Stella’s musical journey began as a toddler, quietly mesmerized by her older cousin’s playing. Two months shy of turning 5, she officially began private lessons and quickly distinguished herself. She enrolled in the Yamaha Junior Music Course and completed the two-year program in only six months.
By age 5, she became the first at her Yamaha school to perform five consecutive pieces in recital. Since then, Stella has played in over 16 recitals—nine of them at Valley Community College—often selected as the final performer, a role reserved for the school’s top student.
At just 7, Stella performed Chopin’s Waltz in A Minor in its original form, along with works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Burgmüller. She also plays many pieces by ear, including Autumn Leaves and Secret Garden, and once arranged and performed a holiday medley with seamless transitions that had the audience clapping and singing along.
In 2025, Stella was awarded Second Prize in the Charleston Summer Music Competition and Third Prize in the Charleston 19th Century Music Competition. She has earned State Honors in the Certificate of Merit program and is currently preparing for Level 5.
Though she is only 9, Stella approaches the piano with depth beyond her years. For her, music isn’t just something she plays—it’s where she feels most at home, where her heart speaks loudest.
Watch Stella Rose Petrosian perform Rhapsody Royale by Carolyn C. Setliff on the piano for the 2025 Summer Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.
Watch Stella Rose Petrosian perform Waltz in B Minor by Frédéric Chopin on the piano for the 19th Century Music Competition 2025 as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.
Watch Stella Petrosian perform G Minor – (Luo Ni) by Johann Sebastian Bach on the piano for the 2025 World Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.