About us
At Académie Piano Vertu, we take a holistic approach that builds on students' ambitions. It's a rigorous music education that fosters creative growth in students of all ages and musical backgrounds. Our highly structured, performance-based program enables students to receive tailor-made instruction that guarantees effective learning and often outstanding results.
Regarding young learners, we believe that strong parental involvement in the learning process yields better results. Our teachers are graduates of reputable music conservatories and experienced educators highly regarded in their respective fields. Working in collaboration with students, we nurture their perseverance and self-motivation, ensuring they reach their goals.
We offer theory and harmony courses to develop a profound understanding of music, enabling students to navigate the world of music more freely and confidently - some even compose their own pieces. Discover and reach new musical heights at Piano Vertu Academy.
We have teachers who can instruct in French and English, as well as in Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Persian... Feel free to ask us if we can accommodate your needs!
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Length of classes and pricing
The academy offers classes of three lengths: 30 minutes, 45 minutes and 60 minutes.
The pricing is as follows:
Price | Duration |
|---|---|
30$ | 30 minutes |
40$ | 45 minutes |
50$ | 60 minutes |
Our professors
Dr. Alberto Peña
Colombian pianist Alberto Peña has performed concerts in major venues in Austria, Italy, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama, Canada, and the United States, demonstrating equal dedication to the solo, concerto, and chamber music repertoire from all periods. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Panama, the Meadows Symphony Orchestra, the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra, and the Camerata Dallas. Alberto has won piano competitions in Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and the United States, receiving numerous prestigious awards and scholarships. He holds degrees and distinctions from the Université de Montréal, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Southern Methodist University, and the Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas (Bogota). His principal teachers were Dang Thai Son, Boris Slutsky, Christopher Taylor, Joaquín Achúcarro, and Pilar Leyva. He has participated in numerous masterclasses and prestigious advanced training programs worldwide.
Alberto a remporté des concours de piano en Colombie, au Venezuela, au Costa Rica et aux États-Unis, recevant de nombreux prix et bourses prestigieux. Il détient des diplômes et distinctions de l’Université de Montréal, du Conservatoire Peabody de l’Université Johns Hopkins, de l’Université du Wisconsin-Madison, de la Southern Methodist University et de la Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas (Bogota). Ses principaux professeurs étaient Dang Thai Son, Boris Slutsky, Christopher Taylor, Joaquín Achúcarro et Pilar Leyva. Il a participé à de nombreuses classes de maître et à des programmes de formation avancée de renom à travers le mond
Dr. Mehdi Ghazi
Mehdi Ghazi has been described as a "sensitive pianist" by The New York Times, with a power to "communicate emotions comparable to Wilhelm Kempff" according to Claude Gingras from La Presse, Montreal.
As the winner of the Campillos International Piano Competition in 2020 and a medalist at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in 2014, as well as the recipient of the second prize and the Audience Prize at the Orford Music Prize in 2018, Ghazi has been recognized for his exceptional talents. In 2015, he was selected as one of the "30 classical musicians under 30" by Radio-Canada, and he received the Sylva-Gelber Foundation Music Award in 2014.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Mehdi Ghazi has graced concert halls worldwide, including a performance at the Grand Hall of UNESCO in Paris at the age of 12. In 2011, he was selected by the Glenn Gould Foundation to perform in front of the Governor General of Canada as part of a tribute to the late Glenn Gould.
He has worked and collaborated with renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Yoav Talmi, John Morris Russell, Pavel Baleff, and Raffi Armenian. He is frequently invited to appear on radio and television channels, including CBC and Classical 96.3 in Toronto, and has been featured in prominent newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, among others.
Ghazi holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Algeria, an Artist Diploma from the Conservatoire de Montréal, an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, and a Master's degree from the University of Montréal. He recently earned a doctorate under the guidance of Jean Saulnier at the University of Montréal.
Beguentch Gueldyev
Beguentch Gueldyev, hailing from a family of artists, was born in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he began his piano studies at the age of seven. He went on to study at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow under the guidance of Professor Valery Kastelsky, one of the last students of the legendary Heinrich Neuhaus. In 1996, he earned a master's degree in piano performance. In 1997, Mr. Gueldyev won the first prize at the international competition "XX Century per a Piano" in Girona, Spain, and subsequently started working as a piano teacher at the Central Music School of Moscow.
