Meet Elissa
Elissa is a lifelong pianist and dedicated musician. A New Mexico native, she began piano lessons at age six, studying under Suzanne Dawson, Tatiana Vetrinskaya, Falko Steinbach, and Astrid Groth. After spending a summer at Hummingbird Music Camp, Elissa began taking violin lessons with David Felberg. She also studied private voice lessons with Jeanne Grealish. She was a member of both the Albuquerque Academy Chamber Players and Albuquerque Youth Symphony (AYS) throughout middle school and high school.
Elissa held her orchestra debut with the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 12, playing Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major. At 14, she traveled to New York City’s Carnegie Hall to play Debussy’s Poission Rouge as part of the Golden Key Music Festival. Elissa went on to attend Barnard College, where she received her BA in Music, and Teachers College of Columbia University, where she received her MA in Music and Music Education. While in New York City, Elissa studied piano with Daniel Epstein at Manhattan School of Music (MSM), John Gavalchin, and Angela Laba. During her summers spent in Washington D.C., Elissa worked at Levine Music and The Smithsonian Summer Arts Camp.
Currently, Elissa teaches private after-school piano lessons at the Stone Ridge School of Sacred Heart. She also offers personal in-home lessons in the Silver Spring, Maryland area or at her private residence. Elissa is an instrumental music teacher with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), teaching weekly lessons in beginning orchestra and band to 4th and 5th grade students in the Wheaton and Rockville area. She is also a member of the Capital Accord Chorus, an all-treble a cappella barbershop chorus based in Silver Spring.
Performance Gallery
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.8 “Pathétique” (1st movement)
Elissa Méndez-Renk
Scriabin’s Mazurka Op.25, No.3
Elissa Méndez-Renk
