Piano (Master Teacher)

Doctor of Musical Arts, University of Washington, Seattle

Master Of Music, Universtiy of Washington, Seattle

Bachelor of Music, Piano Performance, Eastman School of Music

Pianist Maria Perez-Goodman was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she received her early musical training. Ms. Perez-Goodman earned a Bachelor's of Music degree in Piano Performance, with distinction, from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and the Master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle. Her doctoral dissertation was on American pianist/composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk and his Caribbean-based compositions.

As soloist, Dr. Perez-Goodman has performed numerous recitals and a diverse repertoire of concerti. Her debut with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Puerto Rico was received with critical acclaim for her "captivating" and "bold" performances of Mendelssohn's Concerto in G minor and Gottschalk's Grande Tarantelle. Other orchestral solo appearances include the Claremont Symphony Orchestra, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Puerto Rico Conservatory Orchestra, Beach Cities Symphony, Pomona Concert Ensemble, Rancho Belago Symphony, Laguna Woods Symphony and the Hour of Power Orchestra of the Crystal Cathedral. Her performances of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto, Saint-Saens Concerto in G minor and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Crystal Cathedral's Hour of Power Orchestra have been seen by an estimated 20 million viewers in 190 countries.

Her schedule of solo recitals has included performances in Barcelona, Madrid, London, Puerto Rico, Washington, New York, and California. She has been a featured musical guest in several television programs and live radio talk shows. As a collaborative musician, Mrs. Perez-Goodman's work has included performances with Martin Chalifour, Concertmaster of the LA Philharmonic, Lev Polyakin, Assistant Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, Tenor Daniel Rodriguez, Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan, Sopranos Ursula Kleinecke and Hayley Westenra, arranger Tom Scott, film composer John Debney, and world renowned Chinese Erhu player Ma XioaHui. Her recent recordings include a collection of Holiday songs arranged for piano solo "Crystal Reflections, Vol. II", and "Songs of Lee Hoiby" in collaboration with Soprano Ursula Kleinecke.

Sought after for her contributions to education, Dr. Perez-Goodman is asked regularly to adjudicate several music festivals, including the Music Teachers Association of California festivals, the Federation of Music Clubs Junior Music Festival, and the Chinese-American Piano Competition in Los Angeles. Dr. Perez-Goodman is a member of the Dominant Club of Los Angeles and has been on the faculty of the Claremont School of Music since 1993.