abbypayne@churchstreetschool.org

Abby Payne has been teaching at Church Street School since 2005, and has loved watching her students grow and learn. In addition to teaching piano and voice, she also directs the Battery Park City Adult Chorus, a community group which has performed at several venues and community events in the city.

Abby is also a very active performer and writer. “The Gunfighter Meets His Match,” a new musical for which she wrote the music as well as the book, recently finished a sold out run at HERE Arts Center in SoHo. Abby also performs regularly with her band (which includes Church Street drum teacher Kenny Shaw) at venues like the Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall, Caffe Vivaldi, and Arlene’s Grocery. In July 2015, she sang back up with the band Dispatch during their two Madison Square Garden concerts. Abby has also recorded four albums of her own music, including the recently released “The Gunfighter Meets His Match,” a concept album upon which the new musical was based, and has created and starred in four music videos.

Abby has a degree in Jazz Studies from SUNY Purchase, and is thrilled to share the joy of singing and playing piano at Church Street School!