Bulgarian-born Ms. Elena Lacheva is the General Director and Co-Creator of the Collaborative Piano Institute – the premier summer program for current and potential collaborative pianists, singers, instrumentalists, and composers. In August 2024 she will join the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, following her appointment as a Professional-in-Residence at at Louisiana State University, and her work as a vocal coach and repetiteur for the New Orleans Opera, Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston, Opera in the Heights, and the Houston Grand Opera, where she was a Studio Artist. A member of the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society (IKCAS), Ms. Lacheva was a presenter at CollabFest 2020, the Society’s annual conference.

A highly sought-after coach and collaborative pianist, Ms. Lacheva also appears as a clinician, most recently at the University of North Texas and the Piracicaba International Piano Festival. Upcoming engagements include a residency at Cornell University and Oklahoma University Music Teachers Association State Conference 2025, among others.

Ms. Lacheva is a member of the Aelia Piano Duo, performing repertoire from Mozart to Gabriela Lena Frank, and has been engaged in numerous vocal, instrumental, and chamber music performances for over 20 years. Most recently, she was featured on Chamber Music Amarillo’s Season Opener, and had the pleasure to perform her first Schubert’s Winterreise with tenor Paul Groves for Lyrica Baroque. Ms. Lacheva has performed internationally in Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, the United States, and Iceland, and maintains an active recital schedule.

After completing her collaborative piano studies with Martin Katz at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance in 2012, Ms. Lacheva was an apprentice coach at the Merola Program at the San Francisco Opera Center, following a summer as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center.