{"id":248119,"date":"2026-04-02T07:25:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/248119\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T07:25:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:25:10","slug":"piano-academy-looking-forward-to-ribbon-cutting-los-gatan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/248119\/","title":{"rendered":"Piano academy looking forward to ribbon-cutting | Los Gatan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paola<\/a>AT THE PIANO – Paola Rrapaj-Kraja with sheet music at her soon-to-open music studio. (Faizi Samadani \/ Los Gatan)<\/p>\n

Paola Rrapaj-Kraja has been living in the Bay Area for the last four years, waiting for the day she could open a piano studio to the public.<\/p>\n

And this Saturday, Rrapaj-Kraja will get to do just that\u2014with the help of Mayor Rob Moore.<\/p>\n

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will formally launch the European Piano Academy in Los Gatos<\/a>, right above Trader Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re celebrating the opening of European Piano Academy in Los Gatos, and it would mean a lot to share this moment with the community around me,\u201d Rrapaj-Kraja said in a Facebook post, adding she\u2019ll be offering complimentary 30-minute piano or singing trial lessons until June 30. \u201cI\u2019d love to welcome you into our brand-new, cozy piano space and share the joy of music together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rrapaj-Kraja has been building her studio for the last several months with the help of her husband.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been eyeing this location since the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n

Rrapaj-Kraja\u2019s father was a professional musician. And her mother sang alongside her dad.<\/p>\n

But her parents gave up their music dreams after the fall of the regime in Albania, so they could offer a more stable life for their kids.<\/p>\n

Rrapaj-Kraja spent nine years at Charles University<\/a> in Prague working towards two master\u2019s degrees.<\/p>\n

And Rrapaj-Kraja has been teaching at music schools and offering private lessons.<\/p>\n

She can\u2019t wait to open her own academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PaolaTHE FUTURE AWAITS \u2013 Rrapaj-Kraja have been looking forward to this moment for years. (Faizi Samadani \/ Los Gatan)<\/p>\n

Albania births a musician<\/p>\n

Rrapaj-Kraja\u2019s father drove her to piano lessons each week. That was more than two-hours-drive away. He wanted her to get the best musical training they could find.<\/p>\n

Recently, musicians of Albanian heritage have been making quite the splash.<\/p>\n

Artists like Dua Lipa, Rita Ora and Bebe Rexha have been experiencing considerable commercial success.<\/p>\n

Rrapaj-Kraja takes inspiration from these role models.<\/p>\n

She says they\u2019ve helped her manifest dreams for herself and other female Albanian artists.<\/p>\n

Rrapaj-Kraja has performed across the world\u2014both as a soloist and with renowned orchestras\u2014in many countries, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.<\/p>\n

She says she focuses on \u201cinstilling a deep sense of confidence and passion for music\u201d in her pupils.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve been curious about learning piano or exploring your voice for yourself or your child, feel free to text me to book a trial lesson,\u201d she said in the Facebook post about the business launch.<\/p>\n

European Piano Academy<\/a> will hold a Ribbon-Cutting on Saturday, April 4, from 1-3pm, at 15466 Los Gatos Blvd., #204, Los Gatos. The event will feature music from Paola Rrapaj-Kraja, Dr. Grijda Spiri (violin) and Dr. Carrie Tseng (violoncello).<\/p>\n