Biography
Dr. Konrad Binienda stands as a versatile figure encompassing roles as a classical concert pianist, recording artist, composer, and pedagogue. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with HaeSun Paik. He is also a graduate from the Harvard/New England Conservatory Joint Degree Program, majoring in Physics and Piano, where he studied with Wha-Kyung Byun. His other mentors include Sergei Babayan, Gerardo Teissonnière, Phillipe Giusiano, Wojciech Świtała and Viktor Mierzhanov. With a foundation rooted in both science and arts, Dr. Binienda's contributions span diverse facets of music, making him a distinguished presence in the industry.
Dr. Binienda is the winner of numerous competitions including the 2017 International Chopin Competition (Corpus Christi, TX), the Mozart Society Orchestra's Concerto Competition at Harvard University, the Grand Prize at the Messiah College Concerto Competition and Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Dr. Binienda is also a winner and laureate of the 2011 Hastings Prize for Musical Performance at Harvard University, the Chopin Piano Competition of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, and the Peabody Mason International Piano Competition in Boston.
Dr. Binienda specializes in the music of Fryderyk Chopin. His debut album "Peaks of Piano" featuring Chopin's 12 Etudes, Op. 10 was released in 2018. Building on this success, he premiered his own orchestration of Chopin’s Allegro de Concert Op. 46, which was recorded and produced by DUX in Łódż, Poland, with the Royal Philharmonic of London under the baton of Maestro Grzegorz Nowak in 2019.
Dr. Binienda regularly performs around the world including China, Poland, Switzerland, and the USA. In recent seasons, he has been featured in concert series presented by the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas, Frederic Chopin Society of Geneva, General Consulate of Republic of Poland in Houston, Stanisław Pomian-Srzednicki Foundation, and Symphony of the Red Woods. Recent highlights include his performance of Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major Op. 44 with the members of the Valley Symphony Orchestra in its "Springtime Schumann" concert series, as well as his debut piano solo recital in Carnegie Hall presented by the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas.
Beyond his performances, Dr. Binienda has judged numerous competitions including the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Turzno, Poland, and Sonata and Sonatina International Youth Piano Competition.
Dr. Binienda is also an accomplished composer. In 2022, he premiered his own Piano Concerto in E Minor with the Irving Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Hector Guzman. His Mazurka for piano, bass, violin, and guitar won the Second and Audience Prize in the 2015 Carl E. Baldassarre Composer-Performer Competition. His second album, which features works of Chopin and his own compositions, was released in 2022. Most recently, he released his latest album "Songs of Divine Mercy" comprising his original spiritual songs for soprano and piano in 2023.
