Ariana Hernández Vera

Anika Ariana Hernández Vera (born August 29, 2003, in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico) is a dedicated and versatile pianist with a strong focus on contemporary music. She is currently studying at the Anton Bruckner University in Linz (Austria) under the guidance of Prof. Saskia Giorgini and is a recipient of the Rotary Club Wels scholarship for the 2024/2025 academic year. Additionally, she is part of the Artistic Enhancement Program at the Davidsbündler Academy in The Hague (Netherlands), founded by pianist Anna Fedorova, where she works with Prof. Borys Fedorov. She also receives regular mentorship from pianist Mathilde Hoursiangou in Vienna.

Her musical journey began at the age of three in her hometown, where she studied with pianist and soprano Akie Ito Breton. From an early age, she performed regularly in Mexico across a variety of venues. At age 15, she was awarded a scholarship from the Heinrich-Fries-Stiftung in Munich, which enabled her to continue her studies with Prof. Aleksandra Romanic. She later pursued further training in Hamburg with Prof. Delphine Lizé, Prof. Manfred Fock, and pianist Wera Wassiljeva.

She has participated in numerous festivals, academies, and masterclasses, including NyMusikk and TOSPANN (Norway), impuls Festival – Academy for Contemporary Music (Austria), and Time of Music – Musiikin Aika (Finland). In the summer of 2025, she will take part in the Oeiras Piano Festival (Portugal), Festival Aires (Mexico), several solo recitals throughout Mexico, and will travel to Armenia as an artist-in-residence of the Hosq Foundation. She was also selected as an artist-in-residence for the percept.concept.percept XIII 2026 program at the .abeceda Institut (Slovenia), where she will perform as pianist of the ensemble.

Her artistic development has been shaped by collaborations with prominent musicians in both classical and contemporary music, such as Nicolas Hodges, Bertrand Chamayou, Alfonso Gómez, Mark Knoop, Florian Hölscher, Stefan Wirth, Talvi Hunt, Dimitrios Polisoidis, Benedicte Palko, Pietro De Maria, and Meesun Coleman Hong. She has also worked closely with composers including Matthew Shlomowitz, Talia Amar, and Asia Ahmetjanova.

Alongside her classical training, Ariana actively engages in chamber music, jazz improvisation, and the exploration of alternative instruments such as the toy piano. She has also had lessons in singing, guitar, and violin. In addition to her piano studies, she will begin a program in media composition and computer music under Prof. Andreas Weixler. Her path as a musician reflects a profound commitment to artistic growth, curiosity, and the continuous exploration of diverse musical languages.