Piano Instructor
Taiwanese pianist Dr. Yi-Ju Lai is an active performer, collaborative artist, and educator
based in Los Angeles. She has appeared in solo and chamber performances throughout the
United States and internationally at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and
the National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center. Praised for performances distinguished by clarity,
sensitivity, and expressive nuance, she is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and
collaborative pianist.
An active chamber musician, Dr. Lai has collaborated with renowned artists including
Anne Akiko Meyers, Daniel Hope, Ronald Leonard, and Paul Coletti. Her musical development
has also been shaped through work with legendary pianists Menahem Pressler, Leon Fleisher,
and Byron Janis. In addition to her solo and chamber appearances, she has been featured as a
guest artist at the Beethoven Festival and has collaborated extensively with faculty artists and
students through chamber music and coaching programs.
Deeply committed to music education, Dr. Lai has taught students of all ages and levels
in both private and institutional settings. She is recognized for her thoughtful and individualized
approach to teaching, guiding students toward technical fluency, musical independence, and
artistic confidence. In addition to her appointment at »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ, she currently serves on
the faculty of Pasadena Conservatory of Music. In recognition of her dedication to teaching, she
was named a Top Piano Teacher by Steinway & Sons in 2022 and 2024.
Dr. Lai holds a Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory of
Music, where she studied with John Perry, and a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts
from the USC Thornton School of Music, where her teachers included Jeffrey Kahane, Kevin
Fitz-Gerald, and Norman Krieger.