Welcome to my website!
Below you will find bits and pieces about my life from a musical lens. Hope you enjoy reading about my journey!
After encountering the piano at my home church in Taipei, Taiwan at age 7, I became enamored with the instrument. I taught myself reading music from hymnal books, eventually pestering my parents enough to let me start taking lessons. I studied with Ms. Jin-Man Lin and later Ms. An-I Chang while living in Taipei. I studied and practiced fairly consistently, though I never felt an intense push from my parents to pressure me into becoming a pianist.
I moved to the United States at age 14, settling in San Antonio, Texas. There I began to take piano lessons with Kenneth Thompson. Through his enthusiasm and motivation from bountiful performance/competition opportunities, I began to take my musical studies much more seriously. I started to collect recordings, study repertoire, and attempt to fill myself with musical knowledge.
With Ken Thompson after a performance of Mozart D Minor Piano Concerto.
I was extraordinarily fortunate to perform several piano concertos as soloist with my high school orchestra. Under the direction of Teresa Nguyen, we performed Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2, Bloch’s Concerto Grosso, Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D Minor, and Rachmaninoff’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 2.
Performing Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Clark High School Orchestra, directed by Teresa Nguyen.
Staying fairly close to home for college, I attended Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Professor Gregory Allen, who further cemented my love and thirst for knowledge in all things music. During my college years, I became devoted to playing chamber music, often participating in multiple groups each semester. I was fortunate to study with members of the Miró Quartet in most semesters, and at the Sunflower Music Festival in Topeka, Kansas. I remained at UT-Austin for my master’s degree, pursuing additional studies with Professor Anton Nel.
Soojin Nam, violin; Sophia Acheson, viola; Francesco Mastromatteo, cello, and me performing Piano Quartets by Schumann and Brahms.
With Lydia Artymiw and Katrina Clements, clarinet & Elena Denny, cello after one of my doctoral degree recitals.
With Gregory Allen after my junior recital.
In the summers, I am active in participating in music festivals. I spent formative summers at Brevard Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, and Sarasota Music Festival as a student, completing intensive studies at each institution. In 2016, I was invited to San Antonio’s Cactus Pear Music Festival as a festival artist as my first professional engagement.
Josie Davis, violin; Marta Lambert, viola; Seth Biagnini, cello, and me, with Seymour Lipkin as our coach at Kneisel Hall.
With Anton Nel after my first master’s recital.
I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to pursue my doctorate at the University of Minnesota, studying with Professor Lydia Artymiw. While at Minnesota, I served as a teaching assistant in both the musicology department and group piano. As the winner of the university’s annual concerto competition, I performed Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto with the university’s symphony orchestra, conducted by Mark Russell Smith.
Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto at the Ted Mann Concert Hall.
I am currently active as a pianist and educator in the San Antonio, Texas area. I am a member of the music faculty at Trinity University, and the Classical Music Institute as an artist-faculty, program coordinator, and representative on its Board of Directors. For my upcoming concerts, please visit the calendar page of my website.
Performing Bloch Piano Quintet with Francisco Fullana, Daniela Diaz, violins; Jorge Martinez-Rios, viola; Clare Bradford, cello. (Photo by Siggi Ragnar.)
On the harpsichord, performing Max Richter’s Four Seasons Recomposed with the CMI chamber orchestra.