Regina Ziliani

Regina Ziliani’s love for the arts began early—on stage, in dance classes, and in music-filled rooms across the Upstate of South Carolina. She was a piano student at Lawson Academy of the Arts, performed on stage with Spartanburg Little Theatre, studied ballet, tap, and jazz at Miss Marion’s School of Dance, and sang in choirs and played violin throughout the Upstate region. These early experiences sparked a lifelong passion for helping young people grow through the arts.

Regina began teaching piano while still in high school and continued building her studio throughout college. At Converse University, Regina was named a Daniel Music Scholar and performed as a violinist with the Converse Chamber Ensemble and the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic.

After several years teaching in the San Jose area, Regina and her husband Jeff moved to Charlotte, where her home studio quickly grew to 84 students. Recognizing the need for a place where students could receive excellent training while also being part of an arts community, she opened Charlotte Academy of the Arts (formerly Charlotte Academy of Music) in 2008.

Today, the Academy serves hundreds of families through private lessons, classes, camps, and musical theatre productions. Over her 37 year teaching career, Regina’s students have earned state, national, and international recognition, and many have gone on to pursue the arts at a higher level. In addition to teaching piano, Regina serves as producer, and often costumer, for musical theatre productions at CAA. Above all, Regina is passionate about creating a place where students feel supported, inspired, and empowered to grow—not just as musicians and performers, but as confident individuals.

A dedicated leader in her field, Regina has held professional memberships with the MTNA, NCMTA, the National Guild of Piano Teachers, Charlotte Piano Teachers Forum, and NFMC. She has served as an adjudicator for major festivals and has received the Steinway & Sons Top Educator Award for seven consecutive years. In 2020, Regina was honored to receive the Career Achievement in Music from her alma mater, Converse University.

Regina and her husband, Jeff, enjoy performing piano duets together and are proud parents of their 13-year-old son, who spent his early years in piano lessons at the Academy and now studying drums and performs with the Academy’s SHINE Musical Theatre program.