My name is Dr. Michele Adler Cohen and I am a Brazilian-American concert pianist with a passion for teaching and performing! I have a Doctoral Degree in Piano Performance from Indiana University and over 25 years of experience in the field of music. I have performed in major concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Myra Hess Concert Series at the Chicago Cultural Center, and Ernenmusikdorf Festival in Switzerland. I am also a winner of the Artist International Auditions of New York and First Prizes in National Piano Competitions of Brazil.
Passionate Teacher
In addition to performing as a concert pianist, I also have great passion for teaching and mentoring my wonderful students at my private studio in Paradise Valley. My winning program takes the very best practices from pianists around the world, and each student will learn perfect technique developed from many years of experimenting. I welcome students of all ages and levels and have great joy in creating an individualized program for success!
Early Life
Dr. Michele Adler Cohen was born in Salvador, capital of the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil. Although Bahia’s music is heavily influenced by African rhythms and melodies, from an early age, Michele demonstrated remarkable curiosity for European classical music that she heard at her grandfather’s house. She began her formal piano studies at age six with her teacher, Maria Carneiro, in her native Bahia. Early on, Michele captured her first prizes in National Piano Competitions in Brazil, and this early success took her to performing concerts in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, Joao Pessoa, Maceio, as well as Belem, a town in the Amazon region. The fusion of her Jewish descent with Bahia’s African culture is reflected in her passionate and creative style of playing. At the age of 16, Michele was awarded a full scholarship to study at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Illinois. Piano lessons in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley
Education
While in the US, she earned degrees from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master’s and Doctorate in Piano Performance from Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington. At Indiana she met her main musical mentors, the distinguished pianists Michel Block and Arnaldo Cohen. During her years at Indiana University, she worked as an Associate Instructor teaching piano to undergraduate and graduate students. She also accompanied and performed chamber music with students of Joseph Gingold and Janos Starker. As part of her training, she studied solo and chamber music with Gyorgy Sebok at Indiana University and Ernen Musikdorf in Switzerland. In an effort to deepen understanding of her own roots, Michele did extensive research and performing of Brazilian 20th century music. She wrote a dissertation on Villa-Lobos’ Momoprecoce for piano and orchestra and played works by Claudio Santoro, Villa-Lobos and Marlos Nobre.