Sgisela I have to imagine there are other adult students like you —
This is my assumption as well!
and I’m wondering if there’s a way to find those other students
Believe me, I've been trying!
And yes, I work at a public uni with a pretty famous and highly regarded music school. But oddly, I feel like that makes it harder to be just a generic adult piano hobbyist... Everyone is pro level, and the music school has so many music related events, that maybe that's why it feels like there are fewer community-level things going on. Also, although the music school offers community music lessons and various activities for adults for stringed instruments, they don't have anything for adults and piano-related things, only for high school aged and down. This really surprised me, but I think it may be just that their resources are 100% in use.
For comparison, before we moved here, I worked at a uni with a small, not famous, music department. They offered lessons in all instruments to the community, and there were more music things happening in the community not connected to the uni.
So what I'm experiencing may be like the paradox a person encounters moving to a major urban metro city and having a hard time meeting people or making friends, while the person in a small town has a much easier time getting connected to the community.
Oh and re my piano teacher, he got his PhD in piano here, and he is currently teaching at a community music school while his wife finishes her PhD in violin here. The community school where I take lessons does recitals for kids, and I have the impression that they don't have many adult students. I have asked my piano teacher but his other students are all kids and his wife's contacts are all through the university (IOW top level, future professional musicians).
Now, of course we've only lived here for a little over a year, so I hope I'll find some piano friends over time. And I'm really looking for to meeting the cellist this week. So I haven't given up all hope! 😃