Joanna Ezrin-Schauer was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, where she studied piano with renowned composer and conductor Clifford Poole and performed with local orchestras on both cello and harp. After receiving her ARCT degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music, she completed annual summer studies at both Interlochen and the Juilliard School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Music in Piano Performance summa cum laude from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She also pursued post-graduate studies at the Höchschule für Musik in Stuttgart, Germany, trained in Los Angeles under respected educator Sara Compinsky, and participated in worldwide piano competitions as a representative of her native Canada, including the prestigious Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. Joanna holds dual Canadian and US citizenship and resides in Los Angeles. She has performed on platinum albums, and worked extensively in television and film, all while maintaining an extensive performance schedule as a pianist and vocalist. Following the birth of her second child, Joanna pursued a career as a composer and educator. She has studied piano pedagogy under the tutelage of Frances Robyn and Mark Richman. Joanna is passionate about composing graded piano repertoire for students of every level. She combines her experience as an educator with her background of performing classical, jazz, and pop music to ensure her original piano works are technically accessible, fun, and captivating. Joanna, a state accredited music teacher is a past president of the San Fernando West Valley Branch of the Music Teachers’ Association of California. She is the current chair of the branch’s annual Contemporary Festival, and a past chair of the branch’s Composers Today program, Sight Reading Festival, and Improvisation Program respectively. In addition to the MTAC, Joanna is a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, American College of Musicians, American Federation of Music Clubs, Musician’s Union Local 47, JCM, SYMF, past member of SAG-AFTRA, and is a guest pedagogy lecturer at CSUN and Pierce College. She has been the principal pianist with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra for the past 25 years and has recently performed with the Westlake Village Symphony.