Miles Swaminathan (b. 2004) has been studying the piano since age 7. A native of Kansas, he began his musical training at a young age and quickly distinguished himself through major early accomplishments, including winning his first piano scholarship at age 11, participating in chamber music festivals, and attending the Indiana University Piano Academy (2016–2019) as a merit scholar, as well as the Curtis Institute of Music’s Young Artist Summer Program in 2020. He made his public debut in 2018 and has since appeared in solo recitals, performed at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and been featured on Kansas Public Radio. Among his early distinctions, Miles won first place in numerous local competitions, including the MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the State of Kansas in both 2019 and 2020, and was named alternate for the West Central Division each year.

In May of 2022, Miles graduated from Olathe Northwest High School with High Honors in the 21st Century Engineering Academy. He was a National Merit Commended Student, a City, State, and Regional DAR Good Citizen Scholarship recipient, and a two-time President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award winner. He studied piano with Dr. Robert Weirich and Karen Kushner prior to his collegiate studies.

A returning performer on Kansas Public Radio, Miles graduated in May 2026 with Highest Distinction (4.0 GPA) from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with a minor in composition. He studied under Professor Jean‑Louis Haguenauer and was a recipient of both the IU Hutton Honors Scholarship and the Premier Young Artist Award. During his freshman year, Miles served as President of the IU Performing Arts Living Learning Community and held a leadership role as Co‑President of Communications for the Hutton Honors Council Association.

In January 2023, Miles was selected to perform Debussy preludes in the French Art SongMélodie interdisciplinary workshop series led by renowned baritone François Le Roux, culminating in a performance at Auer Hall. In February 2023, he won the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Collegiate Competition for Undergraduate Pianists, followed by a one‑hour solo recital at the Jacobs School of Music. That spring, he performed Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with piano accompaniment.

In summer 2023, Miles returned to Kansas Public Radio and the Charlotte House Series and attended the Borromeo Music Festival in Altdorf, Switzerland, where he participated in masterclasses with Angela Cheng and performed in solo, chamber, and collaborative settings. In December 2023, he premiered his first piano trio composition, What Lay Beyond the Dark and Desolate Lands.

Miles began 2024 as the winner of the Florence Price Piano Concerto Competition at Indiana University, performing with the IU University Orchestra under Maestro Thomas Wilkins. He also received third prize in the Adult Original Composition category of the Music International Grand Prix (New York) and studied with Austrian pianist Christopher Hinterhuber at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna during the fall semester.

As winner of the 2024 Artist Presentation Society Competition, Miles performed a solo recital in St. Louis in February 2025, in addition to a sixth appearance on Kansas Public Radio. Following his junior recital, he was recommended for the prestigious Performer’s Certificate at Indiana University. In September 2025, he won First Place in the Tonal Category of the Fidelio Piano Online International Competition for his composition A Night at the Observatory, which featured participants from 21 countries.

In 2026, Miles gave his seventh Kansas Public Radio broadcast and his senior recital. He collaborated in aSchubertiade concert with conductor Dr. Betsy Burleigh, pianist Dr. Spencer Myer, and the IU University Singers. He was named First Prize Winner of the inaugural International Pianist‑Composer Competition (World Piano Teachers Association Canada) and received first prizes in both solo and chamber categories of the Beyer Composition Awards for A Night at the Observatory and Heather Fields, respectively.

From July to August 2026, Miles will attend the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, as a collaborative piano student in the Opera Studio.