Faculty

Dr. Martin Kesuma is an award-winning pianist whose accomplishments include prizes at numerous international piano competitions, including the Betty Dickinson Piano Competition, San Jose International Piano Competition, Vancouver International Music Competition, PianoHouse International Piano Competition, ASEAN International Concerto Competition, and the Texas State International Piano Festival Concerto Competition.

As a performer, Dr. Kesuma has appeared on national and international stages, collaborating with ensembles such as the Central Texas Philharmonic, Round Rock Symphony, University of Texas–University Orchestra, Texas State Symphony Orchestra, Density512 Orchestra, and Orkes Simfoni Nasional Indonesia (National Symphony Orchestra of Indonesia).

An active educator and arts administrator, Dr. Kesuma currently serves as Program Faculty at Texas State University and Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Piano at Texas Lutheran University. He is the Director of the FunKey Piano Project, Texas State University’s community-based piano program, the Founder and Owner of the San Marcos Institute of Music, the Marketing Director of the Texas State International Piano Festival, and Music Director at Advent Ridge Academy.

A native of Jakarta, Indonesia, Dr. Kesuma holds degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin (MM, DMA), the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music (Artist Diploma), and Texas State University (BM, Performer’s Certificate).

Sarah Bryan is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and an M.M. in Performance and Pedagogy and studies with Dr. Jason Kwak. She earned her Bachelor’s in Piano Performance at Texas Christian University under the tutelage of John Owings. She has also studied with Dr. Sarah Spencer and several distinguished artists including Bradley Bolen, Adam Wodnicki, John Solomons, Jon Novacek, and Harold Martina. She holds a position at TCU as a website manager for PianoTexas. She was among the first North American pianists and teachers invited by concert pianist Eduardo Rojas to participate in the Popayan International Music Festival in Colombia in 2023, where she hosted a masterclass and performed in the opening ceremonies at the Guillermo Valencia Theater.