Director of ETSU Piano Camp, Applied Piano, and Class Piano
Jerilyn Paolini has been a member of ETSU's piano faculty since 2001. She teaches applied and class piano, and she directs the ETSU Summer Piano Camp. She regularly collaborates with fellow faculty members, visiting guest artists, and music majors. Paolini also holds the position of staff pianist at Jonesborough Presbyterian Church in Jonesborough, TN. She served two bienniums as president of the Appalachian Music Teachers Association and was awarded AMTA's Teacher of the Year in 2001. Paolini taught Suzuki piano at Suzuki Talent Education of Appalachia in Kingsport, TN from 2001-2013, and she held the position of principal keyboard player in the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra from 1995-2005.
Prior to coming to Johnson City, Paolini was a staff accompanist at The Juilliard School from 1980-1995, while also teaching at New York area music schools. The New York Times reviewed her performance at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall as "a splendid pianist, capable of creating an indelible mood with just a couple of chords." Paolini holds undergraduate and graduate performance degrees from Southern Illinois University and the University of Texas. Her teachers have included Ruth Slenczynska, Danielle Martin, David Garvey (collaborative piano), and Sheila Keats (Suzuki pedagogy).