A piano instructor in Louisville has received a high honor from one of the most famous piano manufacturers in the world.
Vernon Cherrix was inducted into the Steinway Teacher Hall of Fame late last month during a ceremony in New York City. A news release said the award, given to 44 teachers in total, is in recognition of the “most committed and passionate piano educators” in North America.
“These teachers foster passion, creativity and discipline in the next generation of piano artists,” Steinway & Sons Americas president Gavin English said in the release. “Their work deserves the highest praise.”
Steinway & Sons is a famous piano manufacturer that’s been in business since the mid 1800s.
A Steinway & Sons showroom in Cherrix’s area nominated him for the honor, according to the release. This is the second class of its Hall of Fame inductees, and all of their names will appear on a commemorative plaque at the Steinway factory in New York.
Cherrix graduated from the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. He’s performed and taught all over the world, was on faculty at the University of Louisville School of Music and has been the church pianist at Middletown United Methodist Church for 17 years.
His students have gone on to win competition at the local, state, regional and international levels. Some pupils have joined professional orchestras and one of his students was on the national public radio show “From the Top,” the release said.