Acclaimed by the 2022 New York Concert Review as having “all the skills needed for a successful career as a performing artist. Her gifts are prodigious. She is the perfect ambassador for classical music…” and lauded by Chautauqua Daily and SINGTAO Daily, Jiao Sun was born in Harbin, China and grew up in Beijing, where she was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music at age nine as the first prize winner. She debuted with an orchestra at the age of eleven and by age twelve, she gave her recital debut. She won the prestigious Chinese “Chengxian Fu” national scholarship and was a semifinalist at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition for Young Musicians after winning 1st place at the Chinese “Golden Bell” National Piano Competition for Young Musicians and 2nd prize at the Russian “A Step Towards Mastery” International Piano Competition. Sun has also won silver medal at the 2021 Washington International Piano Competition, 1st prize at the 2019 Memphis Repertory Orchestra International Concerto Competition, 1st and 2nd prizes at the Chautauqua Piano Competitions, 1st prize at the CCM (Cincinnati-College of Music) Concerto Competition, 3rd prize at the Ohio “Tuesday” Musical Scholarship Piano Competition, and 3rd prize at the Beijing “Rising Star” Piano Competition.

Sun has performed in Britain, Russia, Hong Kong, extensively in the United States and mainland China. She has soloed with the Memphis Repertory Orchestra, the Saint Petersburg Academic Philharmonia Orchestra, and the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra. She has attended Bowdoin International Music Festival, PianoFest in the Hamptons, Aspen Music Festival, and two Chautauqua Music Festivals. Sun’s recital was aired on Cincinnati Public Radio, and she has been the artist in residence at the Cincinnati Music and Arts Society since 2019. In previous seasons, she has given recitals at the University of Chicago, performed in two CCM Zemlinsky Concerts, given faculty recitals in Athens OH and debuted at the “Rising Stars Piano Series’ ‘ at New York Southampton Cultural Center. In the 2022-23 season, she will give recital debuts at the Friday Morning Music Club Foundation in Washington DC, join the jury and perform at the Ohio International Piano Duet and Duo Competition and become the editor-in-chief for New York based bilingual music magazine “ALONG 同行” which she has been featured in.

Sun’s “SunRix Trio” was among the six piano trios advanced at the 2019 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Senior Division after winning 1st place at the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Competition and 2nd prize at the CCM Chamber Music Competition.

After winning the CCM Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award as the head of the secondary piano graduate assistants, Sun has been serving as piano faculty and collaborative artist in residence at Ohio University School of Music since 2021. She is at the end of her Doctoral of Musical Arts degree studies with Soyeon Kate Lee at CCM where she also earned an Artist Diploma. Sun received a Master of Music degree with Douglas Humpherys and a Bachelor of Music degree with Rebecca Penneys at the Eastman School of Music.