James R. Ciernia received his degree in Piano Performance from California State University at Long Beach.

As a young man, Ciernia played piano professionally for several years before pursuing a long and successful career in business.

After putting down his business pursuits, he has returned to the writing and making of solo piano works. These are best described as angular and dramatic, tonal and yet highly chromatic.

His compositions have been described as being "...built of a kind of muscular neo-classicism with more than a little bit of the flavors of Jazz. His works offer the performing pianist an opportunity to display his or her technical skills."

Mr. Ciernia is a member of:

The Center for Promotion of Contemporary Composers

The American Composers Forum

The National Association of Composers, USA

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)