*Chien-I Yang is the winner of the MTNA Young Artist Competition for Arizona, and will represent the state in the regional competition in January, 2013. She recently won the President’s Concert Competition at UA, and will perform Liszt’s Totentanz with the Arizona Symphony in a pair of concerts in February, 2013.
Born in Taiwan, Chien-I Yang has had a remarkable career as a classical and contemporary pianist. A prize-winning performer of numerous awards, Ms. Yang has received 1st prize of the College Byrd Piano Ensemble Competition, 2nd prize in the Piano Competition of Changhua County, 3rd prize in the Kawai Solo Piano Competition, and one of the winners of the Ars Flores Concerto Competition 2010 and performed with the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra at Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center. She has performed in master classes given by Gary Graffman, Rebecca Penneys, Monique Duphil, Thomas Schumacher, Edna Golansky, Phillippe Entremote and Arie Vardi and has been broadcast live on WXEL radio several times. From 2010 to 2011, Ms. Yang has been a scholarship student at the Chautauqua Music Festival in Chautauqua, NY. She is one of the pianists for The Core Ensemble and aside from Ms. Yang’s classical performance engagements, she is an in-demand musical theatre pianist and bandleader, working with Entr’Acte Theatrix. Described by Hap Erstein of the Palm Beach Post, “Chien-I Yang heads an accomplished three-piece combo, and plays a mean keyboard.” Her most recent musical theatre collaborations were You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Ms. Yang received her Master’s of Music Degree at Lynn Conservatory of Music in Florida under Dr. Roberta Rust. Currently, Ms. Yang is pursuing her Doctor degree with Dr. John Milbauer at University of Arizona.
Chien-I’s current recital program includes three Scarlatti Sonatas, Mendelssohn Variations Serieuses, Brahms Variations on a Theme of Paganini Book II, Rzewski Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues, and the Gershwin-Wild Etude on The Man I Love.