Make music.
Passionate pianist, inspiring teacher.
Offering piano lessons in the Canton, Ohio area.
Make music.
Passionate pianist, inspiring teacher.
Offering piano lessons in the Canton, Ohio area.
Photo credit for the image above: Kristen Adams
“When people ask me about my job, I tell them: ‘I get to make and teach music every day of my life, and I get to do it for a living.’ For me, music is more than a profession. It’s a vital part of my being, a part I’m always excited to share with my students or my audiences.”
Private lessons
Performances and workshops Studio and group classes
“The creative arts are the measure and reflection of our civilization. They offer many children an opportunity to see life with a larger perspective...The moral values we treasure are reflected in the beauty and truth that is emotionally transmitted through the arts. The arts say something about us to future generations.”
Pianist
Concerts, recordings, musical musings
Pianist
Concerts, recordings, musical musings
Maira Liliestedt, Pianist
View audio and video recordings of Maira's playing at her YouTube channel.
Or, choose from some videos below.
Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 32, No. 12
Lecuona Danzas afro-cubanas
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Beethoven "Appassionata" Sonata
Maira’s video journey from starting to learn her favorite piece, the Chopin E Minor Concerto, to the first performances:
Upcoming Concerts
2025-2026 SEASON
Headlined by our Keys to Artistry Concert series second season! Check it out!
Additional events:
Sunday, September 28, 4 pm
Fall studio recital; Keys to Artistry Recital Hall
Our students share the music they’ve been preparing throughout the summer!
Saturday, October 18, 11 am
Stark County Music Teachers’ Art recital: Trinity United Church of Christ
See original art by students throughout Stark County, exemplified by some excellent piano music in concert.
Saturday, November 15, times TBA
Stark County Music Teachers’ Scales Olympics; Trinity UCC
Students compete for medals in their individual levels by learning scales, arpeggios, and repertoire performances.
Sunday, December 21, 4 pm
Winter studio recital; Keys to Artistry Recital Hall
Join us to hear holiday favorites and other selections to cap off our first semester of the year.
Sunday, March 7 and/or 14, times TBA
Stark County Music Teachers’ Ribbon Festival; Trinity UCC
Hear a recital of our students earning ribbons and collecting adjudicators’ feedback in this county-wide event.
Sunday, March 29, 3 pm
Stark County Music Teachers’ Honors Recital; Trinity UCC
Features the students with the most distinguished work over the past academic year—by invitation only.
Late April, date TBA
Ohio Music Teachers’ Buckeye Auditions; location TBA
This high level competition requires polished pieces in performance at a high level.
Sunday, May 16, 4 pm
Spring studio recital; Keys to Artistry Recital Hall
Celebrate the end of another year of music-making with us by supporting our students’ latest achievements in performance!
May 20-24
Blue”field” Institute; location TBD
Bluefield Institute performances and workshops by Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff, Janelle Phinney, and Maira Liliestedt, as well as advanced Keys to Artistry student participants
Appassionata piano duo
Maira Liliestedt, piano Janelle Phinney, piano
A twenty-five year partnership, the Appassionata Piano Duo can be heard here in three movements from Rachmaninoff's Suite No. 2 for two pianos:
Waltz
Romance
Tarantella
Or in Brahms’s fascinatingly emotional Hungarian Dances:
“Music is life, and like it, inextinguishable. ”
Appassionata PIano Duo
Appassionata Piano Duo: Maira Liliestedt and Janelle Phinney
Teacher
Teacher
Goals and Objectives of the Keys to Artistry Piano Studio
Music study involves every aspect of one’s person. It provides intellectual growth, solicits emotional involvement, and, at certain levels, can be a deeply spiritual experience. I view music as an entirely unique mode of expression that deserves respect, commitment, and one which can yield progress in artistic terms, but more importantly, in human terms. Students in my studio are challenged to become better pianists in their technique, interpretation, and overall musicianship. Qualities that make for successful music study—dedication, passion, commitment, perseverance, and a thirst for learning—are all qualities that make for successful professional and personal lives. The main goals of my teaching are to help students improve as pianists, and to be able to use music as a means for professional and personal growth.
Dr. Maira Liliestedt is Professor Emerita of Music teaching piano at the University of Mount Union since 2005. She has 30 years of piano teaching experience, having taught students from age 3 to senior citizens. Maira Liliestedt teaches all levels of students from beginner to advanced, with a particular focus on high-level teenage and adult students who are intensely focused and dedicated.
"Music is the closest we can get to heaven here on earth." ~ Laura Jurasko