American Pianists Association Finalist Award 2025 ($25,000 award plus solo recitals, a quintet with Dover Quartet, and concerti with Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra)
First and only American to be awarded a top prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition on Period Instruments in Warsaw, Poland 2023
Audience Prize and Best Performance of a Beethoven Violin and Piano Duo Prize at the Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Canada 2022
3x winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition
(Mozart K. 271 and K. 491, Beethoven Concerto No. 1)
Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition Grand Prize Winner
OTHER TOP AWARDS:
Music Academy Innovation Institute Grand Prize Winner (chosen by SONOS CEO Patrick Spence, MacArthur Fellow Francisco Nunez, and Tronvig Manager Joyce Kwon)
Earl V. Moore Award - top graduate award in music given by the University of Michigan upon graduation
William Schuman Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music - awarded by Juilliard upon graduation
Hello!
Get to Know Me
Welcome to my website! One of the top questions I get asked is what my childhood was like and how I began my musical journey. I decided to write some of these down and give a shout out to everybody who has helped me early on in life up until now. Behind every success story is truly a village of kind-hearted people, and I am so grateful from the bottom of my heart for every one of you.
What I have decided is that I am going to make a video series where I answer Fan Questions, and the first one I will do is "What My Childhood Was Like?" One area I am extremely passionate about is Audience Relations, so please email me your questions for a chance to be featured in a Q&A or get your questions answered as we all start this revolution in artist-audience engagement!
In the meantime, below is a little timeline of some musical adventures I feel so lucky to have had. A BIG thanks to my family, friends, teachers, and every serendipitous encounter on this sphere we call home.
Early Milestones and Stats:
While in the womb: listened to my mom and grandma play piano. A lot of Chopin reached my ears!
Age 2: stomped my foot whenever my mom's piano students played a wrong note at their lesson (From The Top Jordan Hall audience got a laugh out of this)
Age 3: started tinkering at the piano and improvising
Age 4: began formal piano lessons (without being forced to!)
Age 7: began formal cello lessons with the late principal cellist of the Oregon Symphony, India Zerbe Jobelmann. A few years later, Andre Emelianoff became my teacher at Juilliard. I also loved being in the Portland Youth Philharmonic under Mei-Ann Chen and conductors. One of my most vivid memories was playing the entire Holst Planets at the Newmark Theater.
Age 8: gave my first 2-hour solo recital in Portland, Oregon to a sold-out audience
Age 9: I started working intensely with Debussy-specialist Paul Roberts, who graciously took me under his wing. We worked on Debussy Preludes together whenever he flew from Europe to Portland;
Won all Pacific Northwest competitions;
Performed live for the mayor of Portland on the cello (Boccherini Cello Concerto in B flat Major), televised on TV and radio
Age 10: scouted by GRAMMY-nominated conductor and longtime Oregon Symphony principal Niel DePonte, who mentored me for my public concerto debut at age 10 at the almost 3000-seat Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall;
Chosen to perform Clementi Sonata Op. 25, No. 5 for Leon Fleisher's masterclass;
Accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division as the sole pianist that year
Age 11: upon meeting Welsh conductor Huw Edwards following a recommendation from another conductor, he invited me to play Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals Primo with the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra. I received a tiger plushie following the concert from the orchestra that I still have!
Age 12: won First Prize at the Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition in NYC;
Won Ensemble 212 concerto competition at Lincoln Center and performed Mendelssohn Capriccio Brilliant, Op. 22 with orchestra under Yoon Jae Lee;
Won the Juilliard Concerto Competition and performed Beethoven Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 with orchestra under George Stelluto at Lincoln Center;
Performed at the historic Steinway Hall (rest in peace);
accepted into the Aspen Music Festival and School;
played in From The Top Gala
Education:
The Juilliard School BM in Piano Performance with Chamber and Academic Honors (Kovner Fellow)
The Juilliard School MM in Piano Performance (Kovner Fellow)
University of Michigan DMA in Piano Performance, concurrent MM in Fortepiano Performance
Teachers:
Piano - Veda Kaplinsky, Joseph Kalichstein, Robert Levin, Logan Skelton, Wu Han, Emanuel Ax, Jeremy Denk
Historical Keyboards - Malcom Bilson, Matthew Bengtson, Peter Sykes, Joseph Gascho
Cello - India Zerbe Jobelmann, Andre Emelianoff
Chamber Music - Itzhak Perlman, Merry Peckham, Anne-Marie McDermott, Emanuel Ax, Jerome Lowenthal, Matti Raekallio, Hung-Kuan Chen, David Finckel, Wu Han, Joseph Lin, Robert Lipsett, Masao Kawasaki, and many more!
READ MORE:
"Known for her rare ability to effortlessly draw an infinite number of colors out of the piano"
"A true 21st-century artist and thinker"
"She sells tickets with her multi-talents, personality, and ability to communicate with her voice and instrument"
"Her love for the instruments show"
"A storyteller that has you on the edge of your seats the whole time"
"An equal performer, teacher, citizen"
"I've heard them all and she is the one I want to listen to again and again"
MODERN AND HISTORICAL PIANOS FOR SOLO, CHAMBER, AND CONCERTI APPEARANCES
Customizable professional solo, chamber, and concerto programs of all lengths, for private and public audiences at music festivals, universities, art museums, and subscription concerts.
ARTIST RESIDENCIES, UNIVERSITY AND CONSERVATORY MASTERCLASS/RECITALS, LECTURE-RECITALS
Perfect for presenters and professors looking to diversify their concert series with something truly unique and ticket-selling.
SPEAKER APPEARANCES; LESSONS; DIPLOMATIC, CORPORATE AND NON-PROFIT ARTIST APPEARANCES; FOUNDER OF VITAL MUSIC INSTITUTE and MODERNPLUS MUSIC FESTIVAL
She is an artist who cares about integrating art and musicians through cross-disciplinary efforts. Inspired by her time at Juilliard and multiple ventures she was involved with, as well as Emeritus President Joseph Polisi's "Artist as Citizen" approach, she works with a wide array of professionals in other industries as well as in music
. Through her passionate communication style, she is invited to be a keynote speaker or guest artist at a variety of diplomatic missions, conferences, corporate events, and venues.
GET IN TOUCH
Let's make magic happen on and offstage for you, your festival, concert series, speaker series, corporation, startup, and more! Traditional and innovative offerings are available. Email for inquiries and bookings and an appropriate member of my Team will get back to you ASAP!
