Piano Teachers Forum Executive Board 2018-2019

2022-2023 Executive Board

Jason Gallagher

President, Historian

Jason Gallagher received his Master’s Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance, with distinction, from Westminster Choir College in May 2014. There, he studied piano with Phyllis Lehrer. Mr. Gallagher also completed a rigorous, year-long internship with renowned teacher Ingrid Clarfield. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory, magna cum laude, from Ithaca College in May 2012. He studied piano with Dr. Jennifer Hayghe, and pedagogy with Dr. Deborah Martin.

Nancy Merkel

Vice President

Nancy Merkel has maintained an active piano studio in Manalapan for over 30 years. She completed her Certificate in Piano Pedagogy at the New School for Music Study in Kingston, NJ where she had the honor of studying with Frances Clark and Louise Goss.

Her piano teaching was further enhanced through training and certification in Music Together, an internationally recognized music and movement approach to early childhood music development designed for children from
birth through age 5 and their parents/caregivers. She taught Music Together in Manalapan for several years and saw first-hand the positive impact of early childhood music-making as many Music Together “graduates” became outstanding piano students!

Nancy continues to challenge her own piano skills in her lessons with Dr. Kairy Koshoeva at The New School for Music Study (check out Kairy’s bio at www.kairykoshoeva.com) and performs regularly with her duet partner Jennifer Herring.

In addition to her role with PTF, Nancy also serves on the Advisory Board of The New School for Music Study.

Christine Chan

Corresponding Secretary

Born in Hong Kong, Christine Chan spent her early adult years in the financial industry. At the age of 28, she returned to music to pursue her passion for piano full time. She earned her Master of music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University where she studied piano with Dr. James Goldsworthy and pedagogy with Ena Bronstein Barton, Ingrid Clarfield, Phyllis Alpert Lehrer and Dr. Chiu-Ling Lin.

Christine has been on the piano faculty of Westminster Conservatory of Music since 2009. She also currently teaches as an adjunct piano instructor at Princeton Day School. She maintains a private piano studio at her home in Newtown, Pennsylvania, where children and adults are encouraged to explore and discover the joy of making music. Being able to learn music together with her students has been one of the most thrilling and rewarding things to Christine, as she believes music is essential to our humanity. Christine is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano.

Kristen Todd

Treasurer

Kristen Todd completed her Master of Music degree in 2014 at Westminster Choir College, where she studied with Ingrid Clarfield. In 2012, she graduated summa cum laude from Capital University with her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Keyboard Pedagogy, where she studied under Tianshu Wang and Seymour Fink.

She has been teaching since arriving in Princeton in 2012 and currently maintains a private piano studio of forty students, ranging in ages and levels. Additionally she serves as the pianist/organist for the Sergeantsville United Methodist Church and works with Raritan Valley Community College’s RISE (Returning & Incarcerated Student Education) program to teach music classes in prisons in New Jersey. She is an active member of the Piano Teachers Forum of New Jersey (as Treasurer and as a member of the Composer Showcase committee), and New Jersey Music Teachers Association.

Jane Labban

Recording Secretary

Jane is a graduate of Duke University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She is a lifelong piano student and after a decade as a Sales Engineer, she returned to the musical world, resuming her own piano studies. She started a private piano studio in 2013 and joined the faculty of Cornerstone Music Studios in Millstone, NJ in 2015. She has completed numerous Pedagogy Courses at the New School of Music and has been a member of the Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey for many years. Jane strives to create a love of music, creating a specific curriculum for each student, working to tap
into the unique gifts each child possesses.

Svetlana Zelov

Friendship/Hospitality, Media Lending Library

Originally from Belarus, Svetlana Zelov holds a Master of Music degree with a distinction from Belarus University of Culture (piano performance with an emphasis in pedagogy). As accompanist, she took part in state competitions and have several awards from Belarus Department of Culture.

Svetlana has been teaching for 27 years. Her students actively perform in recitals, community outreach programs and compete in annual Festivals, Competitions and Auditions in NJ; have been invited to perform in Winner Recitals at Carnegie Hall and Manhattan School of Music, NY.

She is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, NJ Music Teachers Association, and the Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey.

Richard Woo

Performance Group

Richard Woo maintains a private studio in the greater Princeton area of New Jersey. He has served on the piano and music theory faculties at Westminster Conservatory of Music of Rider University, and he has also been an instructor of piano secondary courses at Westminster Choir College and at The College of New Jersey. Mr. Woo adjudicates for statewide piano performance events for students, and he presides as a board member of the New Jersey Music Teachers Association and the Piano Teachers Forum of Central New Jersey. He holds Master of Music degrees in Piano Pedagogy and Performance and in Music Education from Westminster Choir College, and he holds a diploma from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music from the United Kingdom. He is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music with the Music Teachers National Association.

Hope Krick-Smith

Publicity, Festival Chair

Hope Krick-Smith, BM, MM, has been seen in many operatic roles and as a soloist at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Shea Stadium and the New Jersey State Theater, among others. Hope’s discography includes being a featured soloist on Angels and Architechture: The voices of Anam Cara and Teaching Music through Performance in Choir. Among many prestigious awards, Hope has twice been awarded the Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council and won a grant from the Wagner Society of New York.

Princeton-based, she has performed as a soloist for the Princeton Amateur Society, Princeton Friends of Opera, Princeton Pro Musica, Kinnara Ensemble and participated in two operas with the Princeton Festival at McCarter Theater.

Hope has been an adjunct faculty member at Molloy College and Salem Community College, teaching private lessons and Music Appreciation. She has given various vocal and choral Masterclasses in colleges, high schools and churches in the tri-state area. She currently runs a private studio with over 50 students where she teaches piano, voice and guitar. Hope also teaches general music and runs the theater program at The Laurel School of Princeton.

Megan Hofreiter

Scholarship

Megan Register Hofreiter is a pianist and teacher based in Hillsborough, NJ.

As a performing pianist, Megan has performed as a soloist and collaborative artist, and is a frequent accompanist in student recitals and competitions. She is a staff accompanist at the American Repertory Ballet's Princeton Ballet School.

As a teacher, Megan works to help each student find their unique voice in music, based on their own interests, inspiration, and personality. Her students' recent accomplishments include receiving highest marks in statewide festivals, achieving high honors in examinations, as well as participation in community service-oriented fundraising concerts. Since 2003 she has taught private piano lessons at Westminster Conservatory of Music. She maintains an independent piano studio in Hillsborough.

Megan holds degrees from Westminster Choir College of Rider University (M.M. with distinction, Piano Pedagogy and Performance), and from Columbus State University (B.M., Piano Performance, pedagogy emphasis).

Nancy Modell

Composer Showcase Chair

Nancy Modell, an Ithaca College School of Music graduate in both piano performance and music education, is very passionate about teaching music. In the 1980s, as a Teacher Trainer, she pioneered the Suzuki Approach in Israel where she taught students and trained local piano teachers in Jerusalem. Since 1992 she has been teaching in Springfield, inspiring students to reach their potential through innovative learning opportunities, including original composition. She has explored ways to introduce composition to students of all levels and has presented her approach at various teachers’ forums, including NAfME, NJMEA, NJMTA, MEA-NJ, PTC of NY, PTF, The Taubman Festival, the SAA, and most recently at 1era Convención Suzuki de las Américas in Cancun, MX.

Nancy trains piano teachers in the Suzuki Approach at Summer Institutes, college courses, and privately. She is Piano Coordinator of the NJ Suzuki Workshop and is the Immediate Past President of MEA-NJ.

Victoria Chow

Ex Officio President, Nominating Chair

Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Mrs. Victoria Chow, NCTM, MM, BM, is thrilled to be on faculty as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Piano at her alma mater, Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. As a member for both NJMTA and MTNA, President and Festival Chairperson of PTF, Mrs. Chow's students are highly involved in performing. Her students have been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Kimmel Center in recognition of their highest state scores for the Royal Conservatory of Music, Rising Talents Music Fest, Golden Key and Crescendo Music Festival.

Ms. Chow has served as the Church Musician at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Princeton Junction, NJ since 2006. She also briefly served as the Collaborative Artist at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton in Princeton, NJ. In 2019, Ms. Chow directed the return of the Westminster Choir College Middle School Piano Camp.