“Some people wish above all to conform to the rules, I wish only to render what I can hear. There is no theory. You merely have to listen. Pleasure is the law.”

Claude Debussy

Miles Swaminathan (b. 2004) is an American pianist and composer whose work reflects a synthesis of technical discipline and interpretive depth. As a recipient of both the IU Hutton Honors Scholarship and the Premier Young Artist Award, Miles completed his undergraduate studies at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, graduating with Highest Distinction (4.0 GPA), where he studied piano with Professor Jean‑Louis Haguenauer and pursued a minor in composition. During his studies he was awarded the Performer’s Certificate as a special recognition of musical understanding and technical proficiency in recital. His artistic development has been shaped by a range of performance and educational experiences, including studying abroad for a semester with Professor Christopher Hinterhuber in Vienna, as well as participation in the Borromeo Music Festival in Switzerland performing in a master class with distinguished pianist Angela Cheng, and was chosen to collaborate and perform Debussy preludes in the French Art Song “Mélodie” interdisciplinary workshop series led by world renowned French Baritone François Le Roux. Swaminathan has received numerous distinctions in both performance and composition. Among these are several First Prize awards, including the Beyer Composition Award (2026) for solo piano and chamber ensemble compositions, the inaugural International Pianist‑Composer Competition (2026), the Tonal category for the 18th Fidelio International Piano Composition Competition (2025), Artist Presentation Society competition for Piano (2024), the IU JSoM Florence Price Piano Concerto Competition (2024), as well as the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Collegiate Competition for Undergraduate Pianists (2023). His compositional output, recognized for their originality and craftmanship includes chamber and solo works, notably “A Night at the Observatory“. He maintains an active presence as a performer, with solo recitals and has appeared seven times for live broadcast at Kansas Public Radio. In 2026, he will attend the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, where he will further his work as a collaborative pianist in the Opera Studio.