THECOMPASSCONCERTS

Laura Amoriello

Laura Amoriello is a pianist, pedagogy specialist, and meditation instructor. She was a college professor for 18 years and now finds joy in helping students make music mindfully.

Laura teaches with a holistic approach, emphasizing the mind-body connection and collaborating with students on problem-solving and goal-setting. She incorporates mindfulness practices into the lesson to help students ease their movement, calm their thoughts, and focus their minds. At the core of her teaching is collaboration with students, as setting authentic goals is a key to unlocking expressive joy.

Laura has directed teaching studios in three states, where she has taught students ages 3 to 76 privately and in groups. Her students have been admitted to the Eastman School of Music and Berklee College of Music. Laura has served on the faculties of Ithaca College, Westminster Choir College, and The College of New Jersey. She chairs the Wellness Committee for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and is an Associate Teacher of the Art of Practicing Institute, where she works closely with Madeline Bruser. Laura has a keen interest in teaching and performing works by new composers, including Higdon, Suesse, and Wallen. She is a MNDFL Certified Meditation Instructor.

Laura holds a Doctor of Education degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Penn State University and Westminster Choir College. She lives in Ithaca, NY with her husband, writer Pete Croatto, and their spirited kindergartener, Olivia.

Visit Laura's teaching website here: www.lauraamoriello.com

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Mari Hwang

American pianist Mari Hwang believes in creating a safe world where people are inspired to live wholeheartedly. As a co-producer of The COMPASS Concerts (Community Online Meditation Performance and Salon Series), she and her partners, Shinichiro Inaji and Louis Yungling, have established a welcoming, safe environment for music performance where people from all over the world feel a sense of community, support, and healing.

Ms. Hwang’s earlier experiences and challenges with stage fright for solo performances has guided her to share mindfulness awareness practice, easing psychological tension, and connecting heart to music. She performs in variety of venues, in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Merkin Hall, Walt Disney Hall, and in cathedrals, hospitals, libraries, music schools, and private residences.

Her programming frequently shines light on works by unknown, undervalued, minor works of well known composers, and women composers. Her embodiment of often deeply personal storytelling resonates profoundly with audiences and leads to open and courageous dialogue.

In addition to her private teaching studio and being on the faculty for MSM Summer Program, she serves as a collaborative pianist at Manhattan School of Music in NYC.

Ms. Hwang has moved from a sunny suburb of Los Angeles, CA, to attend Manhattan School of Music, where she has received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Subsequently, she has received a Master’s in Music from Mannes School of Music and a minor in impact entrepreneurship from The New School.

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Louis Yungling

Hello, my name is Louis Yungling and I'm the founder of COMPASS. I'm also a pianist and teacher.

Meditation, mindfulness and awareness exercises are an integral part of my teaching and practice. Musicians benefit greatly from these practices by being able to fine tune their focus and get more out of their practice as well as increase their responsiveness to sound and be more present and confident in performance.

I created COMPASS concerts to extend these practices to audiences and give everyone a moment to pause and go inward. We do this by sharing a brief contemplation exercise before every concert. In this way we practice being aware of one another and give ourselves a chance to feel and appreciate our unique contribution.

Preparing our minds and bodies to receive and make music allows us to be more receptive to the beauty and generosity that goes into a musical performance. And practicing this type of mindful preparation regularly can help us open our hearts more to the experiences of our day to day lives.

I am thrilled to share this journey with you and the very talented, generous artists who perform here. Thank you to all my musician friends for sharing your gifts and creating beautiful programs of music for our COMPASS community. And thank you to all who come and partake in these heart-warming community concerts.

I currently live and teach piano in Valencia, Spain. My teaching website: Yungling Piano Studio.

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