Julie Poklewski

Julie Poklewski began teaching piano classes when she was seventeen. Her mom, a concert pianist, had gone on tour to Spain, and while she was away, Julie took on her mom’s piano students so they wouldn’t miss out on their lessons. She later went on to earn her B.M. degree in Piano Performance and her M.A. in Piano Pedagogy.

​

Her love for teaching only grew from there. From holding lessons out of her own house, Julie expanded into program development: facilitating group classes, organizing recitals, and hosting guest speakers to talk about history and composition to her students. Julie has been teaching and developing music programs ever since. In August of 2020, Julie founded Opus11 School of Music, together with her husband, Alex Poklewski.

​

Julie has worked as a collaborative pianist with various choirs, musicals, and soloists, including the Vivace Youth Chorus since its inception in 2003. For six years, she has served as president of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Santa Clara Chapter. Within MTNA, she started several successful adult recitals and an emerging artists recital series. Julie is also executive director of the San Jose International Piano Competition.