Joyce Yang

Who is Joyce Yang?

Joyce Yang is a classical pianist.

She began playing piano at age four as her aunt's first piano student. At age nine, Yang went to New York with her mother and aunt to play for Yoheved Kaplinsky. Kaplinsky said that she would be excited to teach her, but Yang's family did not have enough money to move to New York. So, Kaplinsky recommended her to study with Choong Mo Kang in South Korea. At age ten she entered the Korean National Conservatory studying under Kang, while she also swept many awards from numerous competitions in South Korea. In 1997 Joyce moved to New York and began studying in Juilliard's pre-college division with Kaplinsky. While in New York, she attended Ward Melville High School.

She gained international renown during the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, in which she was awarded the silver medal despite being, at 19, the competition's youngest participant. During the same competition, Joyce was also awarded both the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performance of Chamber Music, as well as the Beverley Taylor Smith Award for the Best Performance of a New Work.