A passionate collaborator, Christina Chao is a versatile pianist having performed in various genres ranging from solo piano, art songs, and chamber music to opera, choral, and orchestral repertoire. She has given performances in Australia, Europe, Canada, the United States, Nicaragua, and Taiwan. Since relocating to Boston, MA, in August 2008, Miss Chao has appeared in performances at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Jordan Hall, and The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, among others. Renowned conductors Miss Chao has worked with include George Manahan (New York City Opera), Joseph Flummerfelt (Westminster Choir), and John Hopkins OBE (University of Melbourne). She has also played in Masterclasses for distinguished artists such as Elly Ameling, Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Bernard Greenhouse, Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, Warren Jones, and Margo Garrett. Miss Chao's musical training began in Taiwan at the age of five before she immigrated to Australia with her family three years later. She was awarded the 2001 J.B. Vincent Award for the Best LMusA Performance in Western Australia, as well as the Curriculum Council of Western Australia 2002 Subject Exhibition in Music. A recipient of the Maude Harrington Prize for Accompanying, Miss Chao obtained her Bachelor of Music (Honors) in Piano Performance from The University of Melbourne. She then completed her Master of Music (Academic Honors) and Graduate Diploma in Collaborative Piano at the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, and is currently in NEC's highly competitive Doctor of Musical Arts program under the guidance of Cameron Stowe, John Moriarty, and Jonathan Feldman. Equally passionate about teaching, Miss Chao currently holds a Teaching Fellowship at NEC as a vocal coach. She is on faculty at The Chestnut Hill School of Music, and was recently appointed as Staff Pianist at Gordon College. In addition, Miss Chao works with the choruses at Lesley University, NEC Preparatory School, and Voices Boston. She resides in Brookline, MA, and enjoys baking and photography in her spare time.
