Marika Bournaki Appointed Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance
Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Performance Marika Bournaki, M.M., has been appointed assistant professor of piano pedagogy and performance, effective beginning August 2023. She has served in a visiting faculty role at Shenandoah University (SU) since Fall 2021.
“I am deeply honored to have been appointed to the permanent position of assistant professor of piano pedagogy and performance at Shenandoah Conservatory,” said Bournaki. “The past two years teaching in this capacity at SU have been filled with energy, collaboration and excitement for the future. I have been inspired by my work with our highly motivated and engaged students, and their desire for broad and rigorous training has pushed me to teach with constant drive and focus. My colleagues in the piano department, two giants of the piano teaching and performing world — John O’Conor and Alex Bernstein — have been exceptionally collaborative, and I look forward to all the future possibilities working alongside them. As someone who feels profoundly invested in both the Winchester and Shenandoah communities, I am so happy to be able to continue strengthening these connections well into the future as a member of Shenandoah’s prestigious faculty of artist-teachers.”
Bournaki has been dubbed “The Celine Dion of Classical” by the Huffington Post. As the subject of the feature-length award-winning documentary “I Am Not A Rockstar,” Bournaki has toured internationally as concert pianist and ambassador for the arts.
“Alexander Bernstein and I are really delighted to have Marika Bournaki join the piano division at the conservatory on a full-time basis,” said Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Chair of Keyboard Division and Professor of Piano John O’Conor, Mus.D. “Having worked with her already for two years, she will be a wonderful addition to our thriving faculty and her enthusiasm, infectious personality and superb musicianship will be enjoyed by all.”
Bournaki has empowered youth through her projects “Moi, J’en Parle” and “Let’s Play,” in addition to her work as a member of Piano Six – New Generation, bringing music to underserved populations in Canada. She is an artist-in-residence at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Canada and is a member of the Mile-End Trio, Frisson Ensemble, and collaborative piano faculty at the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina. She is represented by Parker Artists, NYC.
Visit www.parkerartists.com/Marika-Bournaki and www.marikabournaki.com to learn more.
