BIO

Maryam Pourmalek-Mehran was born to a music loving family in Tehran. From a young age, she studied both classical piano and Persian music under Eleanor Mirzaian, Emanuel Melik-Aslanian, Anoushirvan and Ardeshir Rohani.

Maryam has received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from California State University, Northridge. Her instructors were Ms. Francoise Regnat and Drs. Jeanine Jacobson and Charles Fierro. Thrice named to the Dean’s List, her other major accomplishments at CSUN included receiving a CAPMT Scholarship in 1992 and the highly sought Outstanding Bachelor’s Degree Undergraduate award in 1995. She was also inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, Golden Key National Honor Society, and Phi Beta Delta International Scholars Honor Society. Winner of the competitive Annual CSUN Concerto Competition in 1998, Maryam performed as the solo pianist with the CSUN Symphony Orchestra in its very well-received rendition of Aram Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto. Over the years, her other performances have included solo recitals, chamber music programs, piano ensembles, as well as various other events.

Maryam has been an active piano instructor since her teens. As part of CSUN’s Piano for Youth Program, she coached college piano pedagogy students. Her other piano pedagogy efforts included review and critique of the “Hal Leonard Piano Method”. Her teaching accomplishments were recognized by the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC), which awarded her the William Richards Pedagogy Scholarship in 1991. In addition to maintaining an active private studio, Maryam is also a former instructor at the Colburn School of Performing Arts where she taught both private and group classes.

Ms. Pourmalek currently lives near Los Angeles where she teaches, performs both classical and Persian music, and adjudicates for various exams and competitions.

She currently serves as the president of the Music Teachers’ Association of California for her area.