Hong Kong-born pianist Dr. Prudence Hiu-Ying Poon has studied piano since age 3 and made her first orchestral debut with the Hong Kong Metropolitan Youth Orchestra at age 10. Dr. Poon has been keenly participating in competitions and festivals, and was awarded prizes in numerous competitions, including an Honorable Mention and the Audience Prize in the 70th Wideman International Piano Competition, Piano Division Runner Up in the 2022 Naftzger Young Artists Auditions, Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz Prize in the 8th New York International Piano Competition etc. She has also received prestigious awards and scholarships from organizations such as The Bernard Van Zuiden Music Fund and Irving & Lena Lo (ILLO) Scholarship Fund.

 

As an avid chamber musician and educator, Dr. Poon has worked as an Accompanist at Oberlin Conservatory, the New England Conservatory Preparatory School & School of Continuing Education. During her studies at Indiana University, she served as an Assistant Instructor and Program Assistant of the Secondary Piano Program at Indiana University. She was also invited to be one of the piano instructors at 2023 Edward Auer Piano Workshop, providing solo and chamber lessons to dedicated pianists.

 

After studies with Nancy Loo and Yim Wan in Hong Kong, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Vocal Accompanying at Oberlin Conservatory under the tutelage of Robert Shannon and Philip Highfill. During her senior year there, she was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts, a distinction awarded only once every five years, to a graduating senior who has performed with uncommon distinction in music performance. As a Dean's Scholarship and Tan Family Foundation Scholarship recipient, she graduated from New England Conservatory’s Masters of Music program, with HaeSun Paik. In 2024, Dr. Poon graduated from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a Doctor of Music degree, majoring in Music Literature and Piano Performance with a minor in Music Education, under the guidance of Roberto Plano.