At age eleven, she taught herself to play simple pieces, and soon started studying with a local piano teacher. She accelerated quickly and was the pianist for the high school choir and small vocal ensembles, playing for concerts, district contests, and special events. She was selected as an accompanist for the district honor choir. She won solo piano and music theory awards in the MMTA (Minnesota) at the district and state levels.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. She studied piano in Sweden with Benedicte Haid prior to attending the State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook on the National Student Exchange Program. Throughout college, she focused on her passion of collaborative piano, accompanying vocalists, instrumentalists, opera workshop, and the MSU, Moorhead festival choir. She has been active on worship teams in her local church, both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Tjon’s high school piano teacher initiated her pedagogy career. Following college, her private piano studio moved with her to Mannheim, Germany; Norfolk, Virginia; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and currently in Jacksonville, NC.
Her piano teachers include Dianne Thompson, Dr. Nancy Harris, Benedicte Haid, Dr. Hsing-Chwen Hsin, Dr. Terri Manno, and Dr. Peter Collins. From 2012 to 2019, she continued studying piano repertoire and pedagogy with the late Suzanne W. Guy in Norfolk, Virginia. She resumed lessons in 2024 with Barbara Furr of UNCW, Wilmington, and is preparing a recital of solo and collaborative repertoire with local musicians in the Fall of 2025.
Ms. Tjon’s professional affiliations include serving a second term as Secretary on the Executive Board of the North Carolina Music Teachers Association (NCMTA), the Vice President of Cape Fear Music Teachers Association (CFMTA), member of Virtual Local Music Teachers Association (VLMTA), Raleigh Piano Teachers Association (RPTA), and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).
Ms. Tjon also earned a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (2003) and Master of Divinity (2010) degrees from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri. She received ordination with the Assemblies of God in 2016.
Ms. Tjon is the recipient of the 2025 MTNA Teacher Enrichment Grant from the MTNA Foundation Fund. Her research will focus on Cuban dance, and its contribution to piano literature. She is in the process of completing the National Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) certification through MTNA.
Since 2022, she has been the collaborative pianist with the Wilmington Choral Society in Wilmington, NC. She collaborates regularly with area choirs, vocalists, and ensembles. She adjudicates regularly for piano festivals and competitions. Past positions include staff pianist for Coastal Carolina Community College, and organist and choir director at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville.
When she isn’t teaching or playing the piano, she enjoys reading, writing, running, playing daily Wordle, admiring the beautiful sunsets of eastern North Carolina, feeling sand in her toes from ENC beaches, and watching Duke basketball. She is mom to four daughters, two zebra finches–Fanny & Felix, and one charismatic Puggle, Lily. She resides in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
