Yifan Gu

Piano

Yifan Gu, born in 1997 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is a distinguished Chinese pianist known for her expressive artistry and academic excellence. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education, with a dual concentration in piano and vocal performance. She later pursued her Master of Music in Piano Performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in the United States, where she studied under internationally acclaimed pianist Andrius Zlabys and was awarded a merit-based scholarship throughout her studies.

In September 2022, Ms. Gu commenced her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Claremont Graduate University, studying under the mentorship of world-renowned pianist Dr. Jenny Kim. She was awarded a generous scholarship in recognition of her outstanding musical potential and academic achievements.

Ms. Gu has performed widely as a soloist. In 2018, she participated in a charity concert featured by Jiangsu Television’s Education Channel in Nanjing. Her first solo piano recital was held in Suzhou in May 2019, followed by a second recital in Boston in 2022. In August 2023, she returned to her hometown for a third well-received solo recital.

Throughout her artistic journey, she has received guidance and acclaim from numerous international piano masters, including Antonio Pompa-Baldi (Head of Piano Department, Cleveland Institute of Music), Meng-Chieh Liu (Professor at the Curtis Institute of Music and New England Conservatory), Claar ter Horst (Head of Piano Department, Berlin University of the Arts), Andra Vermesy (Belgian pianist), and Mark Taratushkin (Russian pianist).

Ms. Gu’s exceptional talent has been recognized with numerous awards:

In 2015, she won Second Prize in the College Division at the Yamaha National Piano Competition (Suzhou regional round) in China.
In 2016, she received Second Prize in the Youth Division of the “Gifted Pianist” International Piano Festival.
In 2017, she was awarded Second Prize in the Youth Division of the Virtuoso & Belcanto International Piano Competition in Italy.

Ms. Gu continues to pursue her musical career with passion and dedication, striving to bring emotional depth and technical brilliance to every performance.

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