Born to a family of four generations of musicians, Tamara Smolyar is an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning pianist, chamber musician and pedagogue representing the finest traditions of the Russian Piano School.

Tamara has received a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the Kiev State Conservatorium of Music in the Ukraine, a Masters degree from the University of Melbourne and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Music Performance) from Monash University.

A number of composers have written music for Tamara as a soloist and a chamber musician. She has made numerous radio and television recordings for national and international broadcasters, commercial recordings with Cantor Productions, Move Records, Schimmel International Artists Collection, Vox Australis and Toccata Classics.

Working at many prominent venues across the globe, Tamara has conducted many masterclasses, adjudicated piano competitions and performed a variety of concerto, chamber-music and solo recitals.

As a respected pedagogue with a vast scope of the piano literature, Tamara instils a solid technique and develops musicians to aim for high levels of music performance. Many past students under her tutelage were recipients of national and international piano competitions.

Tamara is currently a Piano staff member at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She was previously a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of Piano for 25 years at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University.