Hi! I’m Maria, a classically trained pianist and violinist. I come from Alberta, Canada and was raised in Chicago, the oldest child of three in a music-appreciating family. At the ages of four and eight, I started learning piano and violin. My first teachers were pianist Lily Lee and violinist Younghee Park from the Betty Haag Academy of Music - as a distinguished student of the academy, I had the immense opportunity of giving solo performances at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall from 2002 to 2010 during their annual group concert programs.
Throughout high school, I studied piano with Julia Tsien and violin with Lee Joiner, whom I continued to study with when I entered Wheaton College’s Conservatory of Music for my undergraduate studies. I completed my BM in Piano Performance and BM in Pedagogy (violin emphasis) in 2018. My teachers during that time were pianist Karin Edwards and also violinist Paul Zafer.
After graduating from Wheaton College, I pursued graduate studies in piano and was appointed an Associate Instructor at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in 2018. I completed my MM in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Menahem Pressler and Karen Shaw. Promptly after finishing that degree in 2020, I started my PD in Collaborative Piano as a student of Chih-Yi Chen and was appointed a Graduate Assistant for JSoM’s collaborative department.
As of now, I serve as the official collaborative pianist for the Western Springs School of Talent Education and Naperville Suzuki School. I also teach violin and piano students of all ages throughout the Chicagoland area. My heart for music is also present throughout different Chinese musical communities and events in the suburbs, such as Chicago Chinese Christian Chorale and CCLife Conferences. When I’m not practicing my instruments, teaching my students, or making music with other musicians, I love to spend time with my husband, Chris, who is also a pianist. We love eating, baking, designing, gardening, and crafting together! I also spend a lot of time with my three cats: Sago, Boba, and Oreo - they love music too! And although I’m a classically trained musician, I very much enjoy improvising and arranging music of all genres, namely jazz, pop, contemporary, and Christian worship music.
Click here to view my resume, and/or contact me below for my repertoire lists (collaborative, solo, and/or orchestral).
Bachelor of Music in Performance, Piano - Wheaton College, May 2018
Bachelor of Music in Pedagogy, Violin - Wheaton College, May 2018
Master of Music in Performance, Piano - Indiana University, May 2020
Performer Diploma in Collaborative Piano - Indiana University, May 2022
Western Springs School of Talent Education and Naperville Suzuki School - Collaborative Pianist
Chicago Chinese Christian Chorale - Collaborative Musician