Myrna Setiawan was born in Indonesia and began studying piano at the age of five with Ms. Aylisia Jusuf. She started performing at the Annual Yamaha Junior Concerts in Indonesia and Japan from the age of 11 through 16. At 16, she moved to the United States to pursue her music education, studying at the RD Colburn School of Music and Performing Arts with Dr. Louise Lepley, the New England Conservatory in Boston with Patricia Zander, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Mack McCray, and the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati with Eugene and Elizabeth Pridonoff. Myrna was awarded full merit scholarships to all of the institutions she attended.

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Ms. Setiawan is known for her musicality and virtuosity. One of the reviews quoted her as being a “pianistic phenomenon... with seemingly endless resources of power and brilliance”. In her homeland, Ms. Setiawan is recognized as being “In a league of her own… [with] something extra that goes way beyond experience and qualification".

More reviews can be found in "Home" page

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Her repertoire spans a wide range, from early Baroque to contemporary works, with a particular emphasis on Romantic and early 21st-century music, where her passion and artistry truly shine. Her captivating performances and virtuosic technique have earned her numerous solo recitals, including engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Society, the San Francisco Keyboard Concert Series, the Challenging Performance Recital Series in Cincinnati, and Bach’s Dancing and Dynamite Society. She has also performed for USC Radio, the California Rotary Club’s Benefit Concert (where she soloed in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue), the Noon Time Concert Series in San Francisco, Pacifica Performances, and the Grand Signature Piano Concert Series in Jakarta, Indonesia. Additionally, she has appeared at the Quatro Music Recital Series in Surabaya, Indonesia, and the Cultural Program Series at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. Most recently, she performed live on All Classical 89.9 Radio FM Portland, Oregon, and also performed at the Ligeti Odyssey: 100 Years celebration concert, sponsored by Cascadia Composers, also in Portland. She has been invited twice to appear on Suara Surabaya FM 100's Music Classic program, where she was interviewed by hosts Fabian Yudhistira and Sufiah Santoso.

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Invited as a guest artist, Ms. Setiawan has led master classes at a variety of esteemed institutions, including Randolph College in Lynchburg, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the LaVeck Concert Series in Oswego, New York, as well as Allegro Music School and Quatro Music School in Indonesia. In addition to her teaching engagements, she is frequently invited to serve as a judge for prestigious competitions, such as the San Francisco Chopin Competition for Young Pianists and the Louisiana MTNA Competition at the University of Louisiana.

 

Although she now calls Beaverton, Oregon, home, Ms. Setiawan maintains strong ties to her native Indonesia. Renowned for her mastery of the classical repertoire, she was honored to be invited by the son of Indonesia’s former president to perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Indonesian Philharmonic Orchestra. Her other notable engagements in Indonesia include performances of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Gloriamus Symphony Orchestra and the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra. In the United States, Ms. Setiawan has performed with a variety of prestigious ensembles, including the Marina del Rey Westchester Symphony, the Lake Tahoe Festival Orchestra, the Auburn Symphony, the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, the College Conservatory of Music Concert Orchestra in Cincinnati, and the Sacramento Gold Country Chamber Orchestra.

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Ms. Setiawan has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Dr. and Mrs. Leon Belous Award, the Los Angeles Keyboard Concert Series Award, the Joseph M. Shaw Award, and the Young Musician Foundation Award in Cincinnati. She has also earned first-place honors in numerous competitions, such as the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition, the California Association of Professional Teachers Concerto Competition, the Joseph Fisch International Competition, the Bartók Competition, and the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition.

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In addition to her competition successes, Ms. Setiawan was commissioned to record several piano works by an acclaimed composer Gary Lloyd Noland. One of these pieces, Etude Op. 1 No. 10, was featured on Noland’s CD album Entropic Abandon. Recently, two additional albums showcasing Ms. Setiawan’s commissioned works were released. These include Funeral Waltz – Op. 91 and Golden Gate Rag – Op. 123. Notably, the latter piece had its world premiere performance by Ms. Setiawan on July 15, 2022.

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Ms. Setiawan is also the founder of the NorCal Music & Arts Center (NCMAC) in Sunnyvale, CA, which continues to operate under the same trade name. She served as CEO and owner of the school from its inception in 2003 until it was sold in 2016. Ms. Setiawan currently resides in Beaverton, OR, with her husband, where they run their private music studio.

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Please read more about her teaching experience in "Piano Lessons" page 

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