In 2000, he was appointed as a piano professor at both the Royal Gendarmerie Conservatory and the Royal Guard Conservatory in Morocco. He frequently performs as a soloist with the Royal Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Morocco. His students have achieved numerous awards in national and international competitions. Since 2012, residing in Montreal, Mr. Gueldyev currently works as a piano accompanist at the École supérieure de ballet du Québec.
Olga Dourova
Olga Durova was born in Tajikistan. She began playing the piano at the age of seven. After completing her studies at the Duchanbe College of Music in Tajikistan as a pianist and musicologist, she entered the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow, where she studied under the renowned Yuri and Valentina Kholopov. She later pursued postgraduate studies and earned a master's degree.
Olga Durova has taught piano, music theory, solfeggio, counterpoint, and harmony at various institutions, including the Duchanbe College of Music in Tajikistan, the Beethoven Music School in Moscow, Russia, and the Royal Conservatory of Rabat in Morocco. Alongside her teaching activities, she has accompanied a wide repertoire of chamber music, including works for piano duet (four hands).
Dr. Rayna Slavova
Rayna Slavova is currently pursuing doctoral studies in vocal accompaniment at the University of Montreal under the guidance of Francis Perron. She holds a master's degree in vocal accompaniment from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Eileen Cornett, and continued her postgraduate studies in collaborative piano at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Rayna is an active performer and teacher. She has appeared as a soloist and with chamber ensembles in Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, and Canada. She has collaborated with the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne and Oper'actuel: Works in Progress in Montreal, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the symphonic choirs of the University of Wisconsin, Edgewood College, and the Madison Festival.
She is currently working as an accompanist at the University of Montreal. She served as the Music Director of the Peabody Opera Outreach Program during the 2012-2013 season. She has worked as an opera and diction coach at the Fundación Universitaria Juan N Corpas in Bogota, Colombia. At UW-Madison, Rayna taught music theory and accompaniment to undergraduate students. Rayna received the Sarah Stulman Zierler Award for Accompanying at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. In 2017, she won the Irvin Shein Wind Piano Duo Competition in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dr. Adalyat Issiyeva
Adalyat Issiyeva holds a Bachelor of Music from Almaty State Conservatoire and completed master’s and doctoral work at McGill University. Shifting from an ethnomusicological focus (“Philosophical and Religious Aspects of Uighur Muqam”) to western European early music, her master’s research, “Ostinato Motets by Josquin des Prez,” investigated number symbolism and compositional techniques in renaissance music. She completed her doctoral dissertation titled “Russian Orientalism: From Ethnography to Art-Song in Russian Nineteenth-Century Music” in 2014. Her studies were funded by scholarships from the Social Studies and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC), Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC), and McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. She has published articles in several journals and collections of articles. Her book Representing Russia’s Orient, published by Oxford University Press, received a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title award for 2021. It explores political implications of nineteenth-century Russian art songs with oriental subjects, and was described by reviewer Richard Taruskin as a “critical evaluation of orientalist art songs by famous composers, and generous anthology of rare specimens,” addressing the subject “with unprecedented depth and acuity.” Her most recent research focuses on the state-regulated formation of musical identities for ethnic minorities under the Stalin regime.
Liliya Bayarashova
Liliya Bayarashova, originally from Russia, began her musical studies at a very young age. After completing her college-level education at the Music School, she graduated from the Kazan Conservatory in 1997. In 2005, Liliya continued her studies at the University of Montreal, where she pursued a master's degree in music (performance) under the guidance of Maneli Pirzadeh. She furthered her education with a specialization in chamber music (DESS) under the instruction of renowned professors like Jean-Eudes Vaillancourt.
The musical ensemble has always been at the center of Liliya's professional interests. In 2000, she co-founded the ensemble Duo Piacere. As a member of the clarinet-piano duo, Liliya regularly participates in regional, national, and international competitions. In 2003, the duo won the national chamber music competition in Syzran, Russia. Their participation in the international competition in Boston (2008) also added two awards to the musician's active professional career.
For over 15 years, Liliya has been sharing her passion for music not only with audiences but also with her students. She has taught piano in both Kazan and Montreal. Her commitment to creative, rigorous, and collaborative work has made her a highly regarded teacher among aspiring musicians.
Negar Moradi
The Persian pianist Negar Moradi has embraced numerous opportunities to share her musical ideas in solo, chamber, and collaborative performances. Born in Tehran, Iran, Negar initiated her musical journey at the age of 5. Her talent was acknowledged in early stages, prompting her to seek guidance from renowned international pianists like Dorothy Khadem-Missagh, Sarah Bryans, and Peter Ovtcharov. The decision to pursue music as a profession led Negar to leave her previous engineering profession and her homeland, venturing to Canada to pursue her musical dreams.
Earning her degree in piano performance at McGill University under Professors Kyoko Hashimoto and Marina Mdivani, Negar passionately excels in solo and collaborative music, leaving a distinct mark in concert halls across Austria, Canada, and Iran. Collaborating with renowned musicians, Negar had the privilege of performing with the Allegro Moldo Orchestra in Austria under the direction of Christoph Ehrenfellner. She also accompanied international instrumentalists and vocalists during her tenure at McGill University.
Negar's commitment to excellence extends to various competitions. Guided by Professor Gagik Babayan, she secured the first prize at the "Javan Music Festival" in Iran in 2017. After immigrating to Canada, Negar earned recognition for her exceptional abilities, receiving awards and scholarships such as the Paul-Marcel Gélinas and Verna-Marie Parr Gélinas Piano Prize (2020), the Anna Paull Gertler Scholarship (2021), and the Luba Zuk Piano Scholarship (2022).
In addition to her performance prowess, Negar holds a minor degree in music education from McGill University. Leveraging her early teaching experience, she has become a dedicated instructor, skilled at adapting her approach to diverse student needs. Negar Moradi's musical odyssey encompasses performances on international stages, a commitment to education, and serving as an educational bridge between Iran and Canada.
Quang Nguyen
Pianist Quang Nguyen (Nguyen Dang Quang) was a prize winner of many international music competitions, including First Prize at Val Tildone Competition in Piacenza, Italy (2012), Gold Medal and Special Prize at ASIA International Piano Festival Competition in Seoul, South-Korea (2014), First Prize, Best Vietnamese Contestant and Best Performance of a Concerto at 3rd Hanoi International Piano Competition in Hanoi, Vietnam (2015), Second Prize at Lansum International Music Festival in Los Angeles, U.S.A (2016). Most recently, in 2020, Quang won First Prize at the Malaysia Virtual International Music Competition.
Quang’s recent concert highlights include Toyota Concert Tour 2023 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with conductor Honna Tetsuji and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, playing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, as well as performance in diplomatic concerts for the Embassy of Japan, Embassy of Canada, and the Danish Royal Family. He has appeared in many concert halls such Zipper Hall (Los Angeles, USA), Salle Claude-Champagne (Montreal, Canada), Concert Hall of University of Guangxi (Nanning, China), Diocesan Museum of Brescia (Brescia, Italy), Hanoi Opera House (Hanoi, Vietnam), Saigon Opera House (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), Grand Hall of Vietnam National Academy of Music (Hanoi, Vietnam), St. Joseph Cathedral (Hanoi, Vietnam). He has also worked with Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Saigon Symphony Orchestra, Inspirito Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Tran Vuong Thach, Nguyen Thieu Hoa, Nguyen Phu Son.
Quang Nguyen, born in 1998 in a family with music traditions. Quang started his first piano lessons at the age of 9. In 2016, with the guidance of Prof. Tran Thu Ha, Quang graduated the 9-year pre-college program with excellency at the Piano Faculty – Vietnam National Academy of Music. In 2020, Quang obtained his bachelor’s degree, majoring in Classical Piano Performance at the University of Montreal, Canada, under the guidance of Pianist Dang Thai Son with a full scholarship from the Vietnamese Government. In 2022, at the same establishment, Quang completed his master's degree in the studio of Professor Jean Saulnier. He also has masterclasses with famous pianists such as André Laplante, Armen Babakhanian, Jimmy Brière, Marina Mdivani and Hae-Won Chang. Currently, he is pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of Montreal under the guidance of Charles Richard-Hamelin, Henry Kramer, and Jean Saulnier.
