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Dr Kiana Shafiei
Recognised for her captivating playing and insightful writings, Kiana’s career encompasses many complementary roles, including solo and chamber musician, teacher and researcher. Kiana studied piano at the Royal College of Music in London, where she received her master’s degree. Her fascination with the use of folk-inspired elements in Western art piano music made her a frequent performer of the repertoire, which later turned into a scholarly curiosity that she explored in her doctoral research.
Kiana received her PhD in Performance (Piano) from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
Kiana has appeared with many orchestras, including a collaboration with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra to perform the UK première of Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by a Juilliard Faculty composer, Behzad Ranjbaran, in 2017. As a promoter of lesser-known repertoire, she has performed and recorded three piano concertos by André Aminollah Hossein as part of a project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 2016-17.
Whilst studying, Kiana participated in masterclasses by teachers including Pascal Rogé, Stephen Hough, Michel Béroff, Philippe Cassard, Boris Berman, Kathryn Stott, Luiz de Moura Castro, Paul Badura-Skoda, Ian Jones, Andrew Zolinsky, Andrew Ball and Julian Jacobson.
Kiana’s performance career has taken her to numerous venues across the UK, including Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Steinway Hall London, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James’s Piccadilly, Purcell Room and Leighton House Museum, among others. Her remarkable musical journey extends beyond borders, captivating audiences across Europe, notably Austria, Italy, Spain and Portugal. She has appeared on radio broadcasts, including BBC Radio 3.
Apart from performing and research, Kiana is passionate about teaching. She is a dedicated and caring teacher who has had the privilege of watching her students’ achievements at various national and international events, competitions, conservatoire exams, grade exams and Diplomas. She currently teaches piano at Chetham’s School of Music and Junior RNCM.
