what began as a child's dream at a family piano has grown into a lifelong calling 

Founder and Artistic Director Paola Rrapaj Kraja (J's sound like I or Y) an international concert pianist and distinguished music educator whose passion lies in connecting hearts through music.
Born into a musical family Paola’s journey began at the age of four, when she first touched the piano keys that would shape her life. Her father, a music teacher and renowned accordionist, and her mother, a choir singer, filled their home with music. Though her parents gave up their music dream, after the fall of the regime in Albania, so they could build a more stable life for their children, they never let go of their passion for music — nurturing it within the family as a way of speaking, feeling, and dreaming. Music became Paola’s first language.
Her older brother, a pianist, saxophonist, and conductor educated in Germany and Prague, became one of her earliest mentors and inspirations, encouraging her to pursue her own musical path.
Paola’s exceptional dedication led her to study in Prague, Czech Republic — one of Europe’s most prestigious musical centers and the cultural “heart of Europe.” She studied at the Prague Conservatory and simultaneously earned double master’s degrees in Piano Performance and Music Education & Pedagogy from Charles University, an institution that has shaped generations of Europe’s foremost artists and scholars since 1348.
Her artistry was refined under the mentorship of esteemed professors Adam Skoumal (Juilliard alumnus, concert pianist, and composer) and doc. MgA. Jana Palkovská, and enriched through masterclasses with internationally acclaimed pianists including Nikolai Lugansky, Victor Goldberg, Heribert Koch,  Martin Kasík, Barbara Maria Willi, Kirsten Johnson, Evgeny Kissin, and many others.
Paola’s dedication and countless hours of practice have brought her to perform in some of Europe’s most celebrated concert halls and historic venues, including Rudolfinum, Liechtenstein Palace, Martinu Hall, Klementinum Mirror Chapel, Žofín Palace, the Czech Museum of Music, Aula Magna of Charles University, and the Church of St. Simon and Jude — stages once graced by Czech masters Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, and Leoš Janáček. She has also performed at Prague’s Estates Theatre, the very stage where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premiere of "Don Giovanni" in 1787.
Her international performances span Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Albania, Slovakia, and the United States, with appearances in remarkable cultural landmarks such as Haydn’s Birth Home in Rohrau, Mahler’s Birthplace in Kaliště, Dvořák’s Birth Home in Nelahozeves, the Schumann House in Zwickau, and the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn — honoring the legacy of the great composers whose music continues to inspire her artistry.
In Switzerland, Paola attended  the Verbier Festival, where she was deeply influenced by masterclasses and performances led by world-renowned conductors and artists including Gianandrea Noseda, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, and Daniel Barenboim. Their musicianship profoundly shaped her interpretive depth and artistic vision.
Paola’s performances are often praised for their emotional depth, sensitivity, and refined virtuosity.
Now based in Los Gatos, California, she continues this cultural bridge through her European Piano Academy of Silicon Valley, where she shares the same artistic ideals that have shaped her musical journey.