Xinyi Zeng, a native of Sichuan Province, China, began studying piano at the age of three. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree with distinction from the Eastman School of Music in 2022, where she studied with Dr. Marina Lomazov. She went on to complete her Master of Music degree at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2024, studying under Professors Roberto Plano and Sofya Gulyak. She has since returned to Eastman to pursue her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the joint studio of Dr. Marina Lomazov and Dr. Joseph Rackers.
Xinyi has received numerous awards in international piano competitions. Recent honors include First Prize in Section 1 Category F and Second Prize in Section 2 at the 2022 9th International Piano Competition “Città di San Donà di Piave,” First Prize in the Advanced 2 Group of the 2022 Birmingham International Music Competition, First Prize in the Advanced Pianist Group of the 2022 London Classical Music Competition, and Second Prize in Category E of the 2023 Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition.
Alongside her performance career, Xinyi began teaching private piano lessons to students aged 6 to 20 during her undergraduate years. While at Eastman, she studied piano pedagogy with Professor Tony Caramia, further developing her skills in both private and classroom instruction. During her master’s studies at Indiana University, she was appointed as an Associate Instructor in the Piano Department, where she taught class piano to music majors and non-majors, and provided private instruction to non-piano majors, including instrumentalists and vocalists preparing for the piano proficiency exam.
Now continuing her doctoral studies at Eastman, Xinyi teaches class piano to non-piano majors and remains active as a private instructor.