Jiayan Sun

Praised by the New York Times for his “revelatory” performances, and by the Toronto Star for his “technically flawless, poetically inspired and immensely assured playing,” pianist Jiayan Sun has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Chinese and RTÉ (Ireland) National Symphony Orchestras, the Fort Worth and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, the Toronto and Aspen Concert Orchestras, and he has conducted from the keyboard the Meiningen Court Orchestra. His performances have been broadcast by the BBC, the RTÉ, China Central Television, and classical music radio stations in North America. Under the mentorship of Sir András Schiff, he was invited to give a number of solo recitals in Europe as part of Schiff’s “Building Bridges” project for the 2017–2018 season.

Mr. Sun has been awarded prizes at many of the major international piano competitions, including the Leeds, the Dublin, and the Cleveland, in addition to the first prize at the inaugural CCC Toronto International Piano Competition. Playing early keyboard instruments and studying historical performance practice have played a significant role in Mr. Sun’s musical activities, with critically acclaimed appearances with the American Classical Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall.  

Hailing from Yantai, China, he received bachelor’s, master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Sir Stephen Hough. His other mentors include pianists Malcolm Bilson, Richard Goode and Robert Levin, and harpsichordist Lionel Party. His devotion to the art of composition led him to study with the composer Philip Lasser. Currently Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Chair for Performance Activities at Smith College, he presented Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas in chronological order, in addition to yearlong series devoted to the music of Schubert and Chopin.  

Jiayan Sun is a Steinway Artist.