Sami Froncek is an active pianist, both as a performer and teacher in the Austin area. At Austin Community College she teaches Music Appreciation. She currently runs a dedicated private studio of adult and advanced pre-college pianists. Her students are active in festivals, recitals, and competitions, and have been accepted to Baylor, Kansas State University, and the University of Oklahoma. She has adjudicated for Texas Music Teachers Association and locally in Austin MTA events. “As a teacher, I challenge students to listen to their inner voice, the voice that provides the balance and tension between emotion and logic. To me, the importance of a musical education is not lists of accomplishments, but the power to create music for life. Students who discover their artistic voice cultivate vulnerability, and the success that that self-knowledge attracts.”

Her performance career took her to Belgium, under a fellowship from the Belgian American Exchange Foundation, and also as a Fulbright finalist. While there, she played solo recitals in Europe, performing in cities such as Antwerp, Leuven, Berlin, and Munich. As a chamber musician, she plays with her piano trio, the Three Corners Trio, which consists of members from the Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory. The Conservatory is her favorite event of the year, where she gets to work with students in Colorado, and perform in an area that does not see much classical music. When the pandemic is over, she plans to return to Europe and Colorado for concerts, and also to restock her chocolate supply.

Ms. Froncek earned her Master and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Baylor University where she studied with Dr. James Williams and Prof. Jane Abbott-Kirk. . She began doctoral studies at the University of Oklahoma with Dr. Jeongwon Ham. She also has a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, where she studied with Levente Kende

Her pandemic project has been a new solo program entitled “Meditations”. Featuring contemplative music, evocative landscapes, and hypnotic minimalism, it is designed to mimic the meditative mind in all its focus and wanderings and profound emotions and everything between. Over 30 composers are represented and intentionally feature unfound gems by Amy Beach, Tailleferre, Bach-Busoni, Adams, Chavez, and Villa Lobos. In addition to her musical life, Ms. Froncek is a competitive swimmer and reader.