Piano Lessons in Livermore

Dr. Eric B. Kinsley

Hi, I'm Eric — a performer, published writer, recording artist, and educator with a deep love for the keyboard in all its forms.

I hold a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Harpsichord Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where I studied under the distinguished harpsichordist Kenneth Cooper. As a published author, my books include Johann Samuel Schröter and the Dawn of the Piano Concerto: The Missing Link Between London and Vienna (Edwin Mellen Press) and Franz Joseph Haydn's Divertimento with Variations for Harpsichord Four Hands from the Edwin Mellen Press series Studies in the History and Interpretation of Music. As a recording artist, I appear on the Centaur Records label performing Bach's concertos for multiple harpsichords with the Con Gioia Early Music Ensemble, and my new album Contemporary Harpsichord Literature — featuring works by Miguel del Águila, Barry Schrader, Alan Hovhaness, Igor Stravinsky, and my own compositions — releases this May.

Over the course of my career I've performed at the Getty Center, the Huntington Library, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; premiered works by John Cage, Milton Babbitt, Morton Feldman, and Steve Reich; and appeared on Public Radio and television. I've been a Senior Lecturer at California Lutheran University for over fifteen years, teaching applied lessons, keyboard harmony, and music history.

For advanced students, I offer more than technical guidance. I bring musicological depth, a performer's instinct, and a genuine belief that the best teachers are always still learning themselves. Whether we're working through a Beethoven sonata, a Bach prelude and fugue, or a 20th-century masterwork, I want you to understand not just how to play it, but why it matters.

If you're serious about the piano and ready to go deeper, I'd love to work with you. 🎹