A strong foundation, not speed, is what makes a student progress fastest. This article explains why sdpa sometimes takes a step back before moving forward, and gives three questions parents can ask to check whether their child's playing is built to last.

Khai West is headed to UCLA to study with David Kaplan, capping a remarkable turnaround: he started with Chetan Tierra in 2023 barely playing seriously, and within seven months was winning prizes with Beethoven. See how far he's come, from Beethoven's Third Concerto to a 2026 competition sweep before college.

On Saturday, June 20th, sdpa faculty pianist Seth Quay took the stage for a piano trio, joined by cellist Katie Burns and violinist Renaudo Robinson, for an afternoon of chamber music.

Of the 35 total awards given, SDPA faculty and their students won 17 of the recognized placements!

Two freshmen from Melissa Evans Tierra's studio, Arianna Gago and Lalo Villodas, are headed to summer piano programs at Colburn Tonebase and Baylor University. Beyond the study, both are building early connections with conservatory faculty ahead of their college auditions.

sdpa students swept all three top prizes in the 15-18 category at the Southern California State Concerto Competition. Read how Luna Lee's win sets up a full-circle final against a student of her teacher's own mentor.

Twelve students from Kay's studio earned Superior ratings, the top score possible, at the National Federation of Music Clubs Piano Festival. See the full list of honorees and what a sweep like this says about the studio's teaching.

Arianna Gago earned an Honorable Mention at the San Diego Concerto Competition, performing Mendelssohn's First Concerto as one of the youngest in her division. Read the story behind her rapid rise, from an easier Chopin Nocturne to a spot in Colburn's Summer Piano Intensive, in under a year.

Vitía Kulish, sdpa faculty pianist, is releasing new original felt-piano pieces ahead of his upcoming album Roots. Hear his latest tracks and follow along as new pieces drop every couple of weeks over the next several months.

Camila Mendoza and Brandon Swap each took second prize in their divisions at the 2025 San Diego Sonata Contest, their first-ever piano competition. See what they performed and the preparation behind their debut wins.

Five sdpa students placed at the 2025 San Diego Chopin Contest, spanning three studios and four divisions, led by Yoyo Wu's first-place finish in the Etude Division. See the full list of honorees and their winning pieces.

Melissa Evans Tierra has signed on to record the complete piano works of Italian composer Lorenzo Milani, around two hours of music over the next two years. Learn about Milani's path from Formula 1 engineering to composition, and the personal story behind one piece already special to Melissa's family.

Four sdpa students placed at the February 2025 San Diego Concerto Competition, one of the toughest local contests for pianists. See who placed, what they performed, and the concertos that took them there.

Luna Lee took first place in Level 10 at the 2024 San Diego Sonata Contest, performing the third movement of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 10, No. 1. Watch her winning performance now.

Arianna Gago won the Grand Prize at the IAMPT International Competition, performing Mendelssohn's Song Without Words, her first major competition win. The prize comes with a performance at Carnegie Hall this November. Watch the winning performance now.

Four sdpa students had a strong spring in 2024: Khai West and Luna Lee placed at the San Diego Chopin Contest, Luna also won the Encinitas Youth Competition (with a Beethoven concerto performance to come), Arianna Gago earned an ABRSM Distinction, and Lochlan debuted his first original composition to a first-place win. See what's next for each of them.

Luna Lee, Khai West, and Yoyo Wu placed at the 2024 San Diego Concerto Competition, one of the toughest local contests for pianists, all while on the younger side of their divisions. See what they performed and what it signals for what's next.

Melissa Evans Tierra premiered Yifan Guo's Assembled Diary, a piece built from fragmented childhood memories that required her to compose her own cadenza, sync to a click track, and play like a child, sometimes literally. Watch the performance and hear the story behind the cadenza her father-in-law mistook for Mozart.