher?
Anything by Johannes Brahms!
How did you learn to play your instrument?
My sister wanted to take piano lessons, but I ended up taking to it.
What equipment do you play on today?
Petrof Grand (the 'Storm'), and a digital Kawaii for late-night practice.
Which personal trait helped you the most while practicing?
Curiosity
What does your instrument have that others don't?
If it can be arranged, the piano can play anything
How do you handle children?
You've got to let kids explore, but hold them accountable to the things they say are important to them.
What has been your greatest experience as a musician so far?
Collaborating with other musicians. At least once a year, all of my music friends from growing up come back to SF, and we stage concerts, create pop medley-mash-ups, and do individual projects. As the pianist of record, I'm so lucky to get to collaborate with everyone.
What was the biggest stage you played on?
Davies Symphony Hall, but they wouldn't let me touch the organ!
Which record would you take with you to the desert island?
Frank Zappa & Mother's of Invention, Apostrophe (')
Besides music, what else is important in your life?
As a native San Franciscan, I love supporting local small businesses, especially LGBTQ+ owned.
Music style(s)
ClassicalContemporaryJazz/BluesPop
Level(s) Comfortable Teaching
All
What languages can you teach in?
EnglishFrench
Bands, Projects, Notable Performances, Collaborations
San Francisco Girls Chorus, Kronos Quartet, San Francisco Symphony
Other Music-related work / goals
I have an on-going project where I'm playing through all the pieces in Susan Tomes' "The History of the Piano in 100 Pieces". So far, I've played from early Baroque keyboard instruments through to the early XXth century.
Personal Interests
When I'm not at the piano, I enjoy cooking new recipes and going out to trivia with my team 'La Triviata'.