Yishan Xiao, born in China, began studying piano at the age of six and entered the Shenzhen Art School at twelve for professional musical training. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Piano Performance with honors from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, where she studied with the renowned pianist, educator, and Steinway & Sons Artist Dr. Vivian Li. During her graduate studies, she received the First Prize Graduate Scholarship and the Second Prize Comprehensive Scholarship, served as a piano teaching assistant in the Department of Arts Management, and contributed to the 2021 Guangdong Province Postgraduate Education Innovation Program Project.
Xiao has received prizes in numerous competitions, including the Guangzhou Open Piano Competition, Guangdong Piano Society Cup Piano Competition, the Steinway & Sons National Youth Piano Competition (South China Region), the Medici International Music Competition (UK), Ponce Project International Piano Competition, Cynthia Woods Mitchell - Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition, TMTA Piano Solo Young Artist Competition, etc.
Deeply committed to piano pedagogy, Xiao has received multiple “Outstanding Teacher” awards from international competitions, including the 11th Asian International Arts Competition, the 6th Bastian International Piano Competition and the Concours international de piano de Versailles (France). Her students have consistently earned high distinctions in ABRSM and other nationally recognized piano assessment systems in China.
Xiao is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Houston, studying with Dr. Tali Morgulis, serving as a Teaching Assistant, and completing a minor in Collaborative Piano with Timothy Hester.
