Piano Lessons in Chicago

Hailing from West Des Moines, Iowa, AVIANA GEDLER brings her Midwest charm and personal voice to Chicago in today’s alternative music industry. Trained classically from a young age, Aviana combines musical exploration with a deep compassion for life, crafting a genre-defying sound that is uniquely her own. She is a prolific songwriter and arranger, and brings her expertise on the piano and viola to her original music. 

Aviana is an accomplished jazz vocalist, having been awarded 1st place in the Ravenscroft Jazz Prize and 2nd place in the Ella Fitzgerald International Jazz Vocal Competition. She developed her passion for versatility as a musician at the School for Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa, where she picked up arranging, composing, electric bass, drums, and guitar, and soon after earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the New England Conservatory in Boston, studying Jazz Performance under renowned musicians such as Dominique Eade, Ran Blake, and Jason Moran. While studying there, she performed at Boston’s finest jazz clubs such as the Regattabar, the Mad Monkfish, and Wally’s Jazz Cafe. In Chicago, she has performed at esteemed clubs such as the Jazz Showcase and Clara, and also co-founded her band, April State.

Alongside performing, Aviana’s true passion for music is brought out through teaching music. Through some of Chicago’s most highly esteemed non-profit organizations such as Ravinia Festival Association and Upbeat Music & Arts, she touches the lives of today’s youth by providing them the opportunity for music to enrich and transform their lives the way it has for her.

Aviana teaches beginning – intermediate voice and piano lessons, improvisation, theory, composition and songwriting. Besides music, Aviana enjoys reading, dancing, learning languages, and meeting new people

ERICA SCHULLER is the founder of Cantabile School, and has been working as both a professional singer and private teacher since 2006. She has performed throughout the continental US and abroad, and holds degrees from The Eastman School of Music (B.M.- vocal performance and music education) and San Francisco Conservatory (M.M. – vocal performance). As the director of The Cantabile School of Voice And Piano, she has actively built an exceptional team of voice & piano teachers to best train our music students.

Erica’s teaching is deeply rooted in how the body moves naturally. Sound production should be released, coordinated and energized, never forced. By focusing on the intrinsic movements of the body, and shedding excess manipulation, students are able to increase their stamina, vocal range and innate musicality.  Erica approaches each student as a true individual, and works with them holistically to help them achieve their desired goals in music making. Erica also offers lyric diction assistance, audition preparation and coaching as well as weekly lessons.

In addition to her work as a teacher and performer, Erica has held positions as a choral conductor, church music director and stage director. She has 20 years of experience as a pianist, and incorporates theory, ear training, sight reading and writing into all of her piano courses. Erica has been ranked as one of Chicago’s best voice teachers several years in a row by expertise.com. To learn more about Erica’s performance career, visit www.ericaschuller.com

Bass-Baritone PETER MORGAN is a seasoned Voice and Piano Instructor with over a decade of experience, dedicated to nurturing students of all ages and skill levels. Proficient in both vocal and piano technique and pedagogy, he excels in creating individually tailored lessons in a supportive and safe space that aims to inspire and engage. Peter is committed to fostering a love for music and maintaining a positive and fun learning environment.

Peter obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music with minors in Piano Performance and Theatre from Eastern Michigan University. He earned his Master of Music degree from The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He also holds a post-masters Artist Diploma in Opera Studies from the prestigious Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

In addition to teaching, Peter has developed a vibrant performing career in both Opera and Musical Theatre. Hailed by Opera News as an, “Excellent and exciting Bass-Baritone!” He has developed a reputation as a dynamic performer at an ever increasing number of companies across the US and in Europe. Recent performing highlights include a Wagnerian debut as Alberich in The Journey to Valhalla with The Lyric Opera of Kansas City followed closely by another Alberich in The Legend of the Ring with West Edge Opera, The Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Opera Tampa, as well as his critically acclaimed run as Max Detweiler in Francesca
Zambello’s new production of The Sound of Music with Arizona Opera, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and The Glimmerglass Festival.

When not teaching or performing Peter loves to play Pickleball, try his best at yoga, head-bang at metal concerts, cook with his wife Stephanie (another opera singer) and walk his two dachshunds Izzie and Roni.

ALEXANDRA BURCH is a soprano located in Chicago, IL. She holds duel Bachelor Degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Viterbo University, and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from DePaul University. Alexandra has been teaching piano and voice since 2018, both privately and with Reed Music Studios in Onalaska, WI. She has also worked as a recording artist for Choral Tracks LLC since 2017.

Alexandra is an experienced performer, with experience in both classical and musical theater genres. Roles of note include Monica in The Medium (Menotti), Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief (Menotti), the Princess in L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Ravel), the Witch in Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck), and Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti (Bernstein). She has been recognized for her solo work in both the classical and musical theater genres – winning first, second, and third place awards at the NATS National Student Auditions, as well as two first place awards and a third place award at the Schubert Club Auditions. She is looking forward to performing as Lucinda in Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters at DePaul University this June.

With a background in both performance and education, Alexandra is uniquely suited to work with beginners and younger students under the age of 18. She focuses on providing a warm, encouraging environment for her students, allowing them to build fundamental musicianship skills at their own rate.