Tanya Karyagina

Praised for her “brilliant fluency, outstanding tone quality,” (La Libre Belgique) and “elegant alternation of tragedy and optimism” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram), American pianist Tanya Karyagina made her concerto debut at only 9 years old with the Kazakh Chamber Orchestra. Closer to home, she has also appeared as a soloist with the Fort Worth Chamber and TCU Symphony Orchestras, among others. She has won top prizes in nearly 30 national and international piano competitions.

As an avid chamber musician and entrepreneur, Dr. Karyagina is the founder and pianist for the ALORTA Trio together with violinist Ordabek Duissen and cellist Alan Steele. She is also the founder and director of Southwestern Piano Ensemble, a student ensemble that performs repertoire written and arranged for multiple pianos.

Dr. Karyagina’s passion for training and equipping the next generation of pianists and musicians has led her to establish the Tanya Karyagina Piano School – a school which provides world-class training for the next generation of piano students. She has served on music faculty in many higher education institutions: Vanguard University, Tarrant County College, Dallas Baptist University, Texas Christian University, USC’s Thornton School of Music, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Texas Baptist College.

Apart from her teaching and piano performance career, Dr. Karyagina plays harpsichord professionally and is also an aspiring violinist. She likes spending time with friends and family, being outdoors, hiking, walking, jogging, swimming, cooking, reading, traveling, and experiencing new cultures.