TEACHING
UPDATE: Following a decade of teaching at UGA, Liza Stepanova is looking forward to joining the faculty at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music this fall.
Dr. Stepanova has been on the faculty at the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music in Athens, GA since 2015 and is currently serving as Despy Karlas Professor in Piano and Piano Area chair.
Stepanova is a sought-after pedagogue. Recent student successes include prizes at the national round of the MTNA Competition, YoungArts, the Wideman concerto competition, WPTA Finland, Ohio-Liszt, and other solo and concerto contests. Summer festival placements include Aspen, Bowdoin, Piano Texas, and the Summer Academy at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Her graduate students have presented and performed at national conferences of MTNA and NCKP as well as abroad in Ireland and Serbia. Alumni of her studio work and perform nationally and internationally, collaborate with composers in creation of new music, and have established new schools and concert series.
At UGA, Stepanova has most recently been awarded the Creative Research Medal.
Read more about Stepanova’s UGA work:
Stepanova Brings Lifetime of Passion to Piano (UGA Research, 2022)
Faculty Member Transcends Barriers with Music (UGA Today, 2022)
Dr. Stepanova previously taught at Smith College in Northampton, MA as the Iva Dee Hiatt Visiting Artist in Piano. Between 2011 and 2015, she was also on the faculty at The Juilliard School where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in keyboard harmony and music history among others. She holds a BM in piano performance and pedagogy from the "Hanns Eisler" Academy of Music in Berlin, Germany and a MM and DMA from the Juilliard School, where she was a recipient of the Richard F. French award for an outstanding doctoral document.
SUMMER TEACHING
Brevard Music Center, Summer Festival and Institute, solo piano studio
Dr. Stepanova teaches in the second session of the Brevard Music Festival. At Brevard, she gives private lessons to a full studio of pianists, holds studio classes, gives lectures and masterclasses, and performs. Brevard accepts both advanced pre-college as well as college students and offers many performance and competition opportunities during the summer. Learn more and apply here.
Adamant Music School, solo piano studio
In the summer of 2026, Stepanova is excited to be teaching at Adamant for the first time. Learn more and apply here.
Bowdoin International Music Festival, chamber music
A dedicated chamber musician, Stepanova also performs and coaches talented chamber music groups at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Learn more.
PRE-COLLEGE TEACHING
Alongside her main focus on college teaching, Stepanova maintains a small but ambitious pre-college studio. Current and former students have been successful in competitions and have been admitted to prestigious undergraduate programs. Starting in the fall of 2026, Stepanova anticipates teaching in person in the Cincinnati area. Admission to the small studio is based on an interview and a trial lesson. Contact the artist for more information.
CURRENT STUDENTS AND ALUMNI
