Desta Hailu

M.M. Piano Performance
Private Instructor- Teaching Artist

Desta Hailu maintains an active career as a piano instructor and solo, collaborative, and chamber performer.  Ms. Hailu began playing piano at the age of five under the direction of her elder sister.  She began formal piano studies at the age of eleven with Ms. Gerda Bregman.  In 2000 she was awarded a scholarship from the Peabody Preparatory of Johns Hopkins, where she studied under Mrs. Frances Cheng-Koors until her graduation in 2004.  In 2006 and 2007 Desta attended Music Fest Perugia in Perugia, Italy, where she participated in solo recitals and was a soloist with the festival orchestra.  In 2008 she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Piano Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was a student of Mr. Enrique Graf.  Desta has received prizes from competitions such as the Steinway Society of Pennsylvania Young Artists’ Competition and the MTNA Young Artists’ Competition.

Desta began teaching piano at the age of fourteen.  She was a Teaching Fellow in the Preparatory Department of Carnegie Mellon University from 2006-2008, where she taught private students at the pre-college and college level, as well as served as Teacher’s Assistant in Beginner Piano Class under the guidance of Mrs. Hanna Li.  Upon her graduation from CMU in 2008, she received the Certificate in Piano Pedagogy in addition to her diploma.   In 2009 she received a full scholarship to pursue her Masters’ Degree in Piano Performance at Southern Methodist University where she studied with Mr. Alfred Mouledous.  Desta was a Teaching Fellow with the SMU Preparatory Department in 2009, where she taught private piano lessons and assisted with Beginner Group Class.   In addition to maintaining a private studio, Desta has served on the teaching faculty of the Rockwall School of Music in Rockwall, TX and the Heights Fine Arts Institute in Richardson, TX. 

Having completed her Master’s degree in May 2011, Desta will begin the Performer’s Diploma program at SMU in the fall of 2011 under the direction of Mr. Joaquín Achúcarro.