Ariya Laothitipong

Ariya Laothitipong is recognized as one of the leading Thai pianists of her generation following her first prize at the 5th International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists in Weimar, Germany, where she became the first Thai pianist to win the competition. She has since received numerous distinctions, including second prize (no first prize awarded), the Press Prize, and the Audience Prize at the International Piano Competition in Enschede, Netherlands. In 2023, she was also awarded third prize in the Artist Category at the Nashville International Chopin Competition. She is also a laureate of numerous competitions across Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States, and made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of ten. Most recently, Ariya competed in the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.

Ariya maintains an active career as both a soloist and chamber musician. Since 2021, Ariya has been a pianist of Trio Matisse, where she has been under the tutelage of Amy I-Lin Cheng. Their most recent achievements include being the first prize winner of the Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization, first prize winner at the Briggs Chamber Music Competition, the Grand Prize winner of the New York International Young Musician Competition, second place at the MTNA Chamber Music Competition, the Kronos Award at the Glass City Chamber Music Competition, and a competitor in the 49th Fischoff Competition. She has been featured as a soloist with many orchestras. Those include the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Orchester des Musikgymnasiums, the Pro Musica String Ensemble, and the Thai Youth Orchestra.

Ariya began piano lessons at the age of four and studied with Dr. Pornphan Banternghansa and Dr. Christopher Janwong McKiggan at the Piano Academy of Bangkok. She later continued her training with Christopher Harding at the University of Michigan, where she received the Earl V. Moore Award for outstanding achievement in music. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studies with Jon Kimura Parker.