Mia Safdie is a 16-year-old pianist based in Los Angeles and Michigan. She currently studies classical piano at the world-renowned Interlochen Arts Academy with Dr. Kara Huber. Previously, she took lessons at The Colburn School and currently takes Advanced III Music Theory classes at Colburn. In addition to this, she is an ambassador for The Colburn School through the Colburn Collective Fellowship as she gives multiple performances for donors, tier 1 schools, and care facilities.
Mia has been featured on NPR’s From The Top, recorded for the Warner Brothers Studios, and was featured on a live news broadcast for the Academy Awards (Oscars). She has performed at venues such as Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, the Pasadena Ambassador Auditorium, and the Herbert Zipper Concert Hall.
Mia is an honor prize and medal winner for both the Southern California Branch and Regional Junior Bach Festival and has been a finalist for the Bach Complete Works. In addition, she has won first place in the Elite International Music Competition, first place in The Art of Piano International Great Composers Competition, first place in The Art of Chamber International Great Composers Competition, second place in the Beethoven Young Musician Competition Vienna, second place in the Bremen International Piano Competition, second place in the Great Composers Series Competition: Music of Northern Europe Division, second place in the Charleston Spring International Music Competition, second place in the Charleston Baroque International Music Competition, third place in the CAPMT Sonata Competition, and was a Semi-Finalist for the William Knabe Thomas F. Hulbert International Piano Competition.
Mia, named a Southern California Honors Musician, was a winner of the MTAC Open Adjudicated Festival and the MTAC Contemporary Festival where she was also awarded honor prizes, and was a finalist for the McAllister Honors Recital.
Mia has participated in festivals and intensive programs such as the Amalfi Coast Piano Festival, Interlochen Arts Piano Intensive, Idyllwild Instrumental Artist’s Intensive, and the Colburn Chamber Music Intensive. She has participated in studies and masterclasses with musicians such as HaeSun Paik, Kevin Fitzgerald, Joanne Pearce Martin, Thomas Lymenstull, Margaret Badger, Teresa Stanislav, Jim Walker, Dominic Cheli, and Jeffrey Lavner.
In addition to her solo work, Mia has participated in the Ed and Mari Chamber Music Institute at Colburn and enjoys playing many chamber masterpieces such as the Schumann Quintet, Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1, Shostakovich Trio No. 1, Shostakovich Quintet, and more. Mia has also served as the principal pianist for the Colburn Advanced Youth Orchestra.
You can find Mia’s 2024 Baroque Music Competition piano performance here.
You can find Mia’s 2024 Spring Music Competition piano performance here.
You can find Mia’s 2024 Summer Music Competition piano performance here.