Having first picked up the fiddle at age 6 and the guitar and mandolin only a few years later, Kian grew up attending various bluegrass festivals and fiddle camps all over the West Coast. After playing in numerous bands in his teens and early 20s in Portland, Oregon, Kian moved to Bellingham, Washington where he founded the band Virginia Rail and produced and mixed their self-titled debut album in 2022.
In 2023, Kian finished his undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Fairhaven College at Western Washington University, where his studies focused on audio technology, ethnomusicology, and social justice. Also during this time, Kian was the recipient of the Oregon Bluegrass Association’s Steve Waller Grant, and won the 2023 Monroe Mandolin Appreciation Society Tune Writing Contest hosted by Christopher Henry (Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band).
Now, after the dissolution of Virginia Rail, Kian is setting out on his own with a collection of new original instrumentals set to be released in the Spring of 2024.
In addition to being an accomplished performer, Kian is also a skilled teacher and currently has a studio of 15 private students and hosts a bluegrass group class and a monthly bluegrass jam in Bellingham, Washington.
If you are interested in setting up a lesson or learning more about Kian’s teaching methods check out the “lessons” tab.