Dr. Jiao Sun is a pianist of exceptional versatility, equally sought after as a performer, pedagogue, collaborative artist, and conductor. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and an Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she studied with Soyeon Kate Lee and completed a minor in Piano Pedagogy under Michelle Conda. She also earned a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Literature with Douglas Humpherys and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance with Rebecca Penneys, both from the Eastman School of Music. From 2021 to 2024, Dr. Sun served as Piano Faculty and Collaborative Artist-in-Residence at the Ohio University School of Music, where she also taught as a master piano instructor at the affiliated Athens Community Music School. Dr. Sun currently teaches at Graves Piano & Organ Co. in Columbus and maintains private piano studios throughout central Ohio. In addition to her teaching career, she serves as pianist for two churches in Lancaster, Ohio.
An active collaborator and conductor, Dr. Sun coached the Fairfield String Ensemble for performances at the nationally recognized Lancaster Festival in July 2026. Passionate about inspiring musicians of all ages and abilities, Dr. Sun is dedicated to cultivating artistry, technical excellence, and a lifelong love of music through both performance and teaching.
Laureate of the Washington International Piano Competition, Dr. Jiao Sun has been lauded by New York Concert Review as a pianist "whose gifts are prodigious, who has all the skills needed for a successful career as a performing artist, and who is the perfect ambassador for classical music," and by WXXI Classical and WFMT Chicago for her "expressive range and stunning technique."
Born in Harbin, China, Dr. Sun relocated to Beijing after earning first place in the highly competitive entrance examination to the Central Conservatory of Music at the age of nine, receiving a full scholarship. She made her orchestral debut as a soloist at the age of eleven. Her numerous competition honors include First Prize at the Memphis International Repertory Orchestra Competition, First Prize at the Cincinnati Conservatory Concerto Competition, First and Second Prizes in two Chautauqua Piano Competitions, Second Prize at the Russian A Step Towards Mastery International Piano Competition, and First Prize at the Chinese Golden Bell National Competition for Young Musicians.
Dr. Sun has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Highlights of recent seasons include appearances on NPR's Live from Hochstein concert series, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, the Liliane Questel Recital Series in New York, and An Die Musik LIVE in Baltimore, as well as the Zemlinsky Prize Concerts in Cincinnati, the Washington International Piano Competition Winners Concert, and the Vivace Competition Winners Concert in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has appeared as soloist with the Memphis Repertory Orchestra, the Cincinnati Conservatory Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Saint Petersburg Academic Philharmonia Orchestra. Her performances have taken her to distinguished venues including the Chan Centre, Elizabeth Lenna Hall, Eastman Kilbourn Hall, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. She has also been invited to perform and present at institutions including the University of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, Denison University, the China Conservatory of Music, the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, and Renmin University of China.
An accomplished chamber musician, Dr. Sun was a member of one of only six piano trios worldwide selected to advance to the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She also won First Prize at the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Competition. Her chamber music appearances include the Ascent International Chamber Music Festival, Cincinnati's La Salle Concert Series, and Northern Kentucky University. She has collaborated with distinguished artists including Toke Møldrup, Vincent DiMartino, Gabriel DiMartino, and Patricia Fleming, and has been invited to perform with the Feldman Chamber Music Society during its upcoming season.
Dr. Sun is recognized internationally as an adjudicator. She has served on the jury for the Vivace International Piano Competition, the Ohio Duo and Duet International Piano Competition, the Hong Kong International Global Music Talent Contest, the Orbifold International Piano Competition, where she also served as Regional Director, and the OhioMTA Buckeye Piano Auditions. She has recently been invited to adjudicate the 2027 Denison International Piano Competition at Denison University.
In addition to her performing career, Dr. Sun is an active scholar and pedagogue. She has presented twice at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and at the MTNA Collegiate Chapters Piano Pedagogy Symposium. Her research received Third Prize in the poster session at the OhioMTA Conference, and her work has been published in the MTNA e-Journal and Piano Pedagogy Forum GP3.