About Maria Kurchevskaya Currey
Pianist and teacher Maria Kurchevskaya Currey holds a Doctoral degree in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied under Dr. Andrew Cooperstock. She received her Master’s degree with Nancy Weems at the University of Houston, subsequent to studies at the Russian Gnesin Academy of Music in Moscow. During her studies, she was honored with the Scholarship for Excellence in Academic Achievement, as well as a full scholarship for her Doctoral studies here in Colorado. A native of Russia, Maria studied with legendary teacher Maria Gambarian, a protégé of Konstantin Igumnov and Heinrich Neuhaus and one of the few remaining descendants of the Old Russian Piano School. Maria is a strong proponent of classical music with a special fondness for the works of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Nicolai Medtner, the subject of her Doctoral thesis.
Before joining Dana V. Music faculty, Maria taught for the University of Colorado’s Youth Piano and Continuing Education Programs and formed her own private music studio, Front Range Academy of Music, located in Longmont, Colorado. Maria remains an active solo and chamber performer. Most recently she performed with the Fort Collins Wind Symphony and with the Flatirons Community Orchestra on Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. During pandemic Maria formed a trio consisting of piano, clarinet and cello with her colleagues Dr. Kellan Toohey and Dr. Katarina Pliego. The trio’s most recent concert at the Longmont Museum featured works by Beethoven, Brahms and Emily Rutherford.
As a teacher, Maria embraces the piano method developed by the Russian pianist and teacher Anna Schmidt-Schklovskaya. The main strength of the method is in understanding the anatomical and physiological structure of the human body, its function and effective usage. The deep understanding of science and musical language enables Maria to apply Schmidt-Schklovskaya’s principles to the standards of the Russian Piano School, thereby enhancing its pursuit of the beautiful sound produced by effortless and natural technique. Maria finds joy in teaching students of all ages and abilities.
