Profile
Lora Al-Ahmad is a pianist and a composer from Sofia, Bulgaria.
She graduated with honors from Mannes College in New York City, earning a BM degree in Piano Performance, a Double Major Master's degree in Piano Performance and Composition, and a Professional Studies Diploma degree in Composition. Her piano studies were under the guidance of Pavlina Dokovska and Vladimir Valjarevic, while she studied composition with Lowell Liebermann.
Lora has had the privilege of performing in renowned venues across New York City, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie (annually), The Bohemian National Hall at the Czech Center, The Tenri Cultural Institute, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, The DiMenna Center, and The German House at the United Nations Plaza. She has also given recitals in various locations throughout the United States, such as at the Schubert Club in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Niskayuna Branch Library in Niskayuna, NY, and the Andy Gato Gallery in Miami, Florida.
Lora's compositions have been interpreted by internationally distinguished musicians, including Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson, the principal flutist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra;Billy Hunter, the principal trumpet player of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, MET flutist Maron Khoury, Wolfram Koessel, the cellist of the American String Quartet, and many other performers.
She has participated in notable festivals, including The Conservatoire Américain de Fontainebleau in France and Festetics Palace in Keszthely Zala, Hungary, both as a pianist. Lora has also participated as a composer at The Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine, USA, and has been featured as both a pianist and composer at The Mannes Sounds Festival in New York, USA. She has actively taken part in the 2023 Gingold Composition Festival in Miami, Florida, working with esteemed composers Chen Yi, Chinary Ung, and Orlando Garcia.
In May 2019, the last concert of the series “Musical Treasures from Bulgaria” at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall was dedicated to Lora, showcasing her abilities as both a composer and pianist.
In May 2020, her composition "Two Skazkas," published by the Theodore Presser Company, received the First Prize in the Solo Flute category at the 2020 Newly Published Music Competition by the National Flute Association in the United States.
November 2021 marked a significant milestone in Lora's career when she was invited as the Guest Composer and Lecturer at SIUE (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), where the premiere of her Piano Trio "Irminden '' took place. This commissioned work was subsequently featured in a new CD release in 2022, titled "Irminden: One Hundred Years of Bulgarian Piano Trios," featuring performances by Miroslav Hristov (violin), Marta Simitdchieva (cello), and Ilia Radoslavov (piano).
Lora is a passionate advocate for new music, often with a particular focus on performing works by women composers. In February 2021, she organized and presented a concert at BCENY, NY, titled "Chamber Music by Young Women Composers," featuring pieces by her talented colleagues Shahar Regev and Hyejin Cho. Her doctoral recital at the CUNY Graduate Center in May 2023 also highlighted the contributions of women composers.
In 2024, her piece “Consolation in Loving Memory of Allan Evans” was selected for the ABRSM’s piano repertoire collection at the post-graduate diploma level.
Lora's work and dedication have led to numerous radio, magazine and TV interviews, including appearances on the Princeton, New Jersey-based radio program "Classical Discoveries," the BoldJourney magazine, the Bulgarian National Radio "BNR," "Darik" Radio, and "En-face" on TV1 Bulgaria.
Currently a Doctoral Candidate in Piano Performance program at the CUNY Graduate Center, Lora remains an advocate for contemporary music, serving as an executive board member of the Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York and as a resident composer at the Off the Beaten Path Chamber Music Festival in Bulgaria. Her compositions are published by the Theodore Presser Company.
Lora has maintained a steady teaching career for over a decade, teaching privately and serving on the faculty of Bard College Preparatory Division for three years. As of 2025, she joined the esteemed piano faculty of the Hoff-Barthelson School of Music and the composition faculty at Mannes College Prep Division.