B i o g r a p h y
Pianist, teacher and administrator Jon Michael Iverson is currently a doctoral candidate pursuing a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) in Leadership, with music education concentration, at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota. His primary doctoral advisors included Dr. Donald LaMagdeleine and Dr. Douglas Orzolek. Iverson completed his Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. While at Westminster, he studied piano pedagogy with Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield, Dr. James Goldsworthy and Jean Stackhouse. Iverson completed his undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas where he studied piano with Katherine Faricy and theory, composition, and orchestration with Dr. James Callahan. He also studied composition with Dr. William Banfield, jazz studies with Laura Caviani, and electronic music production with Roger Dumas.
As a pianist, Iverson performs regularly as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician around the Twin Cities area. He is a regular performer on the MacPhail Center for Music’s Spotlight Series and faculty concerts. He has been heard with local Minnesota Orchestras in performances of Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto ("Emperor") and the Liszt E-flat Piano Concerto. His private piano instructors have included Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, J.J. Penna, Katherine Faricy and Kenneth Huber; he has performed in numerous master classes with distinguished pianists and teachers including Seymour Bernstein and Paul Sheftel.
As an administrator, Iverson currently serves as Student Performance Coordinator at MacPhail Center for Music managing upwards of 130 annual performance events per schoolyear. He is also the Center Representative for the Royal Conservatory Certificate Program. In addition to his doctorate in leadership, Iverson has also completed a Mini-MBA for Nonprofits through the University of St. Thomas’ Opus College of Business and is a certified fundraiser. He has also completed the Diversity Leadership Series hosted by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
Iverson has been an active adjudicator for competitions, contests and festivals and has given dozens of clinics and workshops throughout Minnesota. He lives in South Minneapolis with his wife E. Pınar BaÅŸgöze - also a piano faculty member at MacPhail and member of Duo Harmonia - and their sons, Arman and Ozan. His hobbies include travelling internationally with his family, gourmet grilling and slow smoked meats.
As a teacher, Iverson started teaching at the age of fourteen. After being awarded first prize in the Westminster graduate piano competition, he was granted a teaching position at the Westminster Conservatory and completed an intensive internship co-teaching Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield's wunderkind. Iverson has served on faculty at the University of St. Thomas, his undergraduate alma mater, and is now teaching exclusively at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, MN. Iverson teaches students of all ages, abilities and musical styles; his teaching has branched out into popular and contemporary styles including jazz, pop tunes, and coaching pianist-singers. Regardless of their musical style, his students have been routinely selected for MacPhail’s prestigious Honors Recitals.
