Founded in 2018, the Piano Castle is located in the Hiller Highlands in Oakland, California. 

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Our founder and Head Instructor, Konstantine Piterman, has been playing piano for over 24 years. He began learning in Catalunya, Spain, at the age of 8. Konstantine received private lessons from world-class conservatory faculty. Upon returning to the United States, Konstantine advanced his studies at the Academy of Language and Music Arts in Orinda. Konstantine then enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2016, studying Music & Rhetoric. 

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His relationship with chess follows a similar path. His parents introduced him to chess as an infant as a simple hobby. In Spain, he received training from Ana Belén, the national champion in Spain. Konstantine even had the opportunity to play against former World Champion Anatoly Karpov in a simultaneous exhibition. Konstantine's highest achieved ELO is 1850.

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Konstantine has taught over 500 students across dozens of schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has previously worked for Keyboard Educators, Afterschool Enrichment Solutions, Chess Wizards, Reading Buddies and Sylvan Learning Group. 

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The academy is headquartered in the Hiller Highlands in Oakland, one block from Kaiser Elementary School and Bentley Middle School.