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American pianist Kirsten Smith completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees in piano performance at the Arizona State University School of Music under the tutelage of Steven De Groote, Gold Medalist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. A winner of many competitions herself, Ms. Smith has been the recipient of awards, scholarships and invitations to music festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Van Cliburn Institute. She has been chosen to premiere numerous new works by contemporary composers and has recorded several times for the Centaur label. In addition to the solo repertoire, Ms. Smith is devoted to the performance of collaborative works, and is a passionate teacher who believes deeply in the importance of discovering and sharing musical knowledge. Ms. Smith has been on the faculty of Sacramento State University School of Music since 1996, where she has taught piano, chamber music, collaborative piano, piano pedagogy, music theory and aural skills. In demand as a teacher, lecturer, adjudicator and columnist, Ms. Smith was awarded a prestigious Pedagogy Enhancement Award at CSUS. Raised in a musical family, she began formal lessons with her mother at age four. She began teaching piano and entered college at age thirteen. Ms. Smith resides in Sacramento, where she divides her time between teaching and performing. When she’s not at the piano, she enjoys training for dog agility competitions as well as traveling, camping and exploring nature.