Biography

MIRA OPALIŃSKA (b. 1982, Rzeszów, Poland) is a unique and engaging pianist based in Poland with over fifteen years experience performing in a variety of musical settings: from classical chamber music and concertos to jazz groups and big-bands.

A prodigious talent, Mira gave her first major solo performance in the Rzeszów Philharmonic Hall aged eleven, entering her first major competition shortly thereafter—the International Chopin Piano Competition in Göttingen, Germany. Laureate of many international competitions, her formative years saw her give numerous performances on the European concert and competition platform as well as broadcasting on national television and radio (TV Polonia, TVP Rzeszów, RP Rzeszów).

By the turn of the new millennium, Mira was expanding her horizons and exploring improvisation. In 2001 she was accepted to Poland’s most prestigious jazz institution—the Bednarska Jazz School (PSJ) in Warsaw—studying with the internationally recognised pianist Andrzej Jagodziński. Under the watchful eye of this renowned pedagogue, Mira immersed herself in the country’s rich jazz scene.

A move to Scotland in 2006 heralded a new stage in Mira’s burgeoning international career, the ensuing years also providing a period of continued study at the University of Strathclyde from where she graduated in 2010 with 1st Class Honours. Returning to Rzeszów in 2011, Mira continues to draw on her grounding in both classical and jazz disciplines, with regular performances in the UK and her native Poland.

‘Technically very able—she plays classical recitals as well as jazz—she solos without any grand displays of technique, preferring clear, melodic developments of the original themes and a refined choice of notes.’
—Rob Adams (The Herald)