Instagram Live Interview with Dr Christina Lai, Pianist and Piano Teacher
In this Instagram Live Interview, i sit down (virtually) with a close friend, mentor, and teacher, Dr. Christina Lai.
Dr. Lai is an incredible pianist and piano teacher. She has taught me so much and i'm grateful for everything that she has done for me.
Here is a bit about Christina from her website (https://cyinglai.wixsite.com/piano/bio):
"Recent soloist with the FSU Philharmonia Orchestra, Christina Lai, from Plantation, Florida, began her musical training at the age of five. She is pursuing her Doctorate of Music in piano performance with a specialized studies in piano pedagogy under the guidance of Professor Read Gainsford and Diana Dumlavwalla. She is currently a group piano instructor at Florida State University.
Christina was one of four chosen as a William R. Kenan Jr. Music Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music and a Chemistry minor. Among several achievements, Christina debuted with the UNC Symphony Orchestra performing the Ravel Left Hand Piano Concerto. She has attended and performed at the Chautauqua Institution and the Aspen Music Festival and School as a Thomas S. Kenan Fellow. She has placed in various competitions including the National Association of Negro Musicians Piano Competition, Florida MTNA Competition, Rosen-Schaffel Competition, and Young Artists Piano Competition of the North Carolina Music Teachers Association. Christina was one of nine national recipients of the Chopin Foundation of the United States' scholarship awards and was chosen to receive the Marilyn Caldwell Piano Solo Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs. Additionally, she has received guidance from artists such as Nelita True, John Perry, Boris Slutsky, Natalya Antonova, Phillipe Entremont, Ian Hobson, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Winston Choi, Daniel Shapiro and Molly Morkoski."
Complementing to her musical ventures, Christina was an avid volunteer in the music therapy department of the North Carolina Memorial Hospital. She also enjoys teaching and was piano faculty at Good Sam Arts, an instructor for UNC’s Musical Empowerment, a non-profit organization designed to provide free lessons to underprivileged children, and an instructor of the Aspen Music Festival and School’s Passes and Lessons Scholarship Program. Her students have received scholarships and have been accepted into collegiate level piano programs. Most recently with Trio Azul, she engaged with the community through collaboration with the Leon County Library and Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Zwilich; working with Zwilich and performing her piano trio."
For more information about Christina, connect with her on instagram @tinaspianotips and on her website: https://cyinglai.wixsite.com/piano/bio.
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-Braeden