Music Instructor
Piaras Kent has been playing the violin for 15 years and started out playing fiddle/folk tunes in his parents’ parlor. He went from there to taking lessons at the Flint Institute of Music, where he played in the Flint youth Philharmonia for 1 year and in the Flint Youth Symphony for 3 years. While at the FIM, Piaras also won a concerto competition, the Dort String Scholarship and played for 2 years in the Dort String Quartet. He has continued to be closely involved with the FIM for the past 12 years and has assisted and taught at many of the summer camps and classes offered throughout the year.
Piaras achieved his Bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Oakland University in Auburn Hills. While there, he won several awards for his high musicianship and dedication to music performance. From there, he went to Michigan State University for his Master’s Degree and is currently getting his Doctorate there as well. In addition, Piaras performs regularly with several orchestras including, but not limited to, Midland Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony, and the Michigan Philharmonic.
He joined El Ballet Folklorico Estudiantil in September of 2014 and has been highly involved as an instructor and performer ever since. He has traveled to many places as a member of the Mariachi band, most recent of which was to Las Vegas for a 6-day conference with José Henandez.