Melody Ouyang

Education

New England Conservatory, DMA
Yale School of Music, MM
The Juilliard School, BM

About

“…one of the most expressive pianist in her generation…Her playing was sensitive and refine. It is rare, even in these days of burgeoning talent, to encounter a pianist who combines flawless technique and mastery of the instrument with an expressive power."

–New York Concert Review

Melody Ouyang began her piano studies at the age of three. In her native country, she won several piano competitions at a very young age, including the Taiwan National Piano Competition. Dr. Ouyang came to the United States in 1990 as a scholarship student at The Juilliard School Pre-College Division.

Since moving to the United States, Dr. Ouyang has been a winner of several prestigious competitions, including the Artist International Piano Competition, the Corpus Christi International Young Artists Competition, the Juilliard School Concerto Competition, the International Young Artists Piano Competition, and the Corpus Christi Concerto Competition. Melody's performances as a soloist with orchestra include appearances with The Juilliard Symphony Orchestra, The Virginia Symphony, and The Taiwan National Symphony, among others. She has given solo and chamber music recitals in major concert venues in the U.S., such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall in New York City, Alice Tully Hall, and The Eisemann Center, and has toured Europe and Asia as a recitalist. Dr. Ouyang has participated in and performed at some of the most prestigious music festivals, including the Tanglewood Institute, Aspen Music Festival, Blossom Festival, Banff Centre Summer Programs, and the Sarasota Music Festival. In addition, she was frequently featured on WQXR, a New York City radio station.

As a pedagogue, Dr. Ouyang has served as a teaching fellow at Yale University and the New England Conservatory of Music. She began teaching at her private piano studio in 2000. Her students have won local, national, and international competitions. Many of her students have also been accepted to top universities and conservatories around the country. In 2010, she founded the Music Institute of North Texas in Frisco, Texas, and currently serves as its director. Her passion for music education prompted her to establish The Texas Music Matters Foundation, a nonprofit organization that sponsors events year-round and provides scholarships to underprivileged, gifted young musicians.

Dr. Ouyang has served and volunteered in numerous nonprofit and charitable organizations and is actively involved in her children's schools, St. Mark's School of Texas and The Hockaday School. She was a board member of Frisco Arts and is a member of The National Charities League. In 2020, she founded the Texas Music Matters Foundation. This nonprofit organization organizes events that advance the value of music education and provides scholarships to underprivileged pre-college students to study music.

Melody received her Bachelor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School, Master of Music Degree from Yale School of Music, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from New England Conservatory. Her primary teachers were Herbert Stessin, Peter Frankl, Jane Carlson, and Patricia Zander. Other artists and teachers, such as Claude Frank, Boris Berman, and Leon Fleisher, also had a significant influence on her.

Dr. Ouyang currently resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Luke and her two children. Her son, Jaden, is a cellist and an avid water polo athlete. Her daughter, Kaitlyn, is a pianist and a fierce debater. Dr. Ouyang enjoys traveling with her family; together, they have visited 40+ countries and all continents. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, visiting museums, attending concerts, or simply snuggling with her 1.9-pound micro-teacup Yorkshire Terrier, Peanut.