The Academy is under the direction of Tim Verner, who is a local musician and teacher. Mr. Verner studied music at three of the nation’s top schools of music – Rice University, Northwestern University, and New York University. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in piano from Rice, and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern in music history and literature. He then pursued additional graduate studies in New York City at NYU, where he was a fellow in the musicology doctoral program. Mr. Verner freelanced as a musician in the Houston, Chicago, and New York City music scenes for 20 years, where he employed his classical, gospel, pop, and jazz keyboard skills.
Mr. Verner’s understanding of music in culture has been enhanced by additional graduate studies in the visual arts. He did graduate studies in the history of architecture and art at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also taught for two years.
