Inna G. Onofrei (b.1980) is an Armenian-American composer and pianist. Born in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan and raised in the small town of Nevinnomyssck, Russia, she began her music education at a local music school where she studied piano, music theory, and composition. Between 1994 – 2000, Ms. Onofrei’s original compositions won several prizes and awards in the Stavropol State Competition for Young Composers. One of her songs, written in 1997 about her hometown Nevinnomyssk, was adopted as the town’s anthem.
Ms. Onofrei continued her musical studies at the Stavropol State College of Arts where in 2002, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory and Composition. That year, along with her family, she moved to the United States.
In 2011, Ms. Onofrei earned her Master’s of Music degree in Piano Performance from Cleveland State University, where she studied piano with 2007 Grammy Award Winning pianist, Angelin Chang. In 2018, Ms. Onofrei earned her Master’s of Music degree in Composition from Cleveland State University, where she studied with Dr. Andrew Rindfleisch and Dr. Greg D’Alessio.
As a composer, Inna’s catalogue includes music for piano, voice, chamber ensembles, symphonic works, as well as electronic and electro-acoustic works. Her music has been performed in Russia, United states of America, and Greece. Ms. Onofrei recently published a children’s piano album “Lola’s Adventures”. This album is designed to help younger students improve their technical and musical skills while having fun learning pieces about a little dog and cat.
As a piano instructor, Ms. Onofrei has over twenty years of experience teaching to both children and adults of all ages and abilities. She believes that the most important goal of learning how to play the piano is fostering an enjoyment for music that lasts a lifetime.