Pianist Katia Dinas, born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in Greece, commenced her piano studies at an early age. She has established a multifaceted career as a collaborative pianist, soloist, and educator, both in the United States and internationally.

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Her awards include First Prize at the Panhellenic Performing Arts Competition, Second Prize at the Association of Greek Conservatories Piano Competition, and Second Prize at the American Protégé International Competition. During her studies, she was honored with the Hira Poncha Music Award and the Evalina Vernon Honsinger Award for performance excellence, and was inducted into the national music honor society, Pi Kappa Lambda. Additionally, she received First Prize for exceptional concerto interpretation at the Kutztown Festival Concerto Competition in Pennsylvania, where she performed on Vladimir Horowitz’s piano.

 

Katia has performed solo and collaborative recitals at esteemed venues across North America and Europe, including appearances at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. Her performances have been featured on Greek television and broadcast on radio stations WCNY-FM in New York and WKAR-FM in Michigan. She was also invited to a music residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada, where she presented her scholarly research on Aaron Copland’s piano works and performed at the Rolston Recital Hall.

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Holding a Doctorate in Piano Performance from Michigan State University and a Piano Diploma with highest honors from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, Katia has studied with renowned teachers, including Van Cliburn Silver Medalist Panayis Lyras, French pianist Bernard Ringeissen, and Ellie Zacharopoulou, a pupil of Monique Haas. She has also worked with Natalya Antonova, Nelita True, Brandt Fredriksen, Katherine Chi, and Maria Asteriadou. In addition to her piano performance degrees, she holds a Master's Degree in Musicology from Aristotle University.

 

An avid academic, Katia has previously taught piano and worked as a collaborative pianist at Syracuse University, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan-Flint. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where she serves as a collaborative pianist at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University and an education coordinator at Prime Music Institute.