The trappings of success in modern Australian life commonly take the form of material possessions – a fancy car, a nice house, and perhaps a healthy investment portfolio. But often lacking behind all that is a more satisfying inner world, with many craving a creative form of expression to bring a more lasting fulfilment. But finding that form of expression isn’t as easy as it sounds, and often the search for such brings a greater lack of fulfilment.

That longing is something expert piano teacher Zuzana Lenartova understands well. Through her Eastern Suburbs studio, Piano Promise, she has made a speciality of guiding adults back to the piano – or towards it for the first time – with clarity, patience and genuine care.

“Many of my students are professionals,” she says. “They’ve achieved a great deal in their careers, but they feel something is missing. There’s a creative side that hasn’t had the opportunity to be expressed.”

Across Potts Point and the greater Eastern Suburbs, many lawyers, executives, consultants and creatives alike carry a long-held wish: to sit at a piano and actually play. For some, it’s connected to a childhood memory – lessons once taken and abandoned, yet never quite forgotten. For others, it’s an entirely new ambition, a private “piano promise” that they’ve finally resolved to honour.

“I think what strikes people first is that they’re looking for a teacher who really understands adult learners,” Zuzana explains. “There are many wonderful teachers for children, but adults have very different needs. As a child, you’re told what to do and you simply do it. Adults choose to learn. It’s their decision. They come with their own goals and beliefs.”

That choice can also bring vulnerability. “Many adults arrive with anxiety,” she says. “They tell me, ‘I’m not good enough,’ or ‘I’m too old now.’ There can be self-criticism. Learning as an adult is confronting – you’re discovering again how capable you are.”

Her method at Piano Promise meets them exactly where they are. Structured yet encouraging, disciplined yet warm, she reads each student as an individual. “With adults, you have to understand them first as people,” she says. “It’s not just about teaching notes. It’s about how they think and how they learn.” That sensitivity is one reason adults across the area respond so strongly to her approach.

A classically trained pianist who began teaching at just 18, Zuzana moved to Sydney in 2000 and later established one of the city’s largest private piano teaching organisations before returning to a more boutique model with Piano Promise. Her career has also crossed into screen, coaching actor Jessica Barden for the Netflix series “Pieces of Her” and performing the intricate Chopin passages heard on-screen, serving as piano double during scenes filmed at The Swifts in Darling Point. Yet despite such high-profile moments, her greatest satisfaction remains the quiet transformation of everyday students.

For those unsure whether piano is right for them, she offers structured introductory pathways – a gentle “Taster” series that builds technique from day one, and a “Refresher” for those returning after years away from the keys. For romantics at heart, there is also a short intensive devoted to mastering a single beloved piece. The emphasis is consistent: clarity, confidence and music that resonates personally, with Zuzana’s popular book, “Do Re Mi To You” an excellent guiding hand.

Potts Point remains close to her heart. Living in the area for many years, she finds in the neighbourhood a rare balance. “It feels cosmopolitan and intimate at the same time,” she says. Victoria St remains her favourite street in Sydney, with its Victorian terraces and canopy of trees, and she often takes walks down towards Woolloomooloo and the Botanical Gardens. Roslyn St at night, strung with lights, carries what she describes as a European warmth, reminding her of her Slovakian homeland.

She still frequents old favourites – coffee at Café de la Fontaine is on the list as is dinner at Fratelli Paradiso or the Apollo – enjoying the simple pleasure of sitting outside and watching the theatre of the street unfold. “You never quite know whether you’re in Paris, Potts Point or somewhere in between,” she laughs.

That eclectic, creative energy mirrors the diversity of her students; artistic, sophisticated, colourful, and everything in between. “People feel free here,” she says. “There’s a sense you can be who you are.”

And perhaps that is what piano offers too. In a world that constantly demands productivity and measurable success, sitting at a keyboard and learning slowly and deliberately can feel almost radical. It’s less about material acquisition and more about the creative act bringing its own reward – a piece of music played well and the quiet satisfaction of knowing that you created it.

https://pianopromise.com/

Phone: 0404 229 129

By Adam Gibson 

Photo by Simone McAullay