​About Mai

Japanese-American pianist Mai Mizuno has appeared in venues throughout the world, including the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C., and Miyama Conseru in Japan. Her performance of Saint-Saëns’ Second Piano Concerto with the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra was praised for “dominat[ing] the music from the start, with a strong technique and unflagging energy” (Classical Voice of North Carolina).

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An avid chamber and collaborative pianist, Mai has worked closely with and served as studio pianist for violinists Kevork Mardirossian, Grigory Kalinovsky, Jorja Fleezanis, and Mimi Zweig; trombonists Carl Lenthe and Peter Ellefson; and baritone Wolfgang Brendel. She also served as accompanist for the Indiana University Pre-College String Academy. In the summer of 2016, she participated in the Kirishima Music Festival’s Chamber Music Program, performing Beethoven’s Piano Trio Op. 70 No. 1 (“Ghost”) and Brahms’ Second Violin Sonata.

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Mai has studied with and participated in masterclasses given by Vladimir Feltsman, John Perry, Barbara Nissman, Ory Shihor, Diane Walsh, Jimmy Brière, Maneli Pirzadeh, and Gabriel Kwok. She has participated in the Orford Academy, Colburn Academy Piano Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and California Summer Music.

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Her awards include prizes from the Eastern Music Festival Solo and Concerto Competitions, MTAC Solo and Concerto Piano Competitions, CAPMT Bartók & Contemporary Piano Competition, CMTANC Youth Music Competition, and the Young Pianists’ Beethoven Competition.

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Mai holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University, where she served as an Associate Instructor for two years, teaching class piano and private lessons for both music and non-music majors. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of North Texas, where she studied with Vladimir Viardo. Her mentors include Shigeo Neriki, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, Arnaldo Cohen, Evelyne Brancart, and Hans Boepple.