Xiting Yang is a pianist who fundamentally values expressivity and communication in performance. As an active concert performer, Yang regularly plays a wide variety of music as both soloist and collaborator. She has performed Gala Concerts in Candas, Spain which were praised by La Nueva Espana, singling out her exciting concert of “strength and momentum,” and describing it as a “masterful performance that delighted a big audience.” Other engagements have included performances at Carnegie Hall in New York; Steinway Series in Tampa, Florida; Music at Midday Series in New Orleans, Louisiana; One Voice Music Series in Grosse Pointe, Michigan; Tutunov Series in Ashland, Oregon; Resonance Series in Seattle, Washington; Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, Illinois; Gibson Centre Concert Series in Toronto, Canada. Over the years Yang has claimed top prizes in numerous solo piano competitions including Schumann International Piano Competition-Southern China Division; Chong-Sin International Piano Competition in Singapore; Indianapolis MMC Scholarship Competition; American Protégé Competition; Edward Auer Piano Workshop Concerto Competition; various MTNA competitions; Indiana University Piano Concerto Competition. She received the President’s Professional Engagement prize and the Audience Favorite prize at the Seattle International Piano Competition which included return engagements in Oregon and Washington. Ms. Yang is a frequent adjudicator of competitions including the Seattle International Piano Competition, Claudette Sorel International Piano Competition and the Oakland University Piano Competition.
Aside from her work as a performer and educator, Yang has created an ongoing online video series of piano interviews with prominent pianists and keyboardists, BACKSTAGE: The Life Behind the Music, which has been recognized for its excellence and contribution to the music field. She holds a BM from Indiana University, MM from Rice University, and DMA from the University of Michigan. Her primary teachers include Edward Auer, Robert Roux and Logan Skelton.
A devoted teacher, Dr. Yang has worked with many successful piano students, helping them over time to find their unique artistic voices. She frequently appears as an invited guest artist at prominent music festivals such as the Palmetto International Piano Festival, Atlantic Music Festival as well as serving as Artist Faculty at the Montecito International Music Festival. Dr. Yang has served as Visiting Faculty at Loyola University New Orleans and State University of New York Fredonia. She currently holds the position of Teaching Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. She is also the founder and artistic director of the Florence Price International Piano Competition at University of Arkansas.