Kathleen's Piano Studio

Kathleen Feenstra ARCT, RMT, H. B.Sc
Royal Conservatory of Music Certified Teacher

Kathleen Feenstra has been teaching piano and theory in BC’s Fraser Valley since 2001. She is accredited by The Royal Conservatory of Music with ARCT diplomas in both Piano Performance (2010) and Piano Pedagogy (2019), and holds specialist teaching designations in Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Piano, Elementary and Intermediate Theory, and Advanced Harmony. A dedicated member of the British Columbia Registered Music Teachers’ Association, Kathleen is passionate about helping her students succeed and grow in their musical studies.

Alongside her teaching, Kathleen is an active Canadian composer specializing in pedagogical piano works that combine expressive writing with technical development. She has created more than 100 works for piano, published five repertoire books through 80 Days Publishing, and seen her music performed in recitals, festivals, and studios across Canada. Her works are also available worldwide on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud.

Kathleen’s compositions have been recognized nationally: she is a three-time winner of the CFMTA Call for Compositions (2016, 2022, 2025), with works included in the ACWC Piano Collective Catalogue and the ACNMP Contemporary Showcase Festival Syllabus. In 2025, she also served as an adjudicator for the ORMTA Call for Student Compositions, a competition for young composers writing for a variety of instruments and ensembles.

Committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians, Kathleen is the Chair of the BCRMTA Student Composers’ Club, where she mentors young composers, and serves on the Canadian Music Centre’s BC Advisory Board. She is also an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Association of Canadian Women Composers.

Kathleen began her musical journey by learning to play piano by ear before beginning formal lessons. She studied with Brenda Cottrill in her early years and later with Dr. Betty Suderman during high school, where she won the district music award and multiple festival prizes. She went on to complete an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Science while also studying composition at university, before pursuing advanced piano studies with Leslie Janos & Jean Ritter.

Her dedication to excellence in teaching has been recognized with the RCM Gold Medal for Elementary Piano Pedagogy (2016) and the BCRMTA Piano Pedagogy Award (2019) for the highest aggregate mark in BC.

Kathleen continues to find joy in teaching, composing, and adjudicating — but above all, in hearing her students bring music to life.