MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Rebecca Hsiao is a junior at the Manhattan School of Music for Classical Piano Performance and is currently studying with Professor Daniel Epstein. Prior to entering college, she studied piano for twelve years, eleven of which with Dr. Florence Liu. Through her piano studies, Rebecca had the opportunity to perform in master classes with internationally known pianists such as Victor Rosenbaum (2022) and Joseph Kalichstein (2021).

Though classically trained, Rebecca found a passion for playing the piano/keyboard for Musical Theatre. Some shows she played in were 9 to 5 (2019), Drowsy Chaperone (2022), High School Musical (2023), Legally Blonde (2024), Mama Mia (sub) (2024). While at Manhattan School of Music, Rebecca worked with renowned Music Director, James Dodgson, and played some of keyboard 1 for a musical reading of Newsies, as well as learned the entire piano/vocal score to rehearse with the singers.

In recent years, Rebecca has successfully competed and placed in many competitions such as the 2022 Joseph Israel Bookstaber Memorial Competition (1st Place), the 2021 and 2022 PMTGNJ Competition (4th division-2nd place), the 2021 SMSC Grace Gimbel Young Artist Competition (one of six finalists), the 2021 National League International Young Artist Competition (Silver Winner), and the 2020 NJFMC Online Piano Competition (2nd place). In February 2021, she was selected as student of the month at the Mayo Performing Art Center. While being accomplished as a solo pianist, Rebecca also has experience as a piano accompanist, accompanying winners of the AAFAA annual Young Artist Music Competition, the American Protegé Competition, the Golden Key Classical Music Competition, and the New Jersey Wind Symphony Youth Soloist Competition. Beginning in 2016, Rebecca played at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall several times as an accompanist. Auditioning alongside many talented and determined musicians, Rebecca received 1st chair overall on the piano for the NJ All-State Band and North Jersey Region Band in 2020. From 2012 through 2016, Rebecca Hsiao has been a first prize winner for the NJMEA Annual Piano Competition and passed both the ABRSM Grade 8 Exam with Merit as well as her NJMEA audition in the Senior A and Young Artist B category.