Biography
Dr. Konrad Binienda is an acclaimed concert pianist celebrated for his poetic interpretations of Romantic music, charismatic stage presence, and deeply moving performances. A versatile musician, he is also an accomplished recording artist, composer, and pedagogue whose work bridges the worlds of art and science, making him a distinguished figure in the international music community.
Dr. Binienda has won numerous competitions, including the 2017 International Chopin Competition (Corpus Christi, TX), the Mozart Society Orchestra Concerto Competition at Harvard University, the Grand Prize at both the Messiah College Concerto Competition and the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He is also a laureate of the 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.
A specialist in the music of Fryderyk Chopin, Dr. Binienda released his debut album, Peaks of Piano, in 2018, featuring Chopin’s 12 Etudes, Op. 10. He has performed extensively around the world, appearing in China, the Philippines, Poland, Switzerland, and across the United States. Recent engagements include concerts for the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas, the Frederic Chopin Society of Geneva, the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Consulates in Houston and Chicago, the Stanisław Pomian-Srzednicki Foundation, and the Symphony of the Redwoods. Notable highlights include his debut with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and his Carnegie Hall solo recital debut, presented by the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas.
In addition to his performance career, Dr. Binienda has served as a juror for competitions such as the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Turzno, Poland, and the Sonata and Sonatina International Youth Piano Competition.
As a composer, Dr. Binienda has premiered a number of his own works. In 2025, his Mazurka-Fantasie was premiered at Carnegie Hall. In 2024, his solo piano transcription of Szymanowski’s ballet Harnasie was given its world premiere at the Frost Chopin Festival in Miami to critical acclaim. In 2022, he debuted his Piano Concerto in E Minor with the Irving Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Hector Guzman. He also orchestrated Chopin’s Allegro de Concert, Op. 46, which was recorded in 2019 by DUX Records in Łódź, Poland, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London under Maestro Grzegorz Nowak. His Mazurka for piano, bass, violin, and guitar earned Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2015 Carl E. Baldassarre Composer-Performer Competition.
Dr. Binienda holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with HaeSun Paik. He also earned a joint degree in Physics and Piano through the Harvard University/New England Conservatory program, studying with Wha-Kyung Byun. His other mentors include Sergei Babayan, Gerardo Teissonnière, Philippe Giusiano, Wojciech Świtała, and Viktor Merzhanov.
Dr. Binienda is the co-founder and president of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute of Ohio, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Chopin’s music and preserving his cultural legacy.
