Executive Board 

President: Arunesh Nadgir

Dr. Arunesh Nadgir is the Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Middle Tennessee State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate piano students. He maintains a private piano studio in Murfreesboro where he teaches students of all ages. He has previously held teaching positions at New England Conservatory's Preparatory and Continuing Education Departments, the Eastman School of Music, the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and the Point CounterPoint Music Camp. His students have been accepted to music festivals and college music programs across the country and have won top prizes at pre-college and college level music competitions.

Nadgir has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia. He has performed in venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, and Jordan Hall, and has participated in several international music festivals including the Millennium International Piano Festival, The Moulin d’Ande Festival, and the Kneisel Hall Summer Music Festival.

Nadgir holds degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Eastman School of Music where he studied under Wha Kyung Byun, Robert McDonald, and Natalya Antonova, respectively.

Immediate Past President: Mark Hussung

Dr. Mark E. Hussung is Chair of the Music Department at Carson-Newman University where he teaches piano, piano pedagogy, and music appreciation. He has performed with the Knoxville Chamber Orchestra and solo and chamber music works for the Tennessee Music Teachers Associate State Conference. In 2005 he recorded J. Ryan Garber’s Resonances for release through Capstone Records. He is a member of the East Tennessee Chamber Players and is a frequent adjudicator for various piano competitions and festivals. In addition to his duties in the Carson-Newman Music Department, Hussung served from 2000-2010 as Director of the Carson-Newman Honors Program and received Carson-Newman’s Mentoring Award for his work with honors students on their senior theses.

A native of Murray, Kentucky, Hussung earned degrees in piano performance from The University of Louisville, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He did additional study for two summers at The Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara California. His principal teachers have included Dr. David Kaiserman, Piano Department Chair of The Northwestern University School of Music, Paul Schenly, Piano Department Chair of The Cleveland Institute of Music, and Eugene Pridonoff, Artist-in-Residence at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

President-Elect: Janice Lumpkin

Janice Lumpkin operates a large private piano studio in DeSoto County, MS, outside the greater Memphis area.  With over 27 years teaching experience of students of all ages, her desire is to produce lifelong musicians, encouraging students to have a passion for music.  She is past president of the Greater Memphis Music Teachers Association (GMMTA) and awarded Teacher of the Year for 2015.  She has served on the Executive Boards of GMMTA and TMTA since 2009, holding various positions.  She received Teacher of the Year from Amro Music Store in 2015, where she also co-directed a technology teaching forum for music teachers.  She is a member of the National Guild and has adjudicated at local festivals and competitions for over 10 years.  Many of her students participate in local festivals and auditions each year, earning excellent ratings.  She has served as a church pianist for over 35 years.   Janice holds an Associate degree from Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, TN.  She regularly attends business and teaching workshops and conferences to further her continued education and stay current with music trends.

Executive Secretary/Treasurer: Simone Parker

Simone Parker joined the Austin Peay State University (APSU) department of music faculty as an adjunct instructor in 2012 and teaches piano, violin and viola at her independent studio.  Since 2014, she is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), accredited through the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She received the Excellence of Teaching Award from the APSU-Community School of the Arts in 2010. The award recognizes Simone Parker for her continuous and consistent dedication to realizing the very best from her students, teaching them that in music as in life, great endeavors bring great rewards.

Simone Parker has a Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) in Piano Performance and a Master in Music (with honors) in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at APSU. There, she studied piano and composition with Dr. Jeffrey Wood and piano pedagogy with Dr. Patricia Halbeck.  She continued her professional study with Sally Ahner, a certified Alexander Technique (AT) teacher, and graduated from a three year teacher certification process with the Chesapeake Bay Alexander Studies Program.

As a native of Germany, Simone Parker speaks fluent German and English. While living in Germany, she has earned a Bachelor degree in International Business Administration from the Berufsakademie Mosbach - Bad Mergentheim.

Recording Secretary: Katherine Benson

Katherine Benson currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she maintains a full private studio and teaches courses in pedagogy, piano literature, keyboard harmony, and chamber music. An avid chamber musician, she is also the Artistic Director of The Paramount Chamber Players, one of the premier chamber music ensembles of the Appalachian region and now in its nineteenth concert season. Katherine is additionally a co-founder of the Knoxville International Piano Festival and Competition, launched in March 2023.

A native of Jonesborough, TN, Katherine has performed across the United States and abroad in Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand and has won prizes in over a dozen international and national competitions. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Michigan.