Mariya Akhadjanova, a native of Uzbekistan, is a pianist and Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa, where she studies with Dr. Ksenia Nosikova. She is currently working as a staff collaborative pianist at the University of Iowa School of Music. Among her notable appearances are performances in New York at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the 2021 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition and at Merkin Concert Hall at Lincoln Center as a finalist and Second Prize winner of the 2022 Music International Grand Prix.

An award-winning pianist, Mariya has received numerous prizes in international competitions. In 2023, she was awarded both the Absolute Platinum Prize and the Rachmaninoff Prize at the Grand Maestro International Music Competition, where her performance was selected for publication on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music. She has also received First Prize at the Swiss International Music Competition, the Quebec International Music Competition, and the Music & Stars Awards.

In addition to her solo career, Mariya is an active collaborative pianist, frequently performing with instrumentalists and vocalists in recital, chamber music and academic settings. One of her latest accomplishments is her collaboration with clarinetist Sayyod Mirzomurodov on the album Contemporary Uzbek Music for Clarinet and Piano.

Mariya holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Uzbekistan State Conservatory in Tashkent. She later earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Northern Iowa, where she studied with Dr. Dmitri Vorobiev and Dr. Vakhtang Kodanashvili.