Peter Wang
Peter Wang earned his Bachelor's degree in Music Production and Engineering from Berklee College of Music in 2021, although this is just the latest chapter in his musical journey. From the age of 4, Peter received rigorous training in the classical tradition for 14 years, both in Canada and China, before expanding his musical horizons to more contemporary styles.
During his adolescence in Calgary, Peter Wang achieved his ARCT Diploma in Piano Performance with a score of 94% at the age of 15. He also won the Calgary Concerto Competition twice, at the ages of 13 and 15. At 16, he received the Grand Prix Rose Bowl at the Calgary Performing Arts Festival, a unique award recognizing the best young performing artist across all festival disciplines. Later that year, he was chosen to represent Alberta at the national competitions of the FCMF National Music Festival and the Canadian Music Competition (CMC), where he achieved 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. The following year, he participated in the FCMF national competition again, this time securing 2nd place in the chamber group category with his piano trio. Subsequently, during his time at Berklee, he shifted his focus toward recording, but before that, he received the Emmanuel Zambelli Scholarship for outstanding performances in the classical genre and the Division Performance Piano Award during his first year.
Beyond the piano, Peter has a deep interest in theory, both classical and jazz, which he enjoys incorporating into his teaching. His experience as an orchestra drummer and trombonist, coupled with his rigorous training as a sound engineer, allows him to take a holistic approach to complement his skills as a pianist.
Johan Struyve
From a very young age, Johan Struyve spent hours improvising on the keyboard.
Originaire de Belgique, il commence sa formation de piano au Conservatoire d’Ostende, puis il obtient des prix d’écriture au Conservatoire Supérieur d’Anvers et un Master en Musique à
l’Institut Lemmens de Louvain. Il continue son voyage en France, Allemagne et Pays-Bas en suivant des cours d’interprétation et s’installe en 1998 à Paris pour se perfectionner à l’Ecole Normale de Musique. Toujours passionné de musique, danse et théâtre, il nourrit alors son travail de rencontre avec des musiciens, chorégraphes et metteurs en scène.
Depuis, il enseigne le piano en privé et exerce en tant qu’accompagnateur de ballet dans divers conservatoires de la région parisienne. Il participe activement aux cours, examens et spectacles à travers l’adaptation du répertoire, l’improvisation, la composition, la chanson et le
montage des bandes sonores.
En 2012, il s’installe au Nord de la France où il donne une série de concert en solo interprétant un répertoire de choix sur le Romantisme suivi de différentes créations piano-voix autour des chansons françaises notamment un spectacle en hommage à Jacques Brel.
Il intègre parallèlement le Conservatoire de Maubeuge en tant que responsable du département de piano à plein temps et l’Ecole Supérieure de Musique et de Danse de Lille, en intervenant cette fois au niveau professionnel lors des cours de pédagogie et les examens de certification des futurs enseignants de danse.
En 2019, il choisi le Québec comme nouvelle destination en continuant à servir ses deux
passions. L’enseignement du piano à domicile à des jeunes à partir de 4 ans et à l’École Internationale Les Mélèzes de Joliette. Affilié à l’UQAM, il a préparé de nombreux enfants aux examens théoriques, auditifs et instrumentaux. Parallèlement, il est accompagnateur à l’École Supérieure de Ballet, au Collège Jean-Eudes et aux Ballets Jazz.
With 30 years of experience, a broad knowledge of repertoires (classical, jazz, dance, and song), and a deep understanding of all technical and artistic aspects of piano learning, Johan will guide and accompany you at your own pace, regardless of your level or age.
Victoria Corbisiero
Victoria Corbisiero has performed across both Europe and North America. Her last performances were at the Ursulkerk Church in Bergen, North-Holland, at the Gilles-LeFebvre Concert Hall in Quebec, Canada, and at Steinway Hall in New York City. She has completed a BM in Piano Performance with Kyomi Sugimura at Depaul University School of Music, and an MM in Piano Performance with Paul Ostrovsky at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music in New York.
