Today we’d like to introduce you to Aline Giampietro Trifonov. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Pursuit, Setbacks, Grit & Faith. “At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer.
EARLY YEARS
Born in Fortaleza, Brazil, Mrs. Giampietro Trifonov fell in love with arts, dancing, and performing the piano at a very early age. Her early influences began when her dad would play jazz and classical music on their family vinyl record player, and when she would listen to her sister practice the piano for hours every day. She also loved to watch the musicians in their church orchestra with excitement and anticipation as they tuned their instruments before the Sunday services.
Her love affair with dance started around the age of eight when she had a very quick growth spurt that caused excruciating pain in her muscles. As advised by their family doctor, her parents enrolled her in ballet lessons and she received her classical ballet training up to the time she went to college.
Piano music, however, came into her life around the age of ten after taking some violin lessons, but still remembers how she loved the sound of the piano as she listened to her sister practice. She started teaching herself to playthe piano and copying her sister’s scores note by note to be able to have her own piano scores. One day, her mom came home earlier from work and heard someone playing the piano, and thought it was her sister, but to her surprise, it was Aline, who secretly had been teaching herself to play the piano.
At the time, her mother had been taking piano lessons herself, as it was one of her biggest dreams to learn how to play the piano. Unfortunately, the teacher’s schedule was full and she didn’t have any openings to accept new students. So, her mother gave up her lesson spot to allow her the opportunity for Aline to take piano lessons. So, she started taking piano classes with one of the most important musical influences in her life, who would also later become a major mentor and colleague – Mrs. Joanna Ximenes. Prior to starting college, she completed her music studies at the Conservatorio de Musica Alberto Nepomuceno while setting her sights on the United States to continue her music studies.
After spending a few years studying Communications & Journalism at Faculdades do Nordeste, in Fortaleza, she received a scholarship invitation to study music at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. This was a wonderful opportunity as she was able to immerse herself in her music studies and gain experience as a collaborative pianist. However, a couple of years after moving to the U.S. she received the news her mom was very sick and it was not possible to afford the increasingly higher tuition. She dropped out of school and her music career seemed to have come to a halt. However, through the help of friends and family, and with the faith that her mom’s health would improve, she moved to Spokane, WA to find a way to continue her studies.
TEACHING & PERFORMING
Through a lot of perseverance and hard work, she was able to enroll in the Piano Performance program at Eastern Washington University and she studied with many important mentors, like Dr. Jody Graves, Kendall Feeney, and Greg Presley who would influence and inspire her teaching and performing career. As her mom’s health improved, her parents were able to move to Spokane and her mom was able to receive better health treatment and full recovery.
In 2009, she graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance while being awarded the Spokane Music Teachers Association and Steinway & Sons Award for young exceptional teachers who fostered artistic growth and music education in the community. Through this opportunity, she established Spokane Piano Studio, a very successful premier piano studio, teaching children and adults of all ages and quickly establishing an important presence in the music community.
In 2013, she received her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from Eastern Washington University, and she continued to persevere in her music career. Mrs. Giampietro is a strong believer that music can inspire a greater positive change in the community and in the world. Prior to becoming the founder and director of Piano Performance Arts Academy, Mrs. Giampietro worked with non-profit organizations such as Instruments of Change and Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay, bringing music lessons to children in economically disadvantaged areas. In her teaching philosophy, Ms. Giampietro is interested in discovering her students’ “inner voice” while fostering musicianship, and the art of piano playing.
Her award-winning students have been featured in national and international competitions, and in 2019 they were invited to perform at the Gala Winner Concert for the Pittsburgh International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall.
They have also consecutive times the Highest Honors in the Royal Conservatory of Music for their piano examinations. As an avid promoter of music education, she is a sought-out adjudicator at piano festivals and competitions.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth at all. Two years after moving to the USA, due to the increased tuition prices and my mother battling colon cancer, the dream of building a music career in the USA looked impossible. By a miracle, my mom recovered and we were able to be reunited in the USA after the cancer went into remission. I was able to graduate with both Bachelor’s and Master’s in Piano Performance and continue to grow my music career in Spokane, Washington.
Again, another setback. In 2011, I entered a piano competition to have the opportunity to perform with the Eastern Washington University Orchestra. Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but I didn’t quit either. I was determined to win first place in the following year and perform Schumann’s Piano Concerto. I worked relentlessly and gave all my sweat and tears, and I won first place and debuted with the EWU orchestra that same year.
Fast forward, and another setback came through with a painful divorce in 2013 while leaving everything I had built behind to start over and move to Tampa, Florida. This was probably one of the darkest times of my life, but it also gave me an opportunity to reassess everything else in my life, what to change, who I wanted to be, and where I wanted to go from there. Through a lot of soul-searching work and with the amazing support of my family and friends, I was able to get back on my feet and not give up in the pursuit of my dreams. I started performing concerts, teaching, and collaborating and continued to develop and deepen my voice as a performing artist.
I found purpose in ministry work and was a positive catalyst for those who want to pursue their dreams of playing music and being involved in the arts. One of my mottos is “trials in life are not meant to make us fail, but to see how far we can fly.”
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a professional pianist, piano pedagogy expert, and dancer. I’m the founder and executive director of Piano Performance Arts Academy, a premier piano academy for students of all ages and levels in Wesley Chapel. I specialize in teaching piano to pre-college students, but I also teach adults. I’m most proud of being able to help students discover their own gift of music. I think through all the trials I have been through I have acquired enough life experience to help my students to be resilient and not give up in face of a challenge.
My teaching is very concept-based, which allows students to learn concepts that can be applied to other pieces they want to play. This allows them to become stewards of their own learning and eventually become independent musicians. I also teach from a very tailored approach to the student, and one lesson is never the same.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love that Tampa has many performing arts organizations, like the Straz Center, the Florida Orchestra, Tampa City Ballet and the Master Chorale, only to mention a few. These are organizations I have been involved with to some extent and we are fortunate to have them in our city because of their commitment to excellence and their influence in promoting artistic cultural growth in Tampa.
I love Tampa and the fact that you can meet inspiring people from all over the world. I don’t feel like Tampa has too many downsides, other than the hot Summers. I have been very fortunate to live here while meeting awesome and interesting people, and being able to do what I love and continue to hopefully inspire others through music and the arts.
Contact Info:
- Piano Studio Website: www.PianoPerformanceArts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aline_giampietro/
https://www.instagram.com/pianoperformancearts/
https://www.instagram.com/my_vintage_place/ - My Vintage Place Online Store: http://www.MyVintagePlace.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PianoPerformanceArtsAcademy
https://www.facebook.com/alinegiampietropianist - Youtube: @AlineGiampietro @PianoPerformanceArts
