
The Fryderyk Chopin Institute of Ohio’s mission is to promote the performance and scholarship of Fryderyk Chopin and spread his cultural legacy. Additionally, the Institute showcases the music of composers that celebrate Chopin’s ideals. In so doing, the institute educates and inspires a new generation of listeners and artists.

Dr. Konrad Binienda, President/Co-Founder
Dr. Konrad Binienda is an acclaimed concert pianist celebrated for his poetic interpretations of Romantic music, charismatic stage presence, and deeply moving performances. A versatile musician, he is also an accomplished recording artist, composer, and pedagogue whose work bridges the worlds of art and science, making him a distinguished figure in the international music community. Dr. Binienda has won numerous competitions, including the 2017 International Chopin Competition (Corpus Christi, TX), the Mozart Society Orchestra Concerto Competition at Harvard University, the Grand Prize at both the Messiah College Concerto Competition and the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He is also a laureate of the Hastings Prize for Musical Performance at Harvard University, the Chopin Piano Competition of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, and the Peabody Mason International Piano Competition in Boston. A specialist in the music of Fryderyk Chopin, Dr. Binienda released his debut album, Peaks of Piano, in 2018, featuring Chopin’s 12 Etudes, Op. 10. He has performed extensively around the world, appearing in China, the Philippines, Poland, Switzerland, and across the United States. Recent engagements include concerts for the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas, the Frederic Chopin Society of Geneva, the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Consulates in Houston and Chicago, the Stanisław Pomian-Srzednicki Foundation, and the Symphony of the Redwoods. Notable highlights include his debut with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and his Carnegie Hall solo recital debut, presented by the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas. In addition to his performance career, Dr. Binienda has served as a juror for competitions such as the Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Turzno, Poland, and the Sonata and Sonatina International Youth Piano Competition. As a composer, Dr. Binienda has premiered a number of his own works. In 2025, his Mazurka-Fantasie was premiered at Carnegie Hall. In 2024, his solo piano transcription of Szymanowski’s ballet Harnasie was given its world premiere at the Frost Chopin Festival in Miami to critical acclaim. In 2022, he debuted his Piano Concerto in E Minor with the Irving Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Hector Guzman. He also orchestrated Chopin’s Allegro de Concert, Op. 46, which was recorded in 2019 by DUX Records in Łódź, Poland, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London under Maestro Grzegorz Nowak. His Mazurka for piano, bass, violin, and guitar earned Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2015 Carl E. Baldassarre Composer-Performer Competition. Dr. Binienda holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with HaeSun Paik. He also earned a joint degree in Physics and Piano through the Harvard University/New England Conservatory program, studying with Wha-Kyung Byun. His other mentors include Sergei Babayan, Gerardo Teissonnière, Philippe Giusiano, Wojciech Świtała, and Viktor Merzhanov.

Dr. Jiana Peng, Artistic Director/Co-founder
Praised for her "intelligent and creative sensibility" (Kevin Kenner) and "spectacular technique" (South Florida Classical Review), Dr. Jiana Peng is internationally acclaimed for her captivating performances across the United States and Europe. A versatile pianist, she brings depth, imagination, and virtuosity to a wide range of repertoire. A specialist in the music of Chopin, Dr. Peng has been lauded for her "superb technical skills, musicality, and profound connection with Chopin's spirit" (Chopin Society of Texas). Her debut album, featuring Chopin's 24 Preludes, was released in 2022. Yet she is equally committed to exploring eclectic and lesser-known works—most recently premiering the solo piano transcription of Szymanowski's ballet Harnasie at the Frost Chopin Festival in Miami, earning acclaim from both audiences and critics. Dr. Peng is the first prize winner of the 2020 International Chopin Piano Competition (Corpus Christi) and second prize winner of the 2022 Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition (Washington, D.C.). She has also received top prizes at the New York International Piano Competition and Nice Côte d'Azur International Piano Competition, and was a candidate in the prestigious 2021 Fryderyk Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Since making her orchestral debut at age sixteen with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra in Severance Hall, Dr. Peng has performed with the National Philharmonic, Chopin Institute of Ohio Orchestra, and orchestras from the Oberlin Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, and University of Alicante. She has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Gerard Schwarz, Uri Segal, Piotr Gajewski, Raphael Jiménez, Kimbo Ishii-Eto, Carl Topilow, and most recently Grzegorz Nowak, Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London. Her festival appearances span from PianoTexas International Festival, Frost Chopin Festival, to the Dubrovnik Summer Music Festival, with notable collaborations including her artistic partnership with legendary pianist Maria João Pires. Together they performed in the inaugural Days of Wisdom festival in Spain, Belgais Center for Arts in Portugal, and for the Partitura Residency at the Gilmore International Piano Festival. Dr. Peng has performed in distinguished venues worldwide, from Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall to the Warsaw Philharmonic and Chopin's Manor in Duszniki, Poland. She regularly appears in concert series hosted by the Chopin Foundation of the United States, Chopin Society of Texas, and Culture & Art Foundation in New York. Dr. Peng earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, with previous degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory. Her artistic development has been shaped by mentorship with Maria João Pires, Kevin Kenner, HaeSun Paik, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, and Stanislav Ioudenitch.
Artistic Advisors
Kevin Kenner Piano Faculty, University of Miami Frost School of Music
Antonio Pompa-Baldi Piano Faculty, Cleveland Institute of Music
Grzegorz Nowak Conductor, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, Phillipines Philharmonic Orchestra