Education - Studies
MMus with Distinction (Performance), Indiana University BMus (Music Education), University of Toronto
AMus (Piano Pedagogy), The University of Western Ontario
Teaching
Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, Calgary, AB
The Royal Conservatory, Toronto, ON
Professional Activities
From her studio in Calgary, Alberta, Colleen Athparia presently teaches only advanced students, including several young prodigies. Some of her extremely talented students have won national and international competitions and several former students have become examiners. Colleen's history class is always in demand and she also enjoys teaching pedagogy. Ms. Athparia has given master classes internationally and has done private teaching in Taipei, Mexico City, India, Bangkok, and Indonesia.
She studied for ten years in Toronto at The Royal Conservatory with Margaret Parsons-Poole, who inspired her to become a musician and developed her entire musical and pianistic foundation. During this time Colleen placed first in the Canadian Music Competition and received the Gold Medal for the highest mark in ARCT in Ontario. She studied for her master's degree in performance with the legendary pedagogue Gyorgy Sebok at Indiana University.
Ms. Athparia travels extensively to give workshops on such topics as “Creative Practicing,” “The Art of Polishing,”
“Creative Technique,” and “Transforming the Mundane into Magic.”
She has adjudicated festivals across Canada including the BC Provincial Festival, the Edmonton Kiwanis Festival, the Langley BC Festival, and the Winnipeg Music Festival as senior adjudicator.
Colleen Athparia, an internationally recognized pianist, has made a career as both a solo and chamber musician and as a recording artist with ten CDs to her name, featuring Canadian, French, and Spanish music as well as the music of Clara Schumann. Often a guest on CBC radio, Ms. Athparia has been heralded by the National Post as one of the top four Canadian pianists of contemporary music today. She has toured as a solo performer in numerous countries, including India, Hong Kong, Morocco, Taiwan, Russia, Mexico, Guam, Japan, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, and the USA. She performs with the contemporary Ensemble Resonance, who have also toured internationally.
In November 2009 Colleen was honoured in Ottawa as one of the top fifty musicians who have contributed significantly to the Canadian music scene, being recognized as CMC Ambassadors. She has been a consultant for The Royal Conservatory Licentiate Piano Syllabus, and is music consultant for the Adopt a Competitor Program through the Honens International Piano Competition Foundation. Colleen Athparia is the co-author of the book "Impressionism: A Resource Guide."
Professional Affiliations
ARMTA
APTA