Praised for his “intensity and precision” (Hye Sharzhoom) and hailed as a “star pianist”
(Donald Munro, The Munro Review), Dr. Michael Krikorian is a Fresno-born pianist,
composer, music educator, and scholar. He has won top prizes in numerous competitions
and given acclaimed performances across the United States as well as Italy, France,
Germany, South Korea, and China. Some recent performance highlights include recitals
at the Conservatoire de Lyon in France, and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center in China.
Received by a “wildly appreciative audience” (Donald Munro, The Munro Review), his
concert in the Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts series was named one
of the top 20 cultural events of 2019 in the Central San Joaquin Valley by The Munro
Review. In 2018, he was a top prizewinner in the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition,
including the prize for "best performance of an opera transcription or paraphrase".
He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Californa State University, Fresno as a student
of Andreas Werz, his Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music as
a student of Arkady Aronov, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University
of Southern California as a student of Antoinette Perry.
Dr. Krikorian serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Music Technology at his alma
mater, California State University, Fresno. He previously taught at the USC Thornton
School of Music, and has served as piano faculty at the the Concordia Summer Chamber
Music Camp at Concordia University in Irvine, CA. He has presented masterclasses at
CSU Fresno, LA Harbor College, Valdosta State University, and the University of Southern
California. In high demand as an adjudicator for festivals and competitions, Dr. Krikorian
has served as a judge for the California Association of Professional Music Teachers
(CAPMT), the University of Alabama Huntsville Piano Competition, the Image International
Music Festival Competition, and the Artciál International Piano Competition.
Dr. Krikorian serves as the VP for Conferences and was recently appointed President-Elect
of CAPMT. In the past, he served as the Chair of the Young Professional Leadership
Network (YPLN), and as the South Regional Chair for the CAPMT Concerto Competition.
He is also the co-founder of the SoCal International Piano Competition, which has
drawn participants from across four continents. A charismatic speaker and scholar,
he has been invited to present at the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National
Conference, the CAPMT State Conference, and the MTNA Collegiate Chapters Piano Pedagogy
Symposium.
In addition to performing and teaching, Dr. Krikorian composes music for the concert
stage and visual media. His original score for The Fidelio Incident (Act 3 Games),
a video game based on Beethoven’s opera, Fidelio, has been praised as “brilliant”
(Evan Dickens, Adventure Gamers), “powerful” (James Paley, COGconnected), and a soundtrack
that “effectively conveys the mood” (Joe Juba, Gameinformer). In July 2021, Dr. Krikorian
taught as a guest artist in the CSU Summer Arts course titled The Art of Scoring for
Video Games alongside Garry Schyman, Edouard Brenneisen, Jason Hayes, and Peter Scaturro.
