Klara Kukumi

With over 35 years of performance experience, Dr. Klara Kukumi is one of the premier collaborative pianists in the Arizona music scene, having worked with Arizona State University, Mesa Community College, Ballet Arizona, East Valley Chorale, and many independent musicians and musical groups throughout the Valley. Born and raised in Albania, Klara has been studying classical piano since she was six years old, achieving the second place Prize in the admission competition for the Institute of Fine Arts in Tirana. Upon graduating with her bachelor’s degree from the Institute, Klara furthered her musical education in the United States, earning a master’s degree from Brigham Young University, a diploma of pianist studies from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate from Arizona State University, where she published a dissertation on Albanian Piano Chamber Music. Although Klara is an expert in piano accompaniment, her foremost joy lies in teaching, where Klara prides herself on not merely providing technical instruction but fostering genuine appreciation of classical music within her students. As an adjunct professor at Mesa Community College, a faculty member at the Arizona School for the Arts, and within her own private home studio, Klara strives to make piano pedagogy as high-quality and accessible as possible for the future musicians and music lovers of Arizona and beyond.