Kayden Kelly

Kayden Kelly (19), originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the first-place Senior Division winner of the inaugural Nina Simon Competition, a 2023 Junior Cliburn Festival Artist, a 2025 YoungArts Winner and a Concert Artist Guild Finalist. He began playing piano at age five and made his recital debut at age 11 at the National Theater of Costa Rica for the Costa Rican Vice President. Kayden has performed three times at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, and played with orchestras at the Cincinnati Music Hall with Maestro Louis Langreé, Vanemuise Concert Hall in Estonia, and the Berlin Admiralspalast in Germany. Kayden has performed in over 21 public performances in the US, Europe, and Latin America including solo piano programs recently for the New Mexico Museum Foundation Donors Circle, representing Fazioli for the NAM show in Los Angeles, Color of Music Festival in Charleston and at the Salon de Virtuosi in New York.

Kayden has been part of the Mozartium International “Young Excellence” Academy, Curtis Summerfest, PianoTexas, Amalfi Coast Festival, Algarve Music Series, Piano Academy Eppan, Perugia MusicFest, Art of the Music Festival, and twice to the Aspen Music Festival.

On local, national and international radio stations, Kayden has been interviewed and performed including NPR From the Top and Young Artists Showcase on New York’s classical radio station WQXR.

Kayden recently graduated from the Colburn School pre-college academy, where he studied piano with Fabio Bidini, Hyejin Kim, and Rodolfo Leone, and composition with Michaela Eramiasova. He is currently studying piano with Berlin-based Dr. Shaun Choo while attending Columbia University in NYC, where he is part of the Music Performance Program for both solo and chamber music.