Pianist Daredjan “Baya” Kakouberi was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, the former Soviet republic that is now the Democratic Republic of Georgia. She made her piano debut at the age of 11. After graduating from Tbilisi Special School of Music for the Talented and Gifted, she entered the Moscow Conservatory, where she continued her studies at the master’s and doctoral levels under the tutelage of famous pianist and professor Sergei Dorenski and International Tchaikovsky Competition gold medalist Vladimir Krainev. She continued her education with distinguished pianist Vladimir Viardo, a winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Dr. Kakouberi has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Moscow, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Italy and the United States. In 1996, she was among the “World’s 10 Most Distinguished Pianists” chosen by the Palm Beach Invitational Piano Competition. In the summer of 2000, she was chosen as recipient of the “Most Outstanding and Distinguished Pianist” award in the IBLA Grand Prize International Competition in Ragusa-Ibla, Italy. In addition to her solo recitals, she has appeared as guest soloist in concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe, including performances at Moscow Conservatory’s Great Hall, Steinway Hall in New York and the Cerritos Center for Performing Arts in California. As a chamber performer, Dr. Kakouberi made her debut at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York in February 2002.

Noted as an outstanding chamber music artist, Dr. Kakouberi serves as artistic director of the Blue Candlelight Music Series in Dallas, where she enjoys collaboration with internationally renowned artists. Since 1996, she has appeared as a guest artist at the acclaimed summer series “Music in the Mountains” and guest soloist at the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colorado. (bio information from the Dallas Community College website.)