Hiyas Hila

Hailed by the Manila Times for her “mastery of the keyboard,” pianist Hiyas Hila performs regularly as a solo, orchestral and chamber music artist. She has been featured in concerts in the United States, Spain and the Philippines. Her orchestral appearances include performances with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra.

She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of Minnesota School of Music, with Lydia Artymiw as her teacher, and both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in piano performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with Mack McCray as her mentor.

Dr. Hila received several scholarships and fellowship awards such as the Sergei Barsukov Scholarship for Piano, the Asian Cultural Council fellowship grant, and the University of Minnesota Centennial Piano Fellowship. She garnered top distinctions in several piano competitions including the National Music Competition for Young Artists in the Philippines, the University of Minnesota Concerto Competition, and the Schubert Club Piano Competition (Graduate Division) in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

She currently teaches piano at The Studios at Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland and at Saint Brigid School in San Francisco.