Mira Walker

Praised for her deep musical sensitivity, American pianist Mira Walker is quickly building a career as a performer known for her compelling performances of the works of J.S. Bach, as well as her commitment to performing the repertoire of underrepresented composers. Both a passionate performer and teacher, Mira has been overwhelmingly lauded by her students for creating challenging yet positive learning environments, and developing the individual potential of each student. Mira’s major teachers include Yakov Kasman, Norman Krieger, and Logan Skelton. Mira completed her Bachelor of Arts in Music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and her Master of Music in Piano Performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Michigan under the instruction of Logan Skelton and John Ellis, where she also serves as a Graduate Student Instructor.

Mira’s honors include top prizes in dozens of competitions, including top awards in the inaugural Music International Grand Prix and First Prize in the National Federation of Music Clubs Collegiate Piano Competition. In recognition of Mira’s excellence in teaching, she was awarded the Joanne Smith Award for Piano Pedagogy in 2023. In 2022, she was awarded a Gilmore Festival Fellowship, where she worked with pianists Michelle Cann and Lara Downes. Mira is an active performer, appearing nation-wide in solo and chamber recitals. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the National Ukrainian Symphony. Mira has appeared in master classes with Ann Schein, Jeremy Denk, Boris Slutsky, Marina Lomazov, Arthur Greene, and many others. She appears frequently at international music festivals such as International Summer Music Academy (Kyiv, Ukraine), Vivace International Music Festival (Wilmington, North Carolina), and Brevard Music Institute (Brevard, North Carolina). Mira is is actively involved with the MTNA Chapter at the University of Michigan, serving as the Vice President for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. She presented a talk titled “Culturally Informed Inclusion of Diverse Folk Melodies in Piano Teaching” with the chapter at the MTNA National Conference in 2023. Other recent projects and performances include a recording of music by Margaret Bonds and Florence Price for the Michigan Recording Project, a collaborative recital in Lawrence, KS featuring the Brahms Horn Trio, and a performance of Irene Britton Smith’s Passacaglia in C# minor at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago.