Kimia Rafieian is an acclaimed collaborative pianist, educator and répétiteur with an impressive international career in solo and ensemble performance. Her artistry has been recognized with numerous awards, including First Prize in Clara’s Annual Piano Competition, Second Prize for Best Shostakovich Performance, the National Society of Arts and Letters Award, and Second Prize in the FSMTA Gray Perry Award. Notably, she was invited to perform as a soloist at the prestigious Spivakov XIV International “Moscow Meets Friends” Festival.

As a collaborative pianist, Kimia has been honored with fellowships such as the Aspen Music Festival Vocal Coach Fellowship and the Polonsky Foundation Fellowship. Her expertise in opera coaching and performance was further highlighted when she won First Place in the National Opera Association’s Opera Production Competition for her work on Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen.

Kimia has performed in renowned international venues such as the Michigan Theater, Bass Concert Hall, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and the historic Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. She is currently presenting a fully commissioned program titled “Chiaroscuro” in a series of concerts with bassist Ali-Kian Yazdanfar. In addition to her thriving performance career, Kimia serves as the Principal Pianist of the Central Texas Philharmonic and brings over nine years of dedicated experience as a piano instructor.

Kimia holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Lynn University, where she studied under Roberta Rust, and a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan under the guidance of renowned pianist Martin Katz.

Learn more about Kimia Rafieian and explore her work at kimiarafieian.com.