HALL OF FAMER: Local piano teacher Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, shown here with Gavin English, president of Steinway & Sons – Americas, was among five recently inducted into the Steinway & Sons Music Teacher Hall of Fame.

Piano educator Phyllis Alpert Lehrer is among five teachers to have been inducted into the Steinway & Sons Music Teacher Hall of Fame, a designation recognizing the work of North America’s most committed and passionate piano educators.

A member of the faculty of Westminster Conservatory of Music and a professor emerita of piano at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Lehrer is a pianist, teacher, clinician, author, and adjudicator. She has been honored for her exceptional artistry and lifelong commitment to advancing piano pedagogy.

Lehrer has performed and given masterclasses across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, she has contributed extensively to piano education through her lectures, writings, and publications, including collaborations on Classics for the Developing Pianist, Personal Trainer, and The Inner Game of Music Keyboard Workbook. She holds degrees from the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, and her honors include MTNA Foundation Fellow, NJMTA Teacher of the Year, and the NCKP Lifetime Achievement Award.

The other honorees are Michelle Cann, Eric Fung, Lambert Orkis, and Betty Handelman Stoloff, who served on the faculty of Westminster Choir College of Rider University from 1978 to 2019, most recently as co-coordinator of secondary piano. All five were nominated for this honor by Steinway & Sons Philadelphia, a factory owned and operated showroom featuring new, used, and certified pre-owned Steinway and Steinway-designed Boston and Essex pianos, located at 1718 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.

This fall, 66 teachers from the U.S. and Canada were inducted into the Steinway & Sons Music Teacher Hall of Fame with special events hosted at the historic Steinway factory in New York City. Teachers were selected for this award for their outstanding instruction and leadership in acoustic piano education and their commitment to teaching in their community for over a decade. Each teacher inducted into the Hall of Fame is part of the Steinway Teacher & Educational Partner Program (STEP) and was nominated by a Steinway & Sons showroom in the teacher’s home region. The teachers’ names are now displayed on a commemorative display wall inside the factory.

STEP is designed for piano instructors and affiliated studio partners to enhance their relationship with Steinway & Sons and to further support their piano instruction. By becoming a Steinway teacher and educational partner, teachers receive several benefits and unique opportunities including access to workshops, concerts, masterclasses, and various special events as well as the opportunity for the prestigious designation of being inducted into the Steinway & Sons Music Teacher Hall of Fame.