- Biography -
Christina Chao is a versatile pianist with a passion for collaboration who has garnered acclaim for her performances as a solo pianist, art song recitalist, and chamber musician. Especially noted for her sensitivity as an art song recitalist, Christina has performed at Jordan Hall and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She has also performed in other states of the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, South Korea, and Nicaragua in varying capacities as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral pianist. Renowned conductors Christina has worked with include George Manahan (American Composers Orchestra and Portland Opera), Joseph Flummerfelt (Spoleto Festival USA and The New York Philharmonic), and John Hopkins OBE (British and Australia Broadcasting Corporations). Christina has also performed in masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Elly Ameling, Bernard Greenhouse, Roger Vignoles, Rudolf Jansen, Warren Jones, Margo Garrett, and Martin Katz.
With a deep connection and love for art song and the vocal arts, Christina established herself as a sought-after vocal coach in the Greater Boston area. She worked as a vocal coach for the Undergraduate Opera Studies program at New England Conservatory (NEC) and has performed with the choruses of NEC (College and Preparatory School) and Lesley University as well as VOICES Boston. Christina has also co-taught opera and audition workshops for the Boston Lyric Opera Community Program and Wheelock Family Theater. As a former Assistant Professor of Music at Gordon College, she taught Vocal Diction, Literature for Voice, Opera Scenes Workshop, and Survey of Musical Masterworks, and accompanied the Gordon College Choir and Men's Choir.
Christina's musical training began in Taiwan at the age of five and continued in Australia three years later. She was awarded the 2001 J.B. Vincent Award for the Best Licentiate Diploma 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, Christina received her Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Piano Performance from The University of Melbourne. She moved to Boston, MA, in 2008 and continued her studies at New England Conservatory in Collaborative Piano. Christina obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees at NEC under the guidance of Cameron Stowe, John Moriarty, Tanya Blaich, Jonathan Feldman, and Irma Vallecillo.