Dr. Mira Kruja, NCTM Teaching music... Touching tomorrow DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS (USA) NATIONALLY CERTIFIED TEACHER OF MUSIC (USA) GRADUATE CERTIFICATE, MUSIC THEORY PEDAGOGY (USA) MASTER OF ARTS IN MUSIC, PIANO PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY (USA) UNIVERSITY-CONSERVATORY ARTIST’S AND TEACHER’S DIPLOMA, PIANO (EUROPE) COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY DIPLOMA, PIANO PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY (EUROPE) (256) 883-5642       mkruja@gto.net

Dr. Mira Kruja was declared winner of the Innovative Electronic Dissertation International Award, for her doctoral dissertation: “Piano Inside Out: The Expansion of the Expressive, Technical, and Sonorous Spectrum in Selected Twentieth-Century Art-Music Repertoire for the Modern Acoustic Piano.” This award was presented by the NDLTD at the 8^th International Symposium for Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Sydney, Australia.

A master teacher with over twenty years of pedagogical experience, Dr. Kruja has received numerous honors and awards including the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching (UK) and Teacher Who Made a Difference Award (UK).  Her piano and composition students have won numerous awards, scholarships, and performance honors in local, regional, national, and international events.

Dr. Kruja’s newly released solo piano CD, Æterna features music of Beethoven, Crumb, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Bach, and Busoni.

Dr. Kruja is a frequent adjudicator for national and international piano events including the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition, Cliburn Piano Competition and Dayas-McElroy-Gorno Piano Competition of CCM, Nathaniel Patch Piano Competition, Lexington Bach Competition, Georgetown Piano Festival, Lois McCoy Fall Performance Festival, UK Lewis Award auditions, KMTA festivals, NFMC festivals, and the Governor’s School for the Arts auditions.

A Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges, Dr. Kruja was also selected in Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honor Society, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.

Dr. Kruja has concertized in Europe and the United States.  She has received numerous awards and performance honors in national and international piano events including the UK Symphony Orchestra Solo Concerto Competition, where she performed Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C-minor and the Fifteenth Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition. Dr. Kruja has premiered numerous 20^th-century piano compositions, and has been featured with national symphony and chamber orchestras.  She has performed Bach Piano Concertos with the UK Chamber Orchestra, and the Tchaikowsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb minor with the UK Symphony Orchestra.  Dr. Kruja has recorded in Europe and USA and her performances have been broadcast live on national radio and television stations.

Dr. Kruja is an active member of the College Music Society, Music Teachers National Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, American Guild of Organists, Alabama Music Teachers Association, Huntsville Music Teachers Association, Alabama Federation of Music Clubs, and Huntsville Federation of Music Clubs.  She has served as the President of the Bluegrass Area Music Teachers Association, and the Theory Chair of the Kentucky Music Teachers Association.

A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (USA), Dr. Kruja has held numerous faculty and teaching positions in such institutions as the Governor’s School for the Arts, Ars Nova School for the Arts, University of Kentucky, Centenary School of Music, West Virginia University, Radford University (USA), and the Academy of Fine Arts – National University Conservatory (Europe).