Yiyang Hu

Yiyang Hu is a pianist born in Shanghai, China, who began her musical studies at the

age of six with Zijie Wu, Associate Professor of Piano at the Shanghai Conservatory of

Music. During her early musical studies in Shanghai, Yiyang received top prizes in several

regional and national piano competitions, including the German International Youth Piano Competition, the National Art Young Angel Piano Competition, First Prize in the Shanghai Division of the Bo Ya International Chinese Piano Festival. At fourteen, she became a pupil of Dr.Pamela Mia Paul, Regents Professor of Piano at the University of North Texas. She later completed her high school education at the Cambridge School of Dallas and was admitted to the University of North Texas in 2020.

At UNT, Yiyang earned both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in

Piano Performance under Dr. Pamela Mia Paul and Professor Adam Wodnicki. During her undergraduate years, she was named to the UNT President’s List for every semester and received the UNT Scholarship for Continuing Students and the Robert J. Hardin Presidential Scholarship. She graduated summa cum laude in 2024 and continued directly into UNT’s graduate program with a competitive piano scholarship awarded for outstanding artistic and academic achievement. During her master’s studies, she also pursued a related field in Piano Pedagogy and studied with Dr.Oscar Macchioni. In 2026, she was admitted into the Doctor of Musical Arts program in Piano Performance at UNT with a competitive piano scholarship, where she currently studies under Professor Adam Wodnicki.

In 2025, Yiyang was the only current piano student featured in the UNT College of

Music’s official annual publication Gratitude in Print. She was recognized in the “Student

Success” section for her performance accomplishments and international competition awards, including First Place in the Rising Talents of Asia & Oceania Competition, First Place in the Best Haydn Performance Competition, Second Place in the Orbetello Piano Online Competition, and the Bronze Award in the 3rd Singapore International Music Competition for Piano & Violin. In addition to her competition achievements, Yiyang has presented multiple undergraduate and graduate solo recitals at the University of North Texas, performing works by composers including Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Schumann. Her performances have been praised for their musical sensitivity, tonal color, and expressive musicianship. Following one of her recent solo recitals at UNT, renowned pianist and pedagogue Victor Rosenbaum described her performance as "a very high level

professional performance."

As a teacher, Yiyang is passionate about creating a supportive and engaging learning

environment for students of different ages and levels. With a strong background in piano

literature, music history, aural skills, and music theory, she encourages students to develop both technical confidence and musical expression. Yiyang is currently a member of the UNT MTNA Collegiate Chapter.