Mireille Gradeff Silva, pianist

French-born, Bulgarian-American Mireille Gradeff Silva started piano lessons at the age of seven and credits much of her artistic foundation to her childhood teacher, New York City/New Jersey-based pianist Aurora Ragaini Martin. At the age of 14, Ms. Silva began teaching piano lessons! The combination of a solid training and dedication led Ms. Silva to become a winner of several first-prizes at piano competitions and music scholarship awards. She completed her undergraduate work at Rutgers University with pianist Maria Katona Valgoczy and later studied with pianist Francis Wang, a student of the acclaimed Juilliard professor, Rosina Lhévinne. Ms. Silva earned a Masters Degree in Piano Performance with pianist Walter Cosand at Arizona State University.

In her performances Ms. Silva displays a formidable technique and an affinity with the Romantic repertoire including works by Schumann, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and other composers. Her recitals in Brazil, Michigan and several venues in Georgia were greeted with enthusiasm by the audiences. Ms. Silva gave the US premieres of selected works by Bulgarian composers and she collaborates with singers and instrumentalists in chamber music concerts, including 4-hand piano works with her husband, pianist Dr. Francisco Silva. She is currently preparing the monumental Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach for recording and performances.

As a sought-after teacher, lecturer and performer, Mireille Gradeff Silva has been on the faculty of the Center of Creative Studies, Institute of Music and Dance in Detroit, and she is a past President of the Atlanta Music Teachers Association. She trained other piano teachers, pianists, and students at Silva Piano Studios over the past twenty years.

Besides performing and teaching, Ms. Silva’s other passion is her ongoing research and work on the innovative Silva Piano Method with accompanying recordings and materials that she co-authored with Dr. Silva. They developed an approach to teaching beginners how to play the piano that is efficient yet comprehensive and systematized according to a hierarchy of necessary technical, listening, sensory integration and analytic skills. Using these materials, scores of the Silva’s students have achieved impressive results in a short amount of time, acquiring high levels of proficiency at the piano. The Silvas continue to teach and hold concerts in their home studios in East Cobb.