Anna Cheng

My name is Qiaomei Cheng, with Cheng being my family name, though I am also known by my English name, Anna Cheng. I began studying piano performance at the age of six and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Piano Performance from the School of Music at East China Normal University in Shanghai. During my undergraduate studies, I was selected in 2008 as an exchange student to the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in the United States.

In 2011, I traveled to the U.S. to audition for several master’s programs in piano performance and was fortunate to receive offers from all the institutions I applied to, including the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin. Ultimately, I chose UCA due to its offer of a full assistantship scholarship. Under the guidance of Dr. Neil Rutman, I studied piano while also immersing myself in diverse disciplines, including Western music history, music theory, composition, chamber music, piano accompaniment, and piano art direction. My achievements during this time include being named Outstanding Piano Student, securing second place in the College Instrumental Music Competition, and winning first place in the University of Arkansas Piano Competition. I also performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.488 with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra as part of a Mozart-themed concert.

After returning to China in 2014, I established my own piano studio, which has flourished over the past decade. I have taught hundreds of students and received multiple accolades for my teaching, including the Excellent Instructor Award at both the "Liszt Monument" and "Chopin Monument" Hong Kong International Piano Competitions, as well as the Excellent Teacher Award at the Xinghai Cup National Piano Competition. Throughout my teaching career, I have continued to refine my skills, benefiting greatly from the mentorship of internationally renowned professors such as Andrzej Jasiński, Dmitri Alexeev, and Balázs Szokolay.

I have led my students in various musical endeavors, including concerts, masterclasses, and cultural exchange programs in Germany, Austria, the United States, and Shanghai, China. Additionally, I represented Chinese piano educators in China-Poland piano exchange programs, during which I participated in masterclasses, duet piano concerts, and solo recitals. Notably, in 2014, I attended the PianoTexas International Festival as an observer, where I studied under Dr. Tomas Ungar, whose kind and insightful teaching left a lasting impression on me.

Although it has been ten years since I graduated, my passion for music remains unwavering. I am eager to continue engaging in meaningful musical experiences, particularly at this year’s piano events in Texas, including the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and teacher performance activities. I look forward with great anticipation to these opportunities.