Yaci Zou is a pianist and educator dedicated to performance, collaboration, and pedagogy. She began her musical studies at the age of four, receiving formal training in both piano and voice. Since then, she has cultivated music as a central artistic pursuit through solo and collaborative performance, teaching, and engagement with current pedagogical research.

She is currently an ABD (All But Dissertation) candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Alabama. Yaci holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Missouri State University, where she was awarded the Kiefer-Young Memorial Scholarship and the Opera Workshop Scholarship. Yaci has performed at masterclasses with distinguished artists and pedagogues, including Professors Boaz Sharon, Thomas Kreuzberger, Ching-Wen Hsiao, and Olga Shupyatskaya. Her primary professors include Dr. Edisher Savitski and Dr. Wei-han Su.

From 2020 to 2023, Yaci served as a full-time Graduate Assistant and staff pianist in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alabama. Her doctoral project focused on a historically grounded and performatively informed recording of Clara Schumann’s oeuvre and selected works Robert Schumann, highlighting their mutual artistic influence. An active collaborative pianist, she has performed in recitals, competitions, National Opera Association opera scenes, callbacks, and studio classes, collaborating extensively with both instrumentalists and vocalists. She has also served as a judge for the MMTA Pre-College State Finals.

Her artistic achievements have been recognized through numerous national and international competitions in both piano and voice. These awards include the Golden Prize of the 5th Hong Kong International Piano Invitation Competition, the Silver Prize of the 7th Hong Kong International Piano Invitation Competition, the Golden Prize of the 8th Shanghai International Youth Piano Competition in both the solo and four-hands categories, Third Prize of the 4th Dalian Piano Competition, the Performance Award at the Ameri-China International Music Festival and Piano Competition, and the Silver Award in the vocal category at the Asian Youth Art Festival in China.

With extensive experience as both a performer and educator in China and the United States, Yaci has developed an inclusive and student-centered teaching philosophy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with teaching licensure, with an emphasis in both piano and vocal performance. Over the past 13 years, she has taught students of diverse ages and skill levels, many of whom have earned scholarships to undergraduate programs in the United States, won national and international competitions, and performed in winners’ concerts at piano festivals. Over the past three years, Yaci has taught piano and musicianship as a pre-college instructor at a music academy in Austin. She has also coached the University of Illinois Springfield Camerata Ensemble and given a masterclass there. Yaci is committed to fostering artistic growth while inspiring in her students a lasting appreciation for the discipline, creativity, and joy of music.