Dr. Yih-Mei Hu, piano

Pianist Yih-Mei Hu is presently on the faculty of Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen, California. Her international appearances include performances in Austria, the Czech Republic, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and Canada. At the age of 18, Dr. Hu made her orchestral debut at Meany Hall with the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra. She has subsequently performed with the Hunan Changsha Symphony Orchestra, the Surabaya Symphony, the New Eastman Symphony, and the University of Victoria Orchestra. In 2001, Dr. Hu was featured on national radio in the People’s Republic of China, as the premiere artist in the opening Gala concerts of the Tian Han Grand Theatre. 

Aside from her solo career, Dr. Hu has collaborated with Los Angeles Opera soprano Malesha Jessie and Seattle Symphony violinist Jun-Liang Du. In 2006, she toured upstate New York with guitarist Kenneth Meyer, a first-prize winner of the MTNA Collegiate Artist Competition. An avid performer of new music, Dr. Hu’s recitals include both traditional twentieth-century works as well as works by rising composers such as Kevin Puts, John Glover, and Gao Ping. 

Dr. Hu is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Nelita True, and completed a Master of Arts in Music Theory Pedagogy. Her training also includes masterclasses with renowned artists Emanuel Ax, Malcolm Bilson, Marc Durand, Jon Kimura Parker, and Robert Weirich. In 1997, Dr. Hu was awarded the Victoria Medal, and a Johann Strauss Foundation scholarship for study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. 

Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Hu was a faculty member at Scripps College, Syracuse University, and the University of Southern California. In her spare time, Dr. Hu engages in community outreach through music, most recently with Crossroads, a women’s shelter in Claremont. She also enjoys playing harpsichord, watching sports, and volunteering at